Fertilisation of irrigated maize with pig slurry combined with mineral nitrogen

• Published in: European journal of agronomy Vol. 28; no. 4; pp. 635 - 645
• Main Authors: Berenguer, P., Santiveri, F., Boixadera, J., Lloveras, J.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Amsterdam Elsevier B.V 01-05-2008; Amsterdam, the Netherlands: Elsevier Science Pub. Co; Elsevier Science
• Subjects: Agricultural and forest climatology and meteorology. Irrigation. Drainage; Agronomy. Soil science and plant productions; Animal productions; Biological and medical sciences; corn; dry matter accumulation; fertilizer rates; fertilizer requirements; fertilizers; field experimentation; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; General agronomy. Plant production; grain yield; Irrigated maize; Irrigation. Drainage; Maize production; mineral fertilizers; nitrate nitrogen; Nitrogen budget; Nitrogen fertilisation; nitrogen fertilizers; organic fertilizers; Other nutrients. Amendments. Solid and liquid wastes. Sludges and slurries; pig manure; Pig slurry; slurries; soil fertility; Soil nitrate content; Soil-plant relationships. Soil fertility. Fertilization. Amendments; Terrestrial animal productions; Vertebrates; yield components; Zea mays; Spain; Southern Europe; Europe; Nitrogen fertilisation; Soil nitrate content; Irrigated maize; Pig slurry; Maize production; Nitrogen budget; Nitrogen fertilization; Irrigation; Monocotyledones; Animal slurry; Organic fertilization; Nitrates; Cereal crop; Gramineae; Angiospermae; Ungulata; Farming animal; Zea mays; Pig; Soils; Vertebrata; Mammalia; Inorganic nitrogen; Nitrogen balance; Spermatophyta; Artiodactyla
• ISSN: 1161-0301; 1873-7331
• DOI: 10.1016/j.eja.2008.01.010

Maize (
Zea mays L.) is a very important crop in many of the irrigated areas of the Ebro Valley (NE Spain). Intensive pig (
Sus scrofa domesticus) production is also an important economic activity in these areas, and the use of pig slurry (PS) as a fertiliser for maize is a common practise. From 2002 to 2005, we conducted a field trial with maize in which we compared the application of 0, 30 and 60
m
3
ha
−1 of PS combined with 0, 100 and 200
kg
ha
−1 of mineral N at sidedress. Yield, biomass and other related yield parameters differed from year to year and all of them were greatly influenced by soil NO
3
−-N content before planting and by N (organic and/or mineral) fertilisation. All years average grain yield and biomass at maturity ranged from 9.3 and 18.9
Mg
ha
−1 (0 PS, 0 mineral N) to 14.4 and 29.6
Mg
ha
−1 (60
m
3
ha
−1 of PS, 200
kg
ha
−1of mineral N), respectively. Grain and total N biomass uptake average of the studied period ranged from 101 and 155
kg
ha
−1 (0 PS, 0 mineral N) to 180 and 308
kg
ha
−1 (60
m
3
ha
−1 of PS, 200
kg
ha
−1of mineral N), respectively. All years average soil NO
3
−-N content before planting and after harvest were very high, and ranged from 138 and 75
kg
ha
−1 (0 PS, 0 mineral N) to 367 and 457
kg
ha
−1 (60
m
3
ha
−1 of PS, 200
kg
ha
−1of mineral N), respectively. The optimal N (organic and/or mineral) rate varied depending on the year and was influenced by the soil NO
3
−-N content before planting. For this reason, soil NO
3
−-N content before planting should be taken into account in order to improve N fertilisation recommendations. Moreover, the annual optimal N rates also gave the lowest soil NO
3
−-N contents after harvest and the lowest N losses, as a consequence they also could be considered as the most environmentally friendly N rates.