Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-lnqnp Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-29T06:41:29.287Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Processing methods of organic liquid fertilizers affect nutrient availability and yield of greenhouse grown parsley

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  24 January 2018

Bhaniswor Pokhrel ,
Jorn Nygaard Sorensen ,
Henrik Bjarne Moller  and
Karen Koefoed Petersen
Bhaniswor Pokhrel*
Affiliation:
Department of Food Science, Aarhus University, Kirstinebjergvej 10, DK-5792 Aarslev, Denmark
Jorn Nygaard Sorensen
Affiliation:
Department of Food Science, Aarhus University, Kirstinebjergvej 10, DK-5792 Aarslev, Denmark
Henrik Bjarne Moller
Affiliation:
Department of Engineering, Aarhus University, Hangovej 2, DK-8200 Aarhus N, Denmark
Karen Koefoed Petersen
Affiliation:
Department of Food Science, Aarhus University, Kirstinebjergvej 10, DK-5792 Aarslev, Denmark
*
Author for correspondence: Bhaniswor Pokhrel, E-mail: bhaniswor.pokhrel@food.au.dk
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

The demand for organic foods is increasing globally, but a key limiting factor to the production of organic greenhouse produce is the lack of certified liquid fertilizers. In this experiment, four organic fertilizers were produced using either acidic extraction, anaerobic digestion or both of ensiled biomass of organic red clover and white mustard. The resulting fertilizers were applied to greenhouse-grown parsley either alone, or in combination with nitrogen (N)-enriched water produced by flushing acidic water with ammonia, to determine their effect on plant growth and the nutrient concentrations of parsley. Six combinations of fertilizer treatments were included in the greenhouse experiment. Three treatments received either fertilizers derived from acidic extraction, anaerobic digestion or both and three treatments received fertilizers derived from acidic extraction combined with N-enriched water. Conventional inorganic liquid fertilizer, chicken manure extract and no liquid fertilizer (only water) were added as control treatments. A higher N-min (ammonium and nitrate) to potassium (K) ratio was found in fertilizers after anaerobic digestion compared to acidic extraction. All organic fertigation treatments resulted in high pH, high K and chloride concentrations and high NH4/NO3 ratios in the root zone. In addition, high electrical conductivity (EC), P, K and Mg concentrations were found when only acidic extracted fertilizers were applied. Application of plant-based organic fertilizers without amending with N-enriched water resulted in biomass yields that were 21–26% lower than the inorganic fertigation control. However, fertigation with chicken manure extract, or a combination of fertilizer derived from acidic extraction and N-enriched water, resulted in similar plant growth as inorganic fertilizer. The lower yield from fertilizer derived from acidic extraction was due to elevated EC levels in the growing medium. Our results suggest that yield of greenhouse-grown parsley using either organic fertilizers combined with N-enriched water or chicken manure extract is similar to conventional fertilizer.

