Evaluating the Effects of Various Fertilizers on Safflower (Carthamus Tinctorius) Growth and Performance in Sand Under Outdoor Lysimeter Conditions
| Autor: | Cohnen, Jens, Ohrem, Benedict, Dombinov, Vitalij, Klose, Holger, Jablonowski, Nicolai David |
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| Jazyk: | angličtina |
| Rok vydání: | 2022 |
| Zdroj: | 30th European Biomass Conference and Exhibition, EUBCE 2022, online, online, 2022-05-09-2022-05-12 30th European Biomass Conference & Exhibit, EUBC&E, online, Germany, 2022-05-09-2022-05-12 |
| Popis: | Aim and approach used: In terms of a sustainable bio-economy, biogenic materials need to be uncovered to replace fossil resources without competing for food or feed production on finite land resources. In addition, the lignite excavation region in the Lower Rhine area in Western Germany experiences structural changes due to the political decision to phase out the lignite mining to support climate change mitigation. Therefore, the investigation of alternative cropping systems is important for the economic utilization of the marginal sandy areas inside the lignite mining sites, also aiming for the development of local economies. The annual plant safflower (Carthamus tinctorius) has long been used for its oil and coloring potential. It develops deep rooting systems improving the soil quality and can be grown in arid areas. To test its potential as a multi-purpose crop in the reclamation of sandy lignite mining areas, we planted safflower in 1 m3 lysimeters filled with sand under outdoor conditions, applying the following fertilizer treatments: (i) NPK mineral fertilizer, (ii) digestate obtained from a commercial biogas facility operating with maize silage, (iii) DüngMe®, a commercial solid fertilizer produced of dried and pelletized maize-silage-based digestate, (iv) intercropping with the legume Trifolium repens, sown in three seeding densities, equaling 43.75, 87.5 and 175 kg seeds/ha, and (v) no fertilizer application. All fertilizers were applied approx. 20 cm below each planting row equaling 50, 100, or 200 kg N/ha, aiming for depot fertilization, comparable to the CULTAN approach.Scientific innovation and relevance: The smart reclamation of non-utilized sandy mining terraces in the lignite extraction areas offers the benefits of soil improvement and erosion control, supporting biodiversity. Additionally, safflower is used as a multi-purpose crop producing oil and coloring agents, applicable for energy, and as a resource for the chemical or food industry, respectively. The evaluation of the applied cropping systems using digestate as an organic fertilizer for soil improvement and plant growth promotion compared with NPK and other outlined alternative fertilizers, offers also new opportunities to close local nutrient cycles for plant biomass production while increasing the added value of such residues simultaneously.Results or preliminary results and conclusions: Preliminary results clearly show the advantage of digestate depot fertilization on plant height and biomass yield over DüngMe®, legume intercropping, and no-fertilizer treatment when used in sand, being in a similar magnitude compared with NPK fertilization. The results obtained from the various fertilizer treatments on plant cell wall composition and quantity and quality of the natural dye source for the orange-red pigment carthamin extracted from the petals will be presented at the EUBCE 2022. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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