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Relative Effectiveness of Sewage Sludge as a Nitrogen Fertilizer for Tall Fescue
Author(s) -
Kiemnec G. L.,
Jackson T. L.,
Hemphill D. D.,
Volk V. V.
Publication year - 1987
Publication title -
journal of environmental quality
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.888
H-Index - 171
eISSN - 1537-2537
pISSN - 0047-2425
DOI - 10.2134/jeq1987.00472425001600040011x
Subject(s) - sewage sludge , festuca arundinacea , agronomy , nutrient , sewage , fertilizer , chemistry , nitrogen , soil water , dry matter , environmental science , ammonium , organic matter , environmental chemistry , zoology , poaceae , environmental engineering , biology , organic chemistry , soil science
Sewage sludge application rates on grasses are mainly determined by N availability and concentration of toxic metals in sludge. The exact availability of N in sludge is difficult to predict. A 3‐yr study was conducted to determine which sludge rates would give yields of tall rescue ( Festuca arundinacea Shreb. ‘Alta’) comparable to yields obtained from inorganic N application. Sludge and NH 4 NO 3 were surface applied at annual rates of 0, 110, 220, 440, and 880 (sludge only) kg N/ha. Dry matter yield of tall rescue from sludge‐treated soils was 36, 56, and 50% of that on NH 4 NO 3 ‐treated soils for 1976, 1977, and 1978, respectively. Sludge was 27, 41, and 44% as effective as NH 4 NO 3 as a source of available N in 1976, 1977, and 1978, respectively. Ammonium‐N in the sewage sludge apparently provided most of the available N for fescue growth. Concentrations of Zn, Cd, and Cu were higher and Mn lower in tall fescue grown on sludge‐treated soil with NH 4 NO 3 and usually increased toward the end of the growing season. However, plant concentrations of these heavy metals never reached toxic levels at any time. Sewage sludge was an effective and safe nutrient source for tall fescue.