Pelletized sewage sludge as a fertilizer for containerized plants: Plant growth and nitrogen leaching losses

The use of water-saving irrigation techniques has been encouraged in rice fields in response to irrigation water scarcity. Straw return is an important means of straw reuse. However, the environmental impact of this technology, e.g., nitrogen leaching loss, must be further explored. A two-year (2017–2018) experiment was conducted to investigate the vertical migration and leaching of nitrogen in paddy fields under water-saving and straw return conditions. Treatments included traditional flood irrigation (FI) and two water-saving irrigation regimes: rain-catching and controlled irrigation (RC-CI) and drought planting with straw mulching (DP-SM). RC-CI and DP-SM both significantly decreased the irrigation input compared with FI. RC-CI increased the rice yield by 8.23%~12.26%, while DP-SM decreased it by 8.98%~15.24% compared with FI. NH4+-N was the main form of the nitrogen leaching loss in percolation water, occupying 49.06%~50.97% of TN leaching losses. The NH4+-N and TN concentration showed a decreasing trend from top to bottom in soil water of 0~54 cm depth, while the concentration of NO3−-N presented the opposite behavior. The TN and NH4+-N concentrations in percolation water of RC-CI during most of the rice growth stage were the highest among treatments in both years, and DP-SM showed a trend of decreasing TN and NH4+-N concentrations. The NO3−-N concentrations in percolation water showed a regular pattern of DP-SM > RC-CI > FI during most of the rice growth stage. RC-CI and DP-SM remarkably reduced the amount of N leaching losses compared to FI as a result of the significant decrease of percolation water volumes. The tillering and jointing-booting stages were the two critical periods of N leaching (accounted for 74.85%~86.26% of N leaching losses). Great promotion potential of RC-CI and DP-SM exists in the lower reaches of the Yangtze River, China, and DP-SM needs to be further optimized.

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Effect of Sewage Sludge Compost Usage on Corn and Faba Bean Growth, Carbon and Nitrogen Forms in Plants and Soil

Agronomy ◽

10.3390/agronomy11040628 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (4) ◽

pp. 628

Author(s):

Hassan E. Abd Elsalam ◽

Mohamed E. El- Sharnouby ◽

Abdallah E. Mohamed ◽

Bassem M. Raafat ◽

Eman H. El-Gamal

Keyword(s):

Organic Matter ◽

Sewage Sludge ◽

Plant Growth ◽

Total Nitrogen ◽

Faba Bean ◽

Residual Effect ◽

Growth Period ◽

Nitrogen Forms ◽

Amended Soils ◽

Nitrogen Levels

Sewage sludge is an effective fertilizer in many soil types. When applied as an amendment, sludge introduces, in addition to organic matter, plant nutrients into the soil. When applied for cropland as a fertilizer, the mass loading of sewage sludge is customarily determined by inputs of N and/or P required to support optimal plant growth and a successful harvest. This study aims to examine the changes in organic matter contents and nitrogen forms in sludge-amended soils, as well as the growth of corn and faba bean plants. The main results indicated that there were higher responses to the corn and faba bean yields when sludge was added. Levels of organic carbon in soil were higher after maize harvest and decreased significantly after harvesting of beans, and were higher in sludge amended soils than unmodified soils, indicating the residual effect of sludge in soil. NO3−-N concentrations were generally higher in the soil after maize harvest than during the plant growth period, but this trend was not apparent in bean soil. The amounts of NH4+-N were close in the soil during the growth period or after the maize harvest, while they were higher in the soil after the bean harvest than they were during the growth period. Total nitrogen amounts were statistically higher in the soil during the growth period than those collected after the corn harvest, while they were approximately close in the bean soil. The total nitrogen amount in corn and bean leaves increased significantly in plants grown on modified sludge soil. There were no significant differences in the total nitrogen levels of the maize and beans planted on the treated soil.

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Sewage sludge application enhances soil properties and rice growth in a salt-affected mudflat soil

Scientific Reports ◽

10.1038/s41598-020-80358-2 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Yuhua Shan ◽

Min Lv ◽

Wengang Zuo ◽

Zehui Tang ◽

Cheng Ding ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Sewage Sludge ◽

Organic Carbon ◽

Plant Growth ◽

Root Growth ◽

Soil Fertility ◽

Soil Properties ◽

Soluble Sugar ◽

Soil Reclamation ◽

Rice Growth ◽

Promote Plant Growth

AbstractThe most important measures for salt-affected mudflat soil reclamation are to reduce salinity and to increase soil organic carbon (OC) content and thus soil fertility. Salinity reduction is often accomplished through costly freshwater irrigation by special engineering measures. Whether fertility enhancement only through one-off application of a great amount of OC can improve soil properties and promote plant growth in salt-affected mudflat soil remains unclear. Therefore, the objective of our indoor pot experiment was to study the effects of OC amendment at 0, 0.5%, 1.0%, 1.5%, and 2.5%, calculated from carbon content, by one-off application of sewage sludge on soil properties, rice yield, and root growth in salt-affected mudflat soil under waterlogged conditions. The results showed that the application of sewage sludge promoted soil fertility by reducing soil pH and increasing content of OC, nitrogen and phosphorus in salt-affected mudflat soil, while soil electric conductivity (EC) increased with increasing sewage sludge (SS) application rates under waterlogged conditions. In this study, the rice growth was not inhibited by the highest EC of 4.43 dS m−1 even at high doses of SS application. The SS application increased yield of rice, promoted root growth, enhanced root activity and root flux activity, and increased the soluble sugar and amino acid content in the bleeding sap of rice plants at the tillering, jointing, and maturity stages. In conclusion, fertility enhancement through organic carbon amendment can “offset” the adverse effects of increased salinity and promote plant growth in salt-affected mudflat soil under waterlogged conditions.

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