Keywords

Biomass yieldnutrient concentrationorganic liquid fertilizerPetroselinum crispum
Type
Research Paper
Information
Renewable Agriculture and Food Systems , Volume 34 , Issue 5 , October 2019 , pp. 430 - 438
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2018 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Álvaro, JE, Lao, MT, Urrestarazu, M, Baghour, M and Abdelmajid, M (2015) Effect of nutrient solution salinity and ionic concentration on Parsley (Petroselinum Crispum Mill.) essential oil yield and content. Journal of Plant Nutrition 39, 1057–1062.Google Scholar
Britto, DT and Kronzucker, HJ (2002) NH 4+ toxicity in higher plants: a critical review. Journal of Plant Physiology 159, 567–584.Google Scholar
Bujoczek, G, Oleszkiewicz, J, Sparling, R and Cenkowski, S (2000) High solid anaerobic digestion of chicken manure. Journal of Agricultural Engineering Research 76, 51–60.Google Scholar
Burnett, SE, Mattson, NS and Williams, KA (2016) Substrates and fertilizers for organic container production of herbs, vegetables, and herbaceous ornamental plants grown in greenhouses in the United States. Scientia Horticulturae 208, 111–119.Google Scholar
Dijk, E and Eck, N (1995) Ammonium toxicity and nitrate response of axenically grown Dactylorhiza incarnata seedlings. New Phytologist 131, 361–367.Google Scholar
Gross, A, Arusi, R, Fine, P and Nejidat, A (2008) Assessment of extraction methods with fowl manure for the production of liquid organic fertilizers. Bioresource Technology 99, 327–334.Google Scholar
Hartz, T, Smith, R and Gaskell, M (2010) Nitrogen availability from liquid organic fertilizers. HortTechnology 20, 169–172.Google Scholar
IFOAM (2015) International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements (IFOAM), Annual Report 2015. Available at website http://www.ifoam.bio/sites/default/files/annual_report_2015_0.pdf.Google Scholar
Kai, P, Pedersen, P, Jensen, J, Hansen, MN and Sommer, SG (2008) A whole-farm assessment of the efficacy of slurry acidification in reducing ammonia emissions. European Journal of Agronomy 28, 148–154.Google Scholar
Li, Y, Qin, J, Mattson, NS and Ao, Y (2013) Effect of potassium application on celery growth and cation uptake under different calcium and magnesium levels in substrate culture. Scientia Horticulturae 158, 33–38.Google Scholar
Marschner, H (2011) Marschner's Mineral Nutrition of Higher Plants. London, UK: Academic Press.Google Scholar
Martínez-Alcántara, B, Martínez-Cuenca, M-R, Fernández, C, Legaz, F and Quiñones, A (2016) Production of 15 N-labelled liquid organic fertilisers based on manure and crop residue for use in fertigation studies. PLoS ONE 11, e0150851.Google Scholar
Ouni, Y, Mateos-Naranjo, E, Lakhdar, A, Andrades-Moreno, L, Abdelly, C and Barhoumi, Z (2014) Municipal solid waste compost application improves the negative impact of saline soil in two forage species. Communications in Soil Science and Plant Analysis 45, 1421–1434.Google Scholar
Pokhrel, B, Laursen, KH and Petersen, KK (2015) Yield, quality, and nutrient concentrations of strawberry (Fragaria × ananassa Duch. cv.’Sonata’) grown with different organic fertilizer strategies. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry 63, 5578–5586.Google Scholar
Pokhrel, B, Sorensen, JN, Kristensen, HL and Petersen, KK (2017a) Nutrient availability, photosynthesis and growth of parsley fertigated with chicken manure extract and lupin sap. Canadian Journal of Plant Science 97, 1004–1013.Google Scholar
Pokhrel, B, Sorensen, JN and Petersen, KK (2017b) Effect of plant based organic fertilizers and chicken manure extract on plant growth and root zone activities of tomato. Acta Horticulturae 1164, 173–180.Google Scholar
Rameshwaran, P, Tepe, A, Yazar, A and Ragab, R (2016) Effects of drip-irrigation regimes with saline water on pepper productivity and soil salinity under greenhouse conditions. Scientia Horticulturae 199, 114–123.Google Scholar
Robinson, A, Di, HJ, Cameron, KC, Podolyan, A and He, J (2014) The effect of soil pH and dicyandiamide (DCD) on N2O emissions and ammonia oxidiser abundance in a stimulated grazed pasture soil. Journal of Soils and Sediments 14, 1434–1444.Google Scholar
Römheld, V and Kirkby, EA (2010) Research on potassium in agriculture: needs and prospects. Plant and Soil 335, 155–180.Google Scholar
Statistics Denmark (2016) Statistical year book 2016. ISBN 978-87-501-2220-3. Available at web site http://www.dst.dk/da/Statistik.Google Scholar
Succop, CE and Newman, SE (2004) Organic fertilization of fresh market sweet basil in a greenhouse. HortTechnology 14, 235–239.Google Scholar
Tortosa, G, Alburquerque, JA, Bedmar, EJ, Ait-Baddi, G and Cegarra, J (2014) Strategies to produce commercial liquid organic fertilisers from ‘alperujo’ composts. Journal of Cleaner Production 82, 37–44.Google Scholar
Treadwell, DD, Hochmuth, GJ, Hochmuth, RC, Simonne, EH, Davis, LL, Laughlin, WL, Li, Y, Olczyk, T, Sprenkel, RK and Osborne, LS (2007) Nutrient management in organic greenhouse herb production: where are we now? HortTechnology 17, 461–466.Google Scholar
Zhai, Z, Ehret, DL, Forge, T, Helmer, T, Lin, W, Dorais, M and Papadopoulos, AP (2009) Organic fertilizers for greenhouse tomatoes: productivity and substrate microbiology. HortScience 44, 800–809.Google Scholar