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The structural degradation of agricultural soils is an increasing problem of our times caused by intense land use. The treatment of soils with organic amendments shall maintain and improve long-term soil fertility. Solid residues from anaerobic digestion of municipal organic waste are rich in nutrients and organic matter and have a promising potential to be used as soil amendment. Less is known about characteristics of solid residues from organic waste digestion as composting of organic waste materials is still common. Before digestion residues can be applied to soils they need to be conditioned as they have a high impurity content (especially plastic bags and packaging materials) and need to meet the requirements of German regulation on biowaste (Bioabfallverordnung). Our research is investigating on conditioning methods for solid residues of municipal organic waste digestion with regard to the potential effect of products on soil structure, soil water regime and nutrient supply. Investigations have been made with different digestion residues from lab scale, semi-industrial and industrial scale biogas plants. Conditioning methods have been tested using our in-lab treatment facilities consisting of a drying, composting, sieving and pelletizing unit. Preliminary results show that drying and pelletizing measures influence hydrophobicity of digestion residues. As water repellency directly affects water flow and soil moisture this is a determining parameter regarding the amendment performance of conditioned products.
Die starke Beanspruchung unserer Böden durch intensive Landnutzung führt weltweit zur stetigen Degradation der organischen Substanz in Böden, was mit einem Rückgang des Bodenlebens und der Bodenfruchtbarkeit einhergeht. Um die Bodenfunktionen zu schützen und besonders die Produktivität von Böden langfristig zu gewährleisten, bedarf es der Rückführung von organischer Substanz. Neben klassischen Strategien (Kompost/Dung/Gülle-Einträge) stellen auch organische Abfälle der Lebensmittelproduktionund -verwertung aus Industrie und privaten Haushalten einen wertvollen Rohstoff dar, der zur Anreicherung oder Wiederaufbau von Bodenhumus genutzt werden kann. Im Rahmen des von der ILB geförderten EFRE-StaF-Projektes Gärprodukte aus Bioabfällen für die Landwirtschaft als Element einer nachhaltigen Ernährungswirtschaft und Energiebereitstellung soll das Potenzial bewertet werden, das mittels Rollagglomeration hergestellte Gärrestpellets besitzen, um Stickstoff und Kohlenstoff in Böden anreichern zu können.Darüber hinaus soll die Technologie der Pelletherstellung optimiert werden, wobei der Schwerpunkt auf der gezielten Zugabe von organischen und mineralischen Zuschlagsstoffen liegt. Untersucht werden Gärreste aus der Bioabfallvergärung (Pfropfenstromfermenter) mit einer nachgelagerten Kompostierung im Labor-Technikum unter Zugabe von Zuschlagsstoffen (Melasse, Holzkohle, Bentonit, etc.) bei der Pelletierung. Das Abbauverhalten der so hergestellten Gärrestpellets im Boden wird mit Hilfe eines Säulenversuchs unter Berücksichtigung von Bodenart, Ausbringtiefe, Ausbringmenge, Boden-pH, Bodenfeuchte, Perkolationsrate, Temperatur, etc. betrachtet. Dabei liegt der Fokus auf der Freisetzung von Kohlenstoff und Stickstoff sowohl im Eluat als auch in der Bodenluft. Bisherige Ergebnisse zeigen, dass die Gärreste durch Pelletierung deutlich abbaustabiler werden und der Abbau der Gärrestpellets durch die Zuschlagsstoffe gezielt beeinflusst werden kann. Des Weiteren besitzen die pelletierten Gärreste verbesserte Lager-, Transport-und Applikationseigenschaften, die besonders bei der ökonomischen Bewertung des Produkts sich als positiv darstellen.
