Variation of Soil Nitrogen, Organic Carbon, and Waxy Wheat Yield Using Liquid Organic and Mineral Fertilizers

Abstract

Biogas slurry is widely used to fertilize crops. However, their impact on soil parameters and waxy winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) nutrition is poorly understood. The aim of this research was to determine the influence of liquid anaerobic digestate and pig slurry applied to waxy winter wheat on the dynamics of soil organic carbon (SOC) and total nitrogen (Ntot) in different forms on grain yield, and to compare them with the use of ammonium nitrate. The nitrogen rates (kg N·ha−1) used for fertilization were N0, N60, N120, and N120+50. The study showed that the variation of nitrate nitrogen (N-NO3) and water-extractable organic carbon (WEOC) in the soil during the growing season depended on N fertilizer rates, meteorological conditions of the year, and, to a lesser extent, on fertilizer forms. Meteorological conditions were responsible for the demand and supply of nutrients from the soil by the waxy winter wheat variety. This determined the wheat yield and the variation in the soil parameters studied. Over the 2 years, the soil C:N ratio decreased, especially at the medium and high N fertilizer rates. The lowest changes were observed in the unfertilized and fertilized plots at a rate of 60 kg N·ha−1.

Keywords

• liquid anaerobic digestate
• pig slurry
• ammonium nitrate
• waxy winter wheat
• water-extractable organic carbon
• soil organic carbon