Comparison of the abilities of centipedegrass ( Eremochloa ophiuroides Hack.) and zoysiagrass ( Zoysia japonica Steud.) to purify liquid animal waste

In the land application system to purify liquid animal waste, the introduction of vegetation has further increased treatment ability. Although the vegetation beds were covered with zoysiagrass ( Zoysia japonica Steud.), we introduced centipedegrass ( Eremochloa ophiuroides Hack.) into an experimental bed in order to promote the purification activity of secondary treatment after primary treatment during a midsummer period because centipedegrass thrives even in hotter conditions and to compare its purification ability with that of zoysiagrass. The results showed that the centipedegrass bed had a higher purification ability than zoysiagrass beds in a hot season. The drainage material purified through the centipedegrass bed demonstrated lower values of turbidity, electric conductivity, chemical oxygen demand, total phosphorus, total nitrogen and ammonium‐nitrogen, and higher concentrations of nitrate‐nitrogen than that purified through the zoysiagrass bed during the middle vegetative stage when the centipedegrass reached the highest biomass. These results suggested that nitrification had occurred vigorously in the centipedegrass plot. It was suggested that the higher nitrogen purification ability of the centipedegrass was linked to both better absorption of nitrogen and nitrification.