Testing the impact of the waste product from biogas plants on plant germination and initial root growth

Abstract

During biogas production, anaerobic digestion of plant material rich in nutrients results in the so-called whole digestate. The application of nutrient-rich material present in digestate could have fertilising effects, especially in intensively used agricultural soils, and in crop yields that can affect the nutrient cycle. The aim of this article is to inform about possibilities of using mixture of digestate and haylage (use the fertilizing effect of both matters), and at the same time contribute to the improvement of agrochemical properties of soil. This study evaluates the effect of applying the mixture of digestate and haylage on germination and early stages of plant development. This article deals with primary test mixtures of digestate and haylage at ratios 10:1, 5:1 and 3:1 and compares the results with whole digestate applications. Simplified statistically calculated quantities showed that all examined mixtures better fertilizing effect in comparison with the control growing media. Based on the chemical analysis of the growing medias, a growing media with mixtures of digestate and haylage characterizing as growing medias with a high content of nutrients and a low amount of hazardous metal was investigated. The examined growing media thus met the limits for organic and commercial fertilizers. Fertilizing effects of growing media with mixture of digestate an haylage can also be noted on increasing the proportion of macronutrients in the soil, reducing fertilization only throughout whole digestate.