Carbon Isotope Study of Soil Amendment with Maize Fermentation Digestate

Journal Title: International Journal of Plant & Soil Science - Year 2017, Vol 14, Issue 3

Abstract

Maize digestate was applied to follow its sequestration in arable soil profiles with accent on changes in soil organic carbon (SOC) content and the production of dissolved organic matter (DOM). Two control sites with cultivated Cambisols (rye-grass, kohlrabi) were amended by the addition of digestate from maize silage fermentation. Liquid digestate was applied once in the spring in the quantity of 18 g C/ m2. The process of amendment was checked after 4 and 12 months by the use of natural labelling of the amendment by the difference in the carbon isotope composition of the SOC (C3 vegetation) and applied digestate (C4 maize). The amendment was evaluated from the SOC content, dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and their 13C isotope composition by sampling across the soil profiles (0–90 cm). An increase of the carbon content by the amendment was measurable in the upper soil layers (0–20 cm) only. The deep soil layers are poor in carbon content (less than 0.2% of SOC) but rich in clay micro particles, which efficiently adsorbed incoming DOC with infiltrated precipitation. Change of the 13C of soil carbon was measurable down to -80 cm. Applied digestate increased the carbon content of top soil layer only. We did not observe significant migration of C4 amendment from top soil to the deeper soil layers. Digestate addition increased DOC production at both sites for the upper soil layers only. DOC released from the deep soil layers originates from the upper parts of the soil profile and not from the native carbon in the layer.

Authors and Affiliations

Frantisek Buzek, Bohuslava Cejkova, Milan Gersl, Ivana Jackova, Zdenka Lnenickova, Eva Gerslova

Keywords

Related Articles

Soil Quality Assessment for Sustainable Land Use and Management

Tropical soils are generally fragile and hence highly degraded due to such factors as low organic matter content, dominance of low activity clay, high susceptibility to erosion etc. Coupled with this, there is population...

Zinc Fertilization in Potato: A Physiological and Bio-chemical Study

Aims: More than 54% of soils in West Bengal are Zinc (Zn) deficient and therefore, Zn−fertilization is assumed to play a key role not only for increasing potato yield but also for combating wide spread deficiency of micr...

Long-term Effect of Integrated Nutrient Management on Chemical and Microbial Properties of Soil under Rice (Oryza sativa L.)-Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) System in an Acid Alfisol

Aims: The aim of the investigation was to see the long-term effect of integrated nutrient management (INM) on chemical and microbiological properties of soil after 17 cycles of a rice-wheat cropping system. Place and Dur...

Growth and Yield Responses of Cocoyam (Colocasia esculenta (L.) Schott) to Organic Wastes in the Humid Agro-Ecological Zone of South-Eastern Nigeria

Aim: To evaluate the growth and yield responses of cocoyam to different rates of application of cow dung and rice husk. Study Design: 2 x 4 factorial arrangement in a randomized complete block design replicated three ti...

Amino Acid Patterns in the Aerial Parts of Echium L. and Anchusa L. Growing in the Sand Dunes of Turkey

Two species species of Echium and two of Anchusa growing naturally in the sand dunes were analysed for total protein and amino acid compositions in their aerial parts. Total protein contents were detected between 7.55%...

Download PDF file
  • EP ID EP316488
  • DOI 10.9734/IJPSS/2017/30299
  • Views 92
  • Downloads 0

How To Cite

Frantisek Buzek, Bohuslava Cejkova, Milan Gersl, Ivana Jackova, Zdenka Lnenickova, Eva Gerslova (2017). Carbon Isotope Study of Soil Amendment with Maize Fermentation Digestate. International Journal of Plant & Soil Science, 14(3), 1-11. https://europub.co.uk/articles/-A-316488