Beginning in 2020 the research of the MultiFruit cluster seeks to optimize food production and the provision of ecosystem services in multifunctional landscapes. Joining agricultural production with the provision of ecosystem services and the preservation of biological diversity, the outcomes of this project aim to provide comprehensive findings to farmers, and the agricultural community as a whole, that are also applicable in the face of climate change. Active apple orchards located in greater Brandenburg, Germany of both organic and conventional management practices have been selected as the sites of research. The present state of organic apple orchards in Germany can best be described as organic “conventionalization”; high yielding orchards with little to no plant diversity, with the major differences being the substitution of synthetic fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides, and fungicides with organic alternatives certified by the Federal Office of Consumer Protection and Food Safety (Bundesamt für Verbraucherschutz und Lebensmittelsicherheit). The project implements an interdisciplinary approach, with researchers of ecology, economics, soil and microbial sciences. The ecological subproject is investigating how local management measures and the surrounding landscapes affect natural pest control by beneficial insects. The soil group are investigating the toxicological and soil health impacts of conventional and organic practices through analysis of both plant and soil material collected from the orchards. Microbial studies seek to provide information on the microorganisms that promote the growth, health, and performance of fruit trees. The economic studies aim to assess the costs and benefits of management measures and resulting pest control services for fruit growers and society as a whole. The overall expected outcome of this cluster is to maximize ecosystem services provided by the orchards while optimizing yield and maintaining soil and orchard health. Here we show the preliminary results of the 2021 field campaign related to the soil group. The processed plant and soil material was analyzed at our laboratory and total elemental concentration of all constituents was determined using Microwave assisted MP-AES for select metals and cations (Zn, Cu, Fe, Al, Mg, Ca, K). These results, in conjunction with measured soil properties (pH, EC, Scheibler carbonate measurement, Total N, Total C) aid in the effort to determine the effects of the various management practices on the soil health and the mobility and translocation of metals and cations within the plant tissues.
Agriculture is a massive production with intensive practices, like large variety of agro-chemicals, heavy machinery etc., that support food security. However, recently more and more attention is given to food safety in relation to human, environment and soil health. An alternative strategy is organic agriculture that avoids the use of synthetic chemicals and maintain the sustainable food production. But organic farming cannot completely support the worlds foods demand, so adaptation is needed to reach a sustainable productivity while protecting the environment.
Soil nitrogen (N) pool consists of inorganic and organic fractions. Inorganic and a part of labile organic N is a primary nutrient source for plants and microbes. Different nitrogen fractions play various roles in soil ecosystems and can be strongly influenced by the site management. Soil nitrogen transformations are directly relatable to plant health, thus strongly influence healthy functioning of soil ecosystem. Knowledge about the soil nitrogen pools is necessary to assess the proper and sustainable fertilization approaches under various management practices. To evaluate various N fractions, fresh soil samples were sampled (20 cm depth, row and near tree) at 8 conventional and 8 organic apple farms (Germany: states of Brandenburg, Saxsony and Saxony-Anhalt), with various age, locations and management practices. Soil samples were analyzed using CNS, Kjeldhal digestion, spectrophotometer and chloroform fumigation. The aim of this study is to compare the total and labile (particulate organic, microbial biomass and water extractable organic) N fractions in soil samples considering various site management approaches, topography and climate.
The structural degradation of agricultural soils is an increasing problem of our times caused by intense land use. The treatment of soils with organic amendments shall maintain and improve long-term soil fertility. Solid residues from anaerobic digestion of municipal organic waste (MOW) are rich in nutrients and organic matter and have a promising potential to be used as soil amendment. Our research investigates the characteristics of differently treated amendments produced from MOW digestate. We want to know how long these amendments are present in the soil and which amendment type contributes most to nutrient provision after application. Results were obtained using four different MOW digestate amendments of one origin (loose, pelletized and agglomerated) during a 24-hours shaker-experiment and a bag-experiment on grassland, which was subsequently sampled over 21 months. Results show that short-term element leaching is higher from loose amendment and small agglomerates, probably caused by higher surface area und lower stability of these amendments. Biggest degradation effects can be seen 7 months after application to soil. However, all four amendments are still present after 21 months. Pelletized amendments are more degradation resistant than loose amendment, which may be advantageous regarding long-term effects e.g. on water holding capacity. In turn, loose material delivers a higher share of small organic particles to soil and may therefore have a higher contribution to humus development.
