Nutrient value of digestates in soil fertility and crops productivity

Abstract

Organic matter, nitrogen level, ionic strength, and symbiotic relationship between microorganisms as nitrogen bacteria with plants are one of the most significant natural factors controlling soil fertility and can be used for indicators. Nevertheless, the increasing population over the years has demanded large amounts of crops carried out the loss of fertility in soils due to bad conventional cultivation practices using excess fertilizers and pesticides. On the other hand, biogas production is considered one of the most promising alternatives to management of organic residues due this waste can be converted to renewable energy, high added-value material, and organic fertilizers. This residues are called digestates and have some nutrients such as nitrogen, sodium, chloride, and phosphorus among others that can be used like organic fertilizers or soil conditioner. However, the evaluation of real nutritional value as well as the obtaining process and future application is necessary. In this chapter we describe the nutritional value of digestates obtained by biogas production and its impact in soil fertility and crops productivity.