Soil chemical properties and maize yield under application of pig slurry biofertilizer

Abstract

Organic materials subjected to a process of anaerobic digestion in a digester produce biofertilizer that can be used in agriculture as nutrient source. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of pig slurry biofertilizer on soil chemical properties and on corn yield and nutrient concentrations in leaves and kernels. The experiment was conducted in the field from November 2012 to April 2013, and was arranged in a randomized block design with seven treatments and four replicates. The treatments consisted of doses of pig slurry biofertilizer (0; 40; 80; 120; 160; 200 and 240 m3 ha-1), applied to the soil surface in a single application, at stage V2 of corn plants. Thirty-three days after biofertilization, soil samples were collected in each plot. Corn was harvested 129 days after sowing. Doses up to 240 m3 ha-1 of pig slurry biofertilizer applied to soil with good fertility did not influence soil chemical properties and corn yield. The use of pig slurry biofertilizer had no detectable effect on nutrient concentrations in corn leaves and kernels.