To prevent structural degradation of agricultural soils and to maintain and improve long-term soil fertility the application of organic soil amendments is a common measure. Solid residues from anaerobic digestion of organic household waste are rich in nutrients and organic matter and have a promising potential to be used as soil amendment. However, less is known about characteristics of solid residues from organic household waste digestion and the effects of conditioning measures on substrate quality and amendment performance in soil. Before digestion residues can be applied to agricultural soils in Germany, they need to meet the requirements of Biowaste Ordinance (BioAbfV). Conditioning mainly focuses on reducing impurity content (especially plastic bags and packaging materials), securing hygiene of residues, reducing water content and developing tradable products. We studied the effect of drying, composting, sieving and pelletisation on final product characteristics. Investigations have been examined with solid digestates, composted digestates and pelletized digestates originating from the same organic waste input. Samples were retrieved from a semi-industrial biogas plant of the company GICON (Gemany) and a composting plant of the company Becker Umweltdienste (Germany). Investigations show that characteristics of organic household waste undergo a clear change during anaerobic digestion and subsequent composting of the digestate. The final composted product will mainly contribute to long-term development of soil fertiliy. The improvement of waste quality is the most important measure to ensure the provision of high-quality soil amendments. Investigations on the impact of digestate products on soil-water-regime however did not show a clear advantage of pelletized products over loose material.
Mit der Implementierung des Kreislaufwirtschaftsgesetzes (KrWG) im Jahr 2012 hat sich die Bundesregierung gesetzlich auf eine getrennte Erfassung von Bioabfällen in privaten Haushalten ab Januar 2015 festgelegt. Bioabfälle werden in Deutschland bereits in über 100 Biogasanlagen eingesetzt und könnten in Zukunft verstärkt als Gärsubstrat genutzt werden. Die nach der Vergärung verbleibenden organischen Rückstände sollen im Sinne der Kreislaufwirtschaft als organischer Bodenverbesserer auf landwirtschaftliche Flächen rückgeführt werden. Im Rahmen des VeNGA-Projektes (Grundlagenuntersuchungen zur Verwertung und Nährstoffnutzung sowie der boden- und pflanzenbezogenen Wirkung von Gärrückständen aus der Abfallvergärung) am Lehrstuhl Geopedologie und Landschaftsentwicklung der Brandenburgischen Technischen Universität Cottbus-Senftenberg (BTU) in Zusammenarbeit mit der Firma Grossmann Ingenieur Consult Dresden (GICON) und dem Institut für Stadtökologische Projekte Berlin (IASP) sollen Aufbereitungsmöglichkeiten für Rückstände aus der Bioabfallvergärung untersucht werden. Im Fokus steht dabei der Einfluss der Substratbehandlung während des Biogas- und Aufbereitungsprozesses auf die Eigenschaften der entstehenden Düngeprodukte. Die Untersuchungen werden sowohl im Labor als auch im Technikum durchgeführt.
Die Charakterisierung der festen Gärrückstände aus der Bioabfallvergärung hat gezeigt, dass diese ein ähnliches Nährstoffpotential wie Gründünger oder Frischkompost besitzen. Durch den organischen Abbau während der Vergärung kommt es zur Aufkonzentration von Nährstoffen und Schwermetallen in der festen Phase. Der Stickstoff liegt zu durchschnittlich 25 % in Form von pflanzenverfügbarem Ammoni-um vor. Während der Aufbereitung ist jedoch eine Teiltrocknung der Gärrückstände unumgänglich, was zunächst zum Stickstoffverlust führt. Es ist also von einer geringen Stickstoffverfügbarkeit in den festen Gärprodukten auszugehen. Der Einsatz der aufbereiteten Gärprodukte in Topfexperimenten und im Feldversuch hat gezeigt, dass die Ausbringung in Kombination mit Mineraldüngung zu einem erhöhten Biomasseertrag führt. Dies lässt eine positive Wirkung der Gärprodukte auf die Bodeneigenschaften schlussfolgern. Feste Gärrückstände können bei Erfüllung der Kriterien nach BioAbfV als organischer Bodenverbesserer eingesetzt werden. Eine Aufbereitung ist hierfür in den meisten Fällen notwendig. Dies gilt insbesondere für Substrate, die vor der Vergärung keiner Störstoffabscheidung unterzogen werden. Das zweistufige Fest-Flüssig-Verfahren, welches für die Untersuchungen angewendet wird, hat den Vorteil besonders unanfällig gegenüber Störstoffen zu sein. Der Störstoffgehalt im Gärrückstand ist dadurch vergleichsweise höher als bei anderen Verfahren, was einen größeren Aufbereitungsaufwand nach sich zieht.
