Greenhouse Assays with <i>Lactuca sativa</i> for Testing Sewage Sludge-Based Soil Amendments

Abstract

Sustainable agriculture practices within the guidelines of nutrient recycling and the circular economy must be increasingly promoted. This work aims to evaluate the performance of dried sewage sludge (DSS), green liquor dregs mixed with sewage sludge (DSSA), raw sewage sludge, and commercial organic fertilizer control, using a short-term agronomic assessment with lettuce crop (Lactuca sativa) in greenhouse conditions. Different application rates based on the nitrogen content were tested for each soil amendment: 0, 85, 170, and 225 kg N/ha (treatments T0, T1, T2, and T3, respectively). DSS and DSSA resulted in fresh lettuce productivities 1.3 and 3.2 times higher in T3 than in T0, respectively. The ideal N content in lettuce leaves was reached for all materials and treatments, with the highest values obtained for DSS (2.88–3.33% from T1 to T3). Lettuce produced in soils amended with DSS and DSSA showed also ideal levels of Ca. Overall, the performance of sludge-based products was similar to commercial fertilizer, without impairing the nutritional balance of the crop and the soil.

Keywords

• biosolids
• lettuce
• soil productivity
• pulp mill dregs
• heavy metals
• residues