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The availability of nitrogen in liquid sewage sludges applied to grassland

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  27 March 2009

N. J. Hutchings
N. J. Hutchings
Affiliation:
Department of Biological Sciences, Keele University, Keele, Staffordshire
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Summary

The availability to grass of the nitrogen in liquid anaerobically digested sludge (LDS) and liquid aerobic sludge (LAS) was investigated in a 2-year field trial. The mean availability of the nitrogen in the LDS over the 2 years was 44% on a freely drained sandy soil and 34% on a poorly drained clay soil. The corresponding values for the LAS were 56 and 44%. A greater inhibition or organic-matter decomposition by clay particles or a greater loss of nitrogen by either ammonia volatilization or denitrification were all possible reasons for the lower availability of the sludges on the clay soil. Investigation of the magnitude of gaseous losses of nitrogen from sludge-amended grassland under U.K. conditions is required. Current models of the availability of the nitrogen in liquid sludges may not be realistic if these losses are significant.

Type
Research Article
Information
The Journal of Agricultural Science , Volume 102 , Issue 3 , June 1984 , pp. 703 - 709
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1984

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