Soil Properties and Maize Yield Improvement with Biochar-Enriched Poultry Litter-Based Fertilizer
Jiri Holatko,
Tereza Hammerschmiedt,
Jiri Kucerik,
Tivadar Baltazar,
Maja Radziemska,
Zdenek Havlicek,
Antonin Kintl,
Iwona Jaskulska,
Ondrej Malicek,
Martin Brtnicky
Affiliations
Jiri Holatko
Department of Agrochemistry, Soil Science, Microbiology and Plant Nutrition, Faculty of AgriSciences, Mendel University in Brno, Zemedelska 1, 613 00 Brno, Czech Republic
Tereza Hammerschmiedt
Department of Agrochemistry, Soil Science, Microbiology and Plant Nutrition, Faculty of AgriSciences, Mendel University in Brno, Zemedelska 1, 613 00 Brno, Czech Republic
Jiri Kucerik
Faculty of Chemistry, Institute of Chemistry and Technology of Environmental Protection, Brno University of Technology, Purkynova 118, 612 00 Brno, Czech Republic
Tivadar Baltazar
Department of Agrochemistry, Soil Science, Microbiology and Plant Nutrition, Faculty of AgriSciences, Mendel University in Brno, Zemedelska 1, 613 00 Brno, Czech Republic
Maja Radziemska
Institute of Environmental Engineering, Warsaw University of Life Sciences, 02-787 Warsaw, Poland
Zdenek Havlicek
Department of Animal Morphology, Physiology and Genetics, Faculty of AgriSciences, Mendel University in Brno, Zemedelska 1, 613 00 Brno, Czech Republic
Antonin Kintl
Department of Agrochemistry, Soil Science, Microbiology and Plant Nutrition, Faculty of AgriSciences, Mendel University in Brno, Zemedelska 1, 613 00 Brno, Czech Republic
Iwona Jaskulska
Faculty of Agriculture and Biotechnology Bydgoszcz, Bydgoszcz University of Science and Technology, 85-796 Bydgoszcz, Poland
Ondrej Malicek
Department of Agrochemistry, Soil Science, Microbiology and Plant Nutrition, Faculty of AgriSciences, Mendel University in Brno, Zemedelska 1, 613 00 Brno, Czech Republic
Martin Brtnicky
Department of Agrochemistry, Soil Science, Microbiology and Plant Nutrition, Faculty of AgriSciences, Mendel University in Brno, Zemedelska 1, 613 00 Brno, Czech Republic
Conversion of poultry litter into fertilizer presents an environmentally friendly way for its disposal. The amendment of stabilizing sorption materials (e.g., biochar) to broiler chicken rearing seems promising, as it protects produced litter from nutrient losses and improves fertilizing efficacy. Thus, a pot experiment was carried out with maize and organic fertilizers produced from biochar-amended chicken bedding. The properties of three types of poultry-matured litter, amended with biochar at 0%, 10% and 20% dose, were analyzed. These matured litters were added to soil and physicochemical, biological properties and dry aboveground crop biomass yield were determined. Both biochar doses improved matured litter dry matter (+29%, +68% compared to unamended litter) and organic carbon (+5%, +9%). All three fertilizers significantly increased dry plant aboveground biomass yield (+3% and +42% compared to control litter-treated variant) and N-acetyl-β-D-glucosaminidase activity (+51%, +57%) compared to unamended control soil. The 20% biochar poultry-matured litter derived the highest dry plant aboveground biomass, highest respiration induced by D-glucose (+53%) and D-mannose (+35%, compared to control litter-treated variant), and decreased pH (−6% compared to unamended control). Biochar-derived modification of poultry litter maturation process led to organic fertilizer which enhanced degradation of soil organic matter in the subsequently amended soil. Furthermore, this type of fertilizer, compared to conventional unamended litter-based type, increased microbial activity, nutrient availability, and biomass yield of maize in selected biochar doses, even under conditions of significant soil acidification.