Single and combined application of two-phase olive mill waste and dairy cattle slurry to soil: Short-term effects on N and C dynamics

Abstract

Two-phase olive mill waste (TPOMW) and dairy cattle slurry (CS) are two organic materials with low economic value and limited potential for reutilization despite their high concentrations of nitrogen (N) and organic matter. A laboratory incubation for ca. 100 d was performed to assess the short-term N and carbon (C) dynamics in a soil amended with TPOMW, CS and a mixture of both materials in order to: (i) explore the potential benefits of mixing TPOMW with CS to promote mineral N immobilization and avoid nitrate leaching, and (ii) assess the potential for increased soil C stocks after TPOMW, CS or TPOMW+CS application. Our results clearly showed that the combined application of TPOMW+CS caused N immobilization; hence, it contributes to tying up the applied N, resulting in a decrease of critical N leaching, which is usually observed after CS application. No clear N mineralization was observed in the TPOMW+CS treatment during the incubation period. It appears that an application of 30. Mg ha−1 of TPOMW is enough to decrease net N mineralization from applied CS, as the C:N ratio of the mixture TPOMW+CS is 27. More than 40% of the TPOMW-derived C remained in the soil at the end of the experiment in treatments with single and combined application of TPOMW+CS, indicating that such materials have the potential to increase C stocks in soil. It can be concluded that a combined application of TPOMW+CS is of interest to maintain the CS-derived N in organic form during a longer time period and minimize risks of nitrate leaching, although further studies are necessary to define a better TPOMW:CS ratio which allows a proper plant N uptake.