Progressing degradation of agricultural soil demands a change to more sustainable cropping systems accounting for crops that can sustain the soil health. Hemp is known for the improvement of soil physical, chemical and biological properties. The objective of the research is to analyze the hemp plant capability to grow under nutrient poor soil conditions and dense canopy and to assess hemp’s ability to uptake plant nutrients applied with/by soil amendments produced from biowaste. Additionally, the research aims to analyze how the hemp nutrition affects its morphogenesis, thus the fiber content.
In the greenhouse set up, Cannabis Sativa L. was grown in sandy substrate, with limited water supply that corresponded to the common drought periods in Brandenburg (Germany) and with addition of soil amendments in form of pellets from organic waste (OW) digestives. The treatments included: 5 control pots, 10 pots with pellets (19 kg soil / 230 g pellets according to the allowed application of 13 t/ha) and 10 pots with 19 kg soil / 3 kg pellets. When needed, a universal liquid fertilizer was applied which contained water soluble minerals like N, P2O5 and K2O. After 92 days, the plants were harvested, dried and weighted. The root structure was examined visually. The stems were decorticated using BMS-FLAKSY® (Rossmanith GmbH) to analyze the fiber content. The Elementar vario MAX cube analyzer device was used to analyse C and N contents.
The results showed that hemp could still flourish in water and nutrient limited environment. A deeper and denser rooting was observed in the treatments with pellets. It was observed that fine roots were encircled and attached to the pellets to access the nutrients stored there. The highest C:N ratio in soil and in leaves was found in treatments that contained the most pellets. The option to apply pellets produced from OW in larger quantities instead of a fertilizer application had a striking effect on hemp growth and biomass accumulation hence, increased dry matter amount and fiber yield.
Extended dry periods and increasing soil degradation compel the conventional agriculture to shift towards the sustainable practices. Hemp (Cannabis Sativa L.) accounts for crops that require low agricultural inputs and has a high potential to improve soil health hence fertility. The rapid hemp growth, high biomass production and remarkably expanded rooting zone have the vast potential in carbon (C) sequestration and nitrogen (N) fixation. Hemp fibers in the European Union (EU) are commonly used for pulp and paper industry and isolation materials. The study aims to (i) analyze hemp feasibility to grow and contribute to C sequestration under the water scarce conditions in initially nutrient-poor arable sandy soil with high and low canopy densities, and (ii) assess the use of hemp residues like shives and leaves as soil amendments for oat and corn crops in order to increase soil water holding capacity and serve as a long-term nutrient supply. Hemp, oat and corn crops were grown in a greenhouse experiment under LED illumination and wind ventilation for 17 h per day until the harvest. Hemp fibers were obtained through decortication. The biomass of all crops, hemp roots separated into fine and main, soil prior and after the experiment, and soil amendments were investigated for the total C and N content with an ELEMENTAR Vario Max Cube. Also, the elemental analysis for Ca, Mg, K, Zn, Cu, Fe, Al, Na was performed using HNO3 and MP-AES analyses. Total dry root mass for oat and corn crops was measured. Additionally, the soil pH and electrical conductivity (EC) were determined. The results showed that water scarcity had hindered hemp height and biomass production. While under the water limited conditions, the low hemp canopy density had showed slightly advanced growth in comparison to the high canopy density. Furthermore, the results of oat and corn experiment indicated difference between the treatments, where the soil amendment from hemp leaves compared to hemp shives showed enhanced growth in both plant and root biomass