Fertilizer Performance of a Digestate from Swine Wastewater as Synthetic Nitrogen Substitute in Maize Cultivation: Physiological Growth and Yield Responses

Eduardo L. Buligon, Luiz A. M. Costa, Jorge de Lucas, Francielly T. Santos, Piebiep Goufo () and Monica S. S. M. Costa ()
Additional contact information
Eduardo L. Buligon: Agricultural Engineering Graduate Program, Universidade Estadual do Oeste do Paraná, Street University 2069, Cep, Cascavel 85819-110, Brazil
Luiz A. M. Costa: Agricultural Engineering Graduate Program, Universidade Estadual do Oeste do Paraná, Street University 2069, Cep, Cascavel 85819-110, Brazil
Jorge de Lucas: Departamento de Engenharia Rural, Universidade Estadual Paulista “Júlio de Mesquita Filho”, Via de Acesso Prof. Paulo Donato Castellane s/n—Jaboticabal/SP—Cep, São Paulo 14884-900, Brazil
Francielly T. Santos: Agricultural Engineering Graduate Program, Universidade Estadual do Oeste do Paraná, Street University 2069, Cep, Cascavel 85819-110, Brazil
Piebiep Goufo: CITAB—Centro de Investigação e Tecnologias Agroambientais e Biológicas, Universidade de Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro, Quinta de Prados, 5000–801 Vila Real, Portugal
Monica S. S. M. Costa: Agricultural Engineering Graduate Program, Universidade Estadual do Oeste do Paraná, Street University 2069, Cep, Cascavel 85819-110, Brazil

Agriculture, 2023, vol. 13, issue 3, 1-14

Abstract: Nitrogen (N) is the primary nutrient required for plant growth. During the last few decades, there has been extensive use of synthetic N-containing fertilizers in agriculture, resulting in increased environmental pollution. In this study, the feasibility of replacing synthetic N with biofertilizer in maize cultivation was investigated. A liquid biofertilizer (digestate obtained from the anaerobic digestion of swine wastewater) was obtained and applied to large plots as a total (100%) or partial (50%) substitute for synthetic N fertilizer. Moreover, the most efficient fertilization mode, i.e., basal versus foliar application, was studied. Physiological growth indices, leaf nutritional status, and grain yield were assessed for each biofertilization treatment and compared with the conventional treatment with synthetic minerals. Compared with the conventional treatment, the total substitution of synthetic N by the biofertilizer (basal application) did not affect the growth parameters and grain yield of maize; the other treatments usually resulted in lower growth rates and yields, although not statistically significant ( p ≥ 0.05). No difference was observed among the treatments for the contents of N, P, K, or Mg in the leaves. Generally, the highest means for Fe, Ca, Cu, Zn, and Mn contents in leaves were observed after in-row broadcast of synthetic fertilizers or basal application of the digestate as a total substitute for synthetic N, with a significant effect for Fe ( p < 0.05). The mode of the biofertilizer application did not have any significant effect on either growth parameters or leaf nutrients. The data show that under the specific conditions of the study, the total substitution of mineral N with basal application of biofertilizer is the best strategy for minimizing the use of synthetic chemicals in maize cultivation without yield penalties.

Keywords: waste valorization; methane-rich biogas; bio-based fertilizers; soil amendments; organic fertilizers; foliar application; anaerobic digestion; corn growth dynamic; nutrient availability; fertilizer application rate/dose; drought stress mitigation (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q1 Q10 Q11 Q12 Q13 Q14 Q15 Q16 Q17 Q18 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0472/13/3/565/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/2077-0472/13/3/565/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jagris:v:13:y:2023:i:3:p:565-:d:1080974

Access Statistics for this article

Agriculture is currently edited by Ms. Leda Xuan

More articles in Agriculture from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().