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The effect of field application of food‐based anaerobic digestate on earthworm populations
Author(s) -
Rollett Alison J.,
Bhogal Anne,
Scullion John,
Nicholson Fiona A.,
Taylor Matthew J.,
Williams John R.
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
soil use and management
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.709
H-Index - 81
eISSN - 1475-2743
pISSN - 0266-0032
DOI - 10.1111/sum.12615
Subject(s) - digestate , earthworm , compost , environmental science , manure , organic matter , fertilizer , soil organic matter , agronomy , biomass (ecology) , soil health , anaerobic digestion , soil water , ecology , biology , soil science , methane
In general, farming systems that provide the greatest organic matter returns to the soil support the highest earthworm populations and typically the application of organic materials will increase earthworm numbers because of an abundance of food. There has been limited work on the effects of digestate applications on earthworm populations with most focus on the short‐term effects of digestate from manure or crop‐based feedstocks, not from food wastes. To address this gap in current knowledge, the objective of this study was to assess the impact of repeated food‐based digestate applications on earthworm populations/biomass in both the short term ( c. 6 months after digestate application) and longer term (2 years later) in comparison with other commonly used inputs (manufactured nitrogen‐N fertilizer, compost and livestock manures). This multi‐site field experiment has shown that the application of food‐based digestate at application rates above current good practice can have a short‐term, negative impact on earthworm numbers under certain conditions. Six months after the final digestate addition, earthworm numbers were 32%–60% lower than following the additions of other organic materials at four of the seven sites investigated. A combination of high ammonium/low organic matter loadings and soil compaction most likely explained the observed effects.