Assessing Nitrogen Availability in Biobased Fertilizers: Effect of Vegetation on Mineralization Patterns

Biobased nitrogen (N) fertilizers derived from animal manure can substitute synthetic mineral N fertilizer and contribute to more sustainable agriculture. Practitioners need obtain a reliable estimation of the biobased fertilizers’ value. This study compared estimates for pig slurry (PS) liquid fraction digestate (LFD) using laboratory incubation plant-growing experiments. A no-N treatment was used as control calcium ammonium nitrate (CAN) fertilizer. After 100 days incubation, addition PS LFD resulted in net mineralization rate 10.6 ± 0.3% 20.6 0.4% total applied N, respectively. The CAN showed no significant or immobilization (net release 96 6%). In pot experiment under vegetation, all fertilized treatments caused with negative −51 11%, −9 4%, −27 10% CAN, PS, treatments, Compared experiment, without vegetation may have overestimated value fertilizers. Vegetation lower available fertilizers, probably due intensified competition soil microbes increased loss via denitrification.