Composted Sewage Sludge Application Reduces Mineral Fertilization Requirements and Improves Soil Fertility in Sugarcane Seedling Nurseries

Rafael dos Santos Silva, Arshad Jalal, Raimunda Eliane Nascimento do Nascimento, Nathércia Castro Elias, Karen Cossi Kawakami, Cassio Hamilton Abreu-Junior, Fernando Carvalho Oliveira, Arun Dilipkumar Jani, Zhenli He, Fengliang Zhao, Marcelo Carvalho Minhoto Teixeira Filho, Raffaela Rossetto, Gian Franco Capra and Thiago Assis Rodrigues Nogueira
Additional contact information
Rafael dos Santos Silva: School of Engineering, São Paulo State University (UNESP), Ilha Solteira 15385-000, SP, Brazil
Arshad Jalal: School of Engineering, São Paulo State University (UNESP), Ilha Solteira 15385-000, SP, Brazil
Raimunda Eliane Nascimento do Nascimento: School of Agricultural and Veterinarian Sciences, São Paulo State University (UNESP), Jaboticabal 14884-900, SP, Brazil
Nathércia Castro Elias: School of Agricultural and Veterinarian Sciences, São Paulo State University (UNESP), Jaboticabal 14884-900, SP, Brazil
Karen Cossi Kawakami: School of Engineering, São Paulo State University (UNESP), Ilha Solteira 15385-000, SP, Brazil
Cassio Hamilton Abreu-Junior: Center for Nuclear Energy in Agriculture (CENA), Universidade de São Paulo (USP), Piracicaba 13416-000, SP, Brazil
Fernando Carvalho Oliveira: Tera Ambiental Ltda, Jundiaí 13212-590, SP, Brazil
Arun Dilipkumar Jani: Department of Biology and Chemistry, California State University, Monterey Bay, Seaside, CA 93955, USA
Zhenli He: Indian River Research and Education Center, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida, Fort Pierce, FL 34945, USA
Fengliang Zhao: Environment and Plant Protection Institute, Chinese Academy of Tropical Agricultural Sciences, Haikou 571101, China
Marcelo Carvalho Minhoto Teixeira Filho: School of Engineering, São Paulo State University (UNESP), Ilha Solteira 15385-000, SP, Brazil
Raffaela Rossetto: São Paulo′s Agency for Agribusiness Technology APTA-SAA, Piracicaba 13400-970, SP, Brazil
Gian Franco Capra: Dipartimento di Architettura, Design e Urbanistica, Università degli Studi di Sassari, Polo Bionaturalistico, Via Piandanna n° 4, 07100 Sassari, Italy
Thiago Assis Rodrigues Nogueira: School of Engineering, São Paulo State University (UNESP), Ilha Solteira 15385-000, SP, Brazil

Sustainability, 2022, vol. 14, issue 8, 1-14

Abstract: Sugarcane demands large amounts of nutrients to reach a high level of productivity. Nutrients are generally supplied by mineral fertilizers, but their high costs and negative environmental impacts have generated interest in greater use of organic nutrient sources such as composted sewage sludge (CSS). In this study, we evaluated changes in soil chemical properties after the application of CSS or CSS/mineral fertilizer (MF) combinations to soil containing sugarcane seedlings under nursery conditions. Treatments included: T1: conventional mineral fertilization (MF) without application of CSS, T2: 100% of the recommended MF (06–30–24); T3: application of 2.5 Mg −1 CSS; T4: 5.0 Mg −1 CSS, T5: 7.5 Mg −1 CSS, T6: 2.5 Mg −1 CSS and 50% MF, T7: 5.0 Mg −1 CSS and 50% MF, T8: 7.5 Mg −1 CSS and 50% MF, T9: 2.5 Mg −1 CSS and 100% MF, T10: 5.0 Mg −1 CSS and 100% MF, T11: 7.5 Mg −1 CSS and 100% MF. Soil chemical properties were evaluated from the soil surface (0.0–0.25 m) and subsurface (0.25–0.50 m) horizons. The results showed that the increase in CSS application did not affect soil organic matter content at either depth, while Zn concentrations increased in the soil subsurface horizon. The application of CSS at 5.0 Mg ha −1 with or without 50% MF resulted in the highest pH values, sum of bases, cation-exchange capacity, P, K, Ca, Mg, Cu, and Zn in surface horizons. The use of CSS as an organic fertilizer in sugarcane nurseries improves soil fertility, reduces mineral fertilizer requirements, and, thus, facilitates the sustainable disposal of sewage sludge.

Keywords: environmental sustainability; organic fertilizer; Saccharum spp.; soil quality; urban waste (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

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