Fertilization with Magnesium- and Sulfur-Supplemented Digestate Increases the Yield and Quality of Kohlrabi

Tomáš Lošák, Tomáš Válka, Jakub Elbl, Antonín Kintl, Anna Keutgen, Norbert Keutgen, Lenka Demková, Július Árvay, Ladislav Varga, Hana Hnátková, Krzysztof Gondek and Monika Mierzwa-Hersztek
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Tomáš Lošák: Mendel University in Brno, Zemědělská 1, 613 00 Brno, Czech Republic
Tomáš Válka: Mendel University in Brno, Zemědělská 1, 613 00 Brno, Czech Republic
Jakub Elbl: Mendel University in Brno, Zemědělská 1, 613 00 Brno, Czech Republic
Antonín Kintl: Agricultural Research, Ltd., Zahradní 1, 664 41 Troubsko, Czech Republic
Anna Keutgen: University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Vienna (BOKU), Gregor-Mendel-Str. 33, 1180 Vienna, Austria
Norbert Keutgen: University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Vienna (BOKU), Gregor-Mendel-Str. 33, 1180 Vienna, Austria
Lenka Demková: University of Prešov, 17. Novembra 3724/15, 080 01 Prešov, Slovakia
Július Árvay: Slovak University of Agriculture in Nitra, Tr. A. Hlinku 2, 949 76 Nitra, Slovakia
Ladislav Varga: Slovak University of Agriculture in Nitra, Tr. A. Hlinku 2, 949 76 Nitra, Slovakia
Hana Hnátková: Research and Breeding Institute of Pomology Holovousy Ltd., Holovousy 129, 508 01 Hořice, Czech Republic
Krzysztof Gondek: University of Agriculture in Krakow, al. A. Mickiewicza 21, 31-120 Kraków, Poland
Monika Mierzwa-Hersztek: University of Agriculture in Krakow, al. A. Mickiewicza 21, 31-120 Kraków, Poland

Sustainability, 2020, vol. 12, issue 14, 1-11

Abstract: The vegetation pot experiment with kohlrabi (Moravia variety) was established in 2014 and 2015. The experiment included four treatments of fertilization: (1) untreated control, (2) digestate, (3) digestate + Mg + S, and (4) digestate + S. Treatments 2–4 were fertilized with the same N dose. Differences between the years were recorded in all parameters. Compared with the variant with digestate (100%), the kohlrabi yield of the unfertilized variant was demonstrably lower in both years (33.1% and 46.9%). Digestate enriched with the fertilizer containing Mg + S (treatment 3) demonstrably increased the yield of kohlrabi by 10.2% and 15.7% compared with pure digestate (treatment 2). Digestate enriched with the fertilizer containing elementary S (treatment 4) demonstrably increased the yield of kohlrabi (by 7.4%) only in 2015 compared with pure digestate (treatment 2). Except for the year 2015, there were no yield differences between variants 3 and 4. In both years, the lowest content of nitrates in kohlrabi was observed in the unfertilized control (135 and 163 mg NO 3 − /kg FM , respectively). Following the application of digestate (treatment 2), the content of nitrates (mg NO 3 − /kg FM ) increased to 327 in 2014 and to 509 in 2015. The addition of fertilizers with Mg + S as well as fertilizer with elementary S to the digestate (treatment 3 and 4) significantly reduced the content of nitrates to 295–301 mg NO 3 − /kg FM (2014) and to 449–468 mg NO 3 − /kg FM (2015). The content of ascorbic acid did not statistically differ among the four treatments in the two years (268–281 and 311–329 mg/kg FM in 2014 and 2015, respectively). Digestate supplemented with Mg + S (magnesium sulfate) or only with elementary S can be recommended for kohlrabi fertilization prior to the planting in order to reduce dangerous accumulations of nitrates in kohlrabi.

Keywords: digestate; magnesium; sulfur; kohlrabi; nitrate N; vitamin C (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
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