Einfluss eisenhaltiger Klärschlämme auf Kenngrößen der P‐Verfügbarkeit in Ackerböden

Influence of iron content in sewage sludges on parameters of phosphate availability in arable soils The use of iron salts for the P elimination in sewage plants is widely used. But it is not clear whether the P availability in arable soils is negatively influenced by iron compounds or not. The aim of the investigations was, therefore, to study the influence of two sewage sludges with a high and a low Fe content respectively on P sorption and phosphate concentration (P_i) in the soil solution after application of CaHPO₄ or sewage sludge to 5 loamy and 4 sandy soils (pot experiments and 1 silty loam (field experiment)). Soils were analyzed 1, 6, and 13 months after P application. Sludge Gö contained 12 kg P and 65 kg Fe (t DM)^—1 (P : Fe = 1 : 5.4) and sludge Sh 25 kg P and 39 kg Fe (t DM)^—1 (P : Fe = 1 : 1.5). The basic P application was 60 kg P ha^—1 (= 30 mg P (kg soil)^—1 in the pot experiment, as sludge or as CaHPO₄). P uptake by maize was determined in a separate pot experiment with a loamy soil and the same P application rate. The P sorption capacity remained similar in all soils after application of sludge Sh (P : Fe = 1:1.5) compared with soils without sludge, however, after application of sludge Gö the P sorption increased by 16% (0—59%). After application of sludge Sh the mean P_i concentration increased in loamy soils by 34% and in sandy soils by 15%. On the other hand the P_i concentration decreased after applying sludge Gö by 13% and 36% as compared to the controls of the respective soils. In the field experiment the P_i concentration of plots with a high P level (50 mg lactate soluble P (kg soil)^—1) was also significantly decreased after application of 10 t sludge Gö (126 kg P ha^—1) in comparison with triple phosphate. One month after the application of increasing amounts of sludge Gö (5, 10, 15 t DM ha^—1) both the concentration of oxalate‐soluble Fe in the soil and the P sorption were increased. The elevated relationship between these two parameters was highly significant (r² = 0.6 — 0.97). Plant uptake of P was less after application of sludge Gö than after application of sludge Sh and much less than P uptake from CaHPO₄. Sewage sludges with a P : Fe ratio of 1 : 5 should not be recommended for agricultural use, as the P availability is significantly reduced. Iron salts should not be used for conditioning of sludges.     

Increased phosphorus availability from sewage sludge ashes to maize in a crop rotation with clover

A recycling of Phosphorus (P) from the human food chain is mandatory to secure the future P supply for food production. However, many available recycled P fertilizers from sewage sludge do not have an adequate P bioavailability and, thus, are not suitable for their application in soils with pH >5.5–6.0, unless being combined with efficient mobilization measures. The aim of the study was to test the P mobilization ability of red clover (Trifolium pratense L.) from two thermally recycled P fertilizers for a subsequently grown maize. Two sewage sludge ashes (SSA) were investigated in a pot experiment at soil pH 7.5 with red clover differing in its nitrogen (N) supply (added N fertilizer or biological N₂ fixation (BNF)), followed by maize (Zea maize L.). Shoot dry matter of maize was almost doubled when N supply of previous grown clover was covered by BNF, instead of receiving added N fertilizer. Similarly, shoot P removal of maize following clover with BNF was significantly increased. It is suggested that the P mobilization is related to the BNF, and a proton release of N₂ fixing clover roots led to the measured decrease in soil pH and thereby increased P availability of the tested fertilizers.     

Vernachlässigte Phosphor‐ und Kaliumdüngung im ökologischen Landbau senkt die biologische Stickstofffixierung bei Rotklee und den Kornertrag bei nachfolgendem Hafer

