Digestate & compost in agriculture reports
The digestate & compost in agriculture (DC-Agri) project was a five year research project looking at the use of quality anaerobic digestate (biofertiliser) and compost in agriculture.
DC-Agri research summary provides an overview of the key findings of the study.
Work Package 1: Effects on soil and crop quality
The aim of this work package was to investigate the effects of repeat applications ( i.e. annual applications over a minimum of three years) of compost (green and green/food) and digestate (food - and manure -based) in comparison with farmyard manure (FYM) and livestock slurry on soil and crop quality at a range of experimental sites with varying soil types, climatic conditions and cropping.
The results clearly demonstrated that repeated applications of compost are a valuable means by which farmers can improve soil quality.
Read the Work Package 1: Effects on soil and crop quality report, you can also view Work Package 1 : Appendices.
Work Package 2: Digestate Nitrogen Supply & Environmental Emissions
The aim of the report was the quantification of the nitrogen supply characteristics of contrasting digestate and compost products, including the impact of digestate and compost additions on nitrous oxide and ammonia emissions to air and leaching losses (nitrate, phosphorus and microbial pathogens) to water, and the effect of bandspread/shallow injected digestate and slurry application techniques on fertiliser N replacement values, and crop yields and quality.
Read the Work Package 2: Digestate Nitrogen Supply & Environmental Emissions
The project was funded jointly by Defra, WRAP, WRAP Cymru and Zero Waste Scotland.