Application of Biogas Digestate with Rice Straw Mitigates Nitrate Leaching Potential and Suppresses Root-Knot Nematode (<i>Meloidogyne incognita</i>)

Abstract

This study investigated the effects of biogas digestate application to soil with rice straw on nitrate leaching potential and nematicidal activity toward root-knot nematodes Meloidogyne incognita. The following seven treatments were set up: (i) control (CONT); (ii) chemical fertilizer (CF); (iii) wet biogas digestate derived from pig manure (WBD); (iv) and (v) dry biogas digestate derived from a mixture of pig manure and rice straw at an initial C/N ratio of 20 and 30 (DBD20 and DBD30); (vi) and (vii) DBD20 mixed with rice straw to adjust the C/N ratio to 16 (Mix1) and 30 (Mix2), respectively. The application rate of CF and digestates was adjusted to 200 mg N kg−1 soil based on the inorganic ammonium nitrogen contents. Nitrate contents readily increased in all the treatments with incubation, except for Mix2, and those at day 90 were decreased with increasing initial labile C contents. Garden balsam was grown as a test plant for root-knot nematodes using the soils at day 90 and the results showed that the gall index was significantly lower in Mix2 and Mix1 than in CF. These results suggest that dry digestate mixed with rice straw might have potential for lower nitrate leaching and nematicidal properties.

Keywords

• anaerobic digestion
• nitrification
• nitrogen immobilization
• nematode suppression