Neglected P and K fertilization in organic farming reduces N₂ fixation and grain yield in a red clover‐oat rotation N₂ fixation is the most important N source in organic farming. An insufficient P, K, and S supply to legumes may reduce their N₂ fixation capacity. Consequently, the total yield of plant production may also be reduced. This problem was studied in a pot experiment with red clover followed by oat. Soil was taken from a field where organic farming had been practiced for more than 30 years without applying any mineral fertilizers or buying additional fodder. The soil (luvisol from loess) was characterized by: pH (CaCl₂) 5.4; lactate‐soluble (CAL) P 5 mg kg^–1 and K 110 mg kg^–1. 6 kg dry soil were mixed with 400 mg P applied as (i) triplesuperphosphate (TSP), (ii) rock phosphate (RP) or (iii) compost from organic household residues (BAK). An additional treatment (iv) with TSP received 1000 mg K as K₂SO₄ (TSP+K) and an additional treatment with RP (v) received only 200 mg P (RP/2). A control treatment received no fertilizer. P application significantly improved the P nutritional status of the plants (P content) and increased the N amount in the shoots of red clover (with 400 mg P per pot by 64 % to 139 % as compared to the control) and the dry matter (DM) yield by 60 % to 130 %. No significant differences between TSP and RP were found. The application of BAK resulted in a significantly higher N yield than the application of RP and TSP. The treatment TSP+K resulted in the highest DM yield (230 %), removal of P was 343 %, of K 228 %, and of N 239 % as compared to the control plants. This indicates a synergistic effect of P, K, and S on N₂ fixation, which was also found with BAK. Oat grown after red clover increased its grain yield by 132 % (200 mg P as RP) to 165 % (400 mg P treatments). This was mainly due to a higher P uptake (up to 172 %) and a higher N uptake (up to 172 %) as compared to the control.     

Behavior of heavy metals from sewage sludge in a Chernozem of the dry belt in Saxony‐Anhalt/Germany

In a small‐plot trial different doses of sewage sludge (equivalent 82‐330 tons of dry matter per hectare) were incorporated in 0—25 cm depth (1982—1985). The aim of the investigations was to study the fate of the heavy metals Zn, Cd, Cu, Ni, Pb, and Cr, to determine their concentration in different soil fractions using a sequential extraction method and to ascertain their uptake by Zea mays L. plants. Eleven years after the last application the metals supplied with the sludge had moved as far as 50 cm in depth. The concentrations of Zn, Cd, Cu, Ni, and Cr in the saturation extract of the sampled soil layers were closely correlated with the concentrations of dissolved organic carbon (DOC). This result suggests that the heavy metal displacement was partly connected with the DOC movement in the soil. Considerable amounts of Zn and Cd coming from sewage sludge were found in the mobile fractions of the soil. Cu, Ni, and Pb were located especially in organic particles, and Cr was obviously bound by Fe‐oxides. Nine years after the last application the binding species of heavy metals were still different compared with those in the untreated soil. The whole withdrawal of heavy metals by plants yielded <1 % of the applied amounts. In the case of Zn the uptake from the sludge amended soil decreased during the experimental period. No similar tendency was observed for the other elements. In any case their annual variations of uptake exceeded the effect of sludge application.     

Modern wheat cultivars have greater root nitrogen uptake efficiency than old cultivars

The availability of nitrogen (N) contained in crop residues for a following crop may vary with cultivar, depending on root traits and the interaction between roots and soil. We used a pot experiment to investigate the effects of six spring wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) cultivars (three old varieties introduced before mid last century and three modern varieties) and N fertilization on the ability of wheat to acquire N from maize (Zea mays L.) straw added to soil. Wheat was grown in a soil where ¹⁵N‐labeled maize straw had been incorporated with or without N fertilization. Higher grain yield in three modern and one old cultivar was ascribed to preferred allocation of photosynthate to aboveground plant parts and from vegetative organs to grains. Root biomass, root length density and root surface area were all smaller in modern than in old cultivars at both anthesis and maturity. Root mean diameter was generally similar between modern and old cultivars at anthesis but was greater in modern than in old cultivars at maturity. There were cultivar differences in N uptake from incorporated maize straw and the other N sources (soil and fertilizer). However, these differences were not related to variation in the measured root parameters among the six cultivars. At anthesis, total N uptake efficiencies by roots (total N uptake per root weight or root length) were greater in modern than in old cultivars within each fertilization level. At maturity, averaged over fertilization levels, the total N uptake efficiencies by roots were 292?336 mg N g^?1 roots or 3.2?4.0 mg N m^?1 roots for three modern cultivars, in contrast to 132?213 mg N g^?1 roots or 0.93?1.6 mg N m^?1 roots for three old cultivars. Fertilization enhanced the utilization of N from maize straw by all cultivars, but root N uptake efficiencies were less affected. We concluded that modern spring wheat cultivars had higher root N uptake efficiency than old cultivars.