Abstract
A field experiment was conducted with lucerne on a strongly acidic and phosphorus deficient soil to determine the liming and phosphorus and nitrogen fertilizer value of an undigested, lime-treated sewage sludge. The results are presented in terms of calculated combinations of lime, nitrogen and phosphorus fertilizer required to obtain the same lucerne yield (or soil pH or extractable phosphorus level) as achieved with 5 or 10 t ha−1 of dried sludge.
The sludge was a good source of lime, phosphorus and nitrogen. The sludge phosphorus was 49% as effective as the fertilizer phosphorus in raising extractable phosphorus in the soil to the level required for crop growth. The calcium carbonate of the sludge raised soil pH more effectively than agricultural lime, probably because of finer particle size in the former.
It was not possible to achieve the yield obtained with 25 t ha−1 of sludge with combinations of agricultural lime, and nitrogen and phosphorus fertilizers at high rates of application. This was attributed to the effects of the sludge on improving soil physical properties.
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Willett, I., Jakobsen, P. & Malafant, K. Fertilizer and liming value of lime-treated sewage sludge. Fertilizer Research 8, 313–328 (1986). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01048634
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01048634