ABSTRACT
Soil fertility status and nutrients provided to spring barley (Hordeum distichon L.) by pig slurry

Melisa Gomez-Garrido1* Silvia Martinez-Martinez1, Angel Faz Cano1, Asuman Buyukkihc-Yanardag1, Joselito M. Arocena1
 
Nutrient recycling using pig slurry is a common agricultural practice to manage the ever-increasing amounts of wastes from the pig industry. This study was conducted in the southeast of Spain to quantify the enrichments in major (N, P, K, Mg) and minor (Zn, Fe, Cu, and Mn) nutrients in soils amended with D1-170 kg N ha-1 (European Union legislated dose) or D2-340 kg N ha-1, and understand the influence of pig slurry on yield and nutrient uptake in two crop seasons of spring barley (Hordeum distichon L.) Compared to control, D2 increased NO3--N by 11.4X to 109 mg kg-1, Olsen-P by 6.9X to 423 mg kg-1, exchange K (2.5X to 1.6 cmol+ kg-1), Mg (1.7X to 1.8 cmol+ kg-1), diethylene-triamine pentaacetic acid (DTPA)-Zn (94X to 18.2 mg kg-1), and Fe (2X to 11.3 mg kg-1). Available NO3--N, Olsen-P, and DTPA-Zn have the best correlations with crop yield and nutrient uptake. These results indicate that the assessment of soil fertility status at 1-mo after pig slurry addition provides a good indicator for potential yield and uptake of barley. However, it is suggested that leachates should be monitored to effectively manage potential releases of nitrate and phosphate into the environment.
Keywords: Biomass yield, field experiment, microplots, optimal timing.
1Universidad Politécnica de Cartagena, Departamento de Ciencia y Tecnología Agraria, Paseo Alfonso XIII, 52, 30203 Cartagena, Murcia, España. *Corresponding author (melisa.gomezgarrido@hotmail.com).
2University of Northern British Columbia, College of Science and Management, 3333 University Way, Prince George, British Columbia, Canada V2N4Z9.