Featured in Farmers Guardian January 2011

Inoculant could bring fertiliser savings next spring

THE nitrogen value of slurry was increased threefold in a trial at Lancaster University’s Environmental Centre using EnviroSystems inoculant SlurryBugs + Booster.

In the trial, slurry from a commercial dairy herd with an average 26kg DMI per cow per day was stored in an outdoor tank and treated with the inoculant over a five-week period. Slurry from the same herd stored in an adjacent lagoon remained untreated and acted as the control.

Maria-Fernanda Allerwho, from the Environment Centre, says: “The SlurryBugs + Booster treated slurry resulted in a threefold improvement in total N value and an increase in the proportion of organic nitrogen relative to ammonium nitrogen.

“The proportion of organic N in the treated samples was 57 per cent and in the untreated samples, 43 per cent. Therefore, slurry nutrient value improved following treatment.” (see table 1).

“The larger amount of N found in the treated slurry reduced ammonia emissions and had a positive effect when applied to soils, as the extra organic N takes longer to break down in the soil. This increase in organic N also lowers the risk of N loss by leaching, an important aspect in NVZs.”

Dr Aller who says the inoculant also reduced greenhouse gas emissions (carbon dioxide and methane) over the five-week period - see table 2. CO2 emissions from treated samples were reduced threefold and methane emissions reduced by more than half when compared to the untreated samples (see table 2).

Liz Russell of EnviroSystems says: “Treating slurry with SlurryBugs + Booster improves the value of slurry, both in terms of its nutritional and organic content, therefore bringing significant savings to the fertiliser bill next spring.”

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Table 1: Nitrogen values (kg per cubic meter freshweight slurry)

  Control Inoculant-treated
Organic N 0.71 3.15
Ammonium-N 0.94 2.40
Total N 1.70 5.60

 

 

Table 2: Greenhouse gas emissions

 ControlInoculant-treated
CO2 1,052.9 354.6
CH4 81.4 33.6
Total 1,134.3 388.2