Application of Individual Digestate Forms for the Improvement of Hemp Production

Abstract

In a two-year vegetation field experiment, the fertilizing effects of by-products from the agricultural biogas plant—a solid phase of digestate (SPD) and a liquid phase of digestate (LPD)—were studied and compared with mineral fertilization (NPK) on the biomass yield, content and nutrient uptake by Cannabis sativa L. plants. Furthermore, the agrochemical properties of the soil were evaluated at the end of the experiment. In all variants of the experiment, a uniform nitrogen dose of 150 kg/ha was applied. The dose of other nutrients corresponded to the fertilizer used. The biggest fertilizing effect, and therefore the greatest hemp biomass yield and nutrient uptake, was demonstrated when combining SPD and LPD fertilization in one treatment. However, the differences were statically insignificant (p ≤ 0.05). The applied amount appeared to be sufficient for the nutrition of hemp plants and was comparable to mineral fertilization. The distribution of nutrients between leaves and stems varied depending on the nutrient monitored. Analyses after the end of the experiment did not show different contents of accessible nutrients in the soil on the studied variants. The content of accessible risk elements in the soil was not affected by the application of the SPD and the LPD. The experiment showed that cannabis plants are able to achieve equivalent biomass yields (8.68 t/ha) using the combination of LPD and SPD by-products from a biogas plan compared to commercial mineral fertilizer (7.43 t/ha). Therefore, we can recommend a split application of LPD and SPD as a suitable alternative to mineral fertilization. Due to prolonged nutrient release from SPD, we can expect a smaller negative environmental impact than current fertilization practices.

Amino Acid Supplementation as a Biostimulant in Medical Cannabis (Cannabis sativa L.) Plant Nutrition

“…After alkalization with sodium hydroxide, the free ammonia was distilled with water steam into H 3 BO 3 . Its content was determined by titration with HCl (0.5 mol/l) and then measured by Gerhardt Vapodest 30s (Königswinter, Germany; Baker and Thompson, 1992 ; Velechovský et al, 2021 ).…”

Analysis of the Physico-Chemical Properties of Bean Seeds after Three Years of Digestate Use

“…Due to its chemical composition and physical properties, the solid digestate phase can exert a positive impact on both biomass yield and soil structure [8,9]. Velechovský et al [10] described digestate as an organic fertiliser containing mineral nutrients along with organic matter. The use of digestate as a fertiliser contributes to the recycling of organic matter and minerals, and increases the profitability of crop production by reducing fertilisation costs [11,12].…”