Effects of sewage sludge application method on corn production

Abstract

A study was conducted to determine the effects of land application of municipal sewage sludge to agricultural land in Upper Cumberland Region of the Tennessee valley. Treatments included single and annual applications of sewage sludge both surface applied and injected into the soil. The primary objective of the study was to determine the effects of different land application methods of sewage sludge on corn grain yields. Other objectives were to determine the plant availability and migration of sludge Cu and Zn, and to determine organic N mineralization rates based on corn yield and leaf N content. Application of sewage sludge positively affected corn grain yields due to increased availability of N, and in drought years soil moisture. Yield and leaf N content data suggest that organic N mineralization rates near 50% in the year of application and 30% in the second year. Application of sewage sludge resulted in a greater increase in availability of Cu at the soil surface as compared to Zn, however neither Cu or Zn leached from the surface of the soil.