Co‐digestion of Animal Slurry Can Increase Short‐Term Nitrogen Recovery by Crops

Co‐digestion changes slurry characteristics and is supposed to increase short‐term nitrogen (N) uptake by crops after application. A higher N uptake from slurry reduces the need for additional mineral N fertilizer. If farmers apply co‐digested slurry (CS), a higher N recovery has to be taken into account to prevent losses to the environment. Since data on the effects of co‐digestion on N recovery by crops are scarce, a pot experiment was performed. The apparent N recovery (ANR) of five different co‐digested pig slurries was compared with their raw source slurries (RS) during 105 d after a single fertilization of ryegrass ( Lolium perenne L.), grown under controlled conditions. Slurry was mixed with sandy soil and grass was cut every 35 d. The results show that co‐digestion increased ( p < 0.05) the ANR at first cut on average from 39 to 50%, at second cut from 7 to 9% ( p < 0.05), and had no effect on ANR at third cut (3%). The ANR increase at first cut was likely due to an increase of the NH 4 –N/total N ratio along with a decrease of the organic C/total N ratio of slurry during co‐digestion. Field application may under certain circumstances decrease N fertilizer value of CS, due to a higher NH 3 emission compared to RS. A potential ANR increase may then be reduced, absent, or even become a decrease. Under comparable NH 3 emissions, however, CS can in the short term be more valuable as an N fertilizer than RS, and fertilizer savings can likely be realized.