Publication detail

Effect of Digestate Modified with Amendments on Soil Health and Plant Biomass under Varying Experimental Durations

HOLATKO, J. BRTNICKÝ, M. MUSTAFA, A. KINTL, A. SKARPA, P. RYANT, P. BALTAZÁR, T. MALÍČEK, O. LÁTAL, O. HAMMERSCHMIEDT, T.

Original Title

Effect of Digestate Modified with Amendments on Soil Health and Plant Biomass under Varying Experimental Durations

Type

journal article in Web of Science

Language

English

Original Abstract

A digestate with amendments provides plants with available nutrients and improves the microbiological properties of treated soil. Modification of a digestate through the addition of a biochar and sulphur source is less well-known. This pot experiment aimed at comparing the short- and long-time fertilization effects of a digestate enriched with biochar, with elemental sulphur, or with a combination of both on soil health and plant biomass. The experiment was carried out with maize, cultivated twice (1st-12th week = pre-cultivation; re-sowing after shoot harvest, 13th-24th = main cultivation) in soil amended with prepared digestate. The digestate used in pre-cultivation was incubated untreated (D) and was then treated with biochar (D + B), with elemental sulphur at a low (LS) and high (HS) dose, or with a combination of both (D + B + LS and D + B + HS). An additional unamended digestate (D) was added to each soil variant before the main cultivation. The application of digestate with a high dose of elemental sulphur and biochar mediated the most significant differences in the soil. The increase (compared to the unamended soil) was of short-term type (+11% and +6% increased total nitrogen and carbon after 12 weeks), then of long-term type (+54% and +30% increased sulphur and arylsulfatase activity after 24 weeks), and later emerged in the 13th to the 24th week of the experiment (+57% and +32% non-inhibited urease, increased N-acetyl-beta-D-glucosaminidase and phosphatase). No significant differences in the effect of the applied amendments on dry aboveground plant biomass were observed.

Keywords

soil enzymatic activity; soil macronutrients; biochar; elemental sulphur

Authors

HOLATKO, J.; BRTNICKÝ, M.; MUSTAFA, A.; KINTL, A.; SKARPA, P.; RYANT, P.; BALTAZÁR, T.; MALÍČEK, O.; LÁTAL, O.; HAMMERSCHMIEDT, T.

Released

23. 1. 2023

Publisher

MDPI

Location

BASEL

ISBN

1996-1944

Periodical

Materials

Year of study

16

Number

3

State

Swiss Confederation

Pages count

14

URL

https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1944/16/3/1027

BibTex

@article{BUT188032,
  author="HOLATKO, J. and BRTNICKÝ, M. and MUSTAFA, A. and KINTL, A. and SKARPA, P. and RYANT, P. and BALTAZÁR, T. and MALÍČEK, O. and LÁTAL, O. and HAMMERSCHMIEDT, T.",
  title="Effect of Digestate Modified with Amendments on Soil Health and Plant Biomass under Varying Experimental Durations",
  journal="Materials",
  year="2023",
  volume="16",
  number="3",
  pages="14",
  doi="10.3390/ma16031027",
  issn="1996-1944",
  url="https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1944/16/3/1027"
}