TITLE:
The Effect of Organo-Mineral Fertilizer Applications on the Yield of Winter Wheat, Spring Barley, Forage Maize and Grass Cut for Silage
AUTHORS:
Grace H. Smith, Keith Chaney, Charles Murray, Minh Son Le
KEYWORDS:
Biosolids, Organo-Mineral Fertiliser, Crop Yield, Winter Wheat, Spring Barley, Forage Maize, Grass Silage
JOURNAL NAME:
Journal of Environmental Protection,
Vol.6 No.2,
February
11,
2015
ABSTRACT: Biosolids were applied with urea to produce a
granulated organo-mineral fertiliser (OMF) for application by farm fertiliser
equipment to a range of agricultural crops. The recommended rates of nitrogen,
phosphate and potash were calculated for the test crops using “The Fertiliser
Manual”, which assesses the nutrient requirement based on previous cropping,
rainfall and soil index. The OMF produced similar crop yields compared to
ammonium nitrate fertiliser when applied as a top-dressing to winter wheat,
forage maize and grass cut for silage in the cropping years 2010 to 2014. In
2012 the grain yield of spring barley top-dressed with OMF was significantly
lower than the conventional fertiliser treatment, due to dry conditions
following application. For this reason it is recommended that OMF is
incorporated into the seedbed for spring sown crops and The Safe Sludge Matrix
guidelines followed. The experimental work presented shows that OMF can be used
in sustainable crop production systems as a source of nitrogen and phosphorus
for a range of agricultural crops.