Publication Details |
| Category | Text Publication |
| Reference Category | Journals |
| DOI | 10.1016/j.still.2024.106074 |
Licence  |
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| Title (Primary) | Soil structure and solute transport pathways in biogas digestate-amended soils |
| Author | Koch, S.; Liu, H.; Lenz, C.; Eichler-Löbermann, B.; Vogel, H.-J.; Lennartz, B. |
| Source Titel | Soil & Tillage Research |
| Year | 2024 |
| Department | BOSYS |
| Volume | 240 |
| Page From | art. 106074 |
| Language | englisch |
| Topic | T5 Future Landscapes |
| Keywords | Double lactate-extractable phosphorus; Dye tracer experiment; Porosity; Water repellency; X-ray computed tomography |
| Abstract | Here, we investigated the effects of
biogas digestate application on flow pathways and soil properties in a
sandy soil aiming at unraveling phosphorus accumulation and depletion
processes in fertilized soils. Dye tracer experiments were conducted to
visualize and distinguish between various flow pathways, while X-ray
tomography was utilized to characterize the soil structure. The dye
tracer experiments revealed differences between the control and the
digestate-treated group of soil profiles in the top-soils although no
statistical verification was possible amid a single plot per treatment.
The stained soil profiles in both treatments indicate extensive areas of
homogeneous and heterogeneous matrix flow. However, the
digestate-treated group showed a decrease in homogeneous matrix flow and
a notable presence of preferential flow with low interaction. The
application of biogas digestate impacted various soil properties,
including organic carbon content, water drop penetration time, and pH
levels. Accordingly, the topsoil experienced an increase in soil organic
carbon, water repellency, and a decrease in pH levels. The fraction of
macropores also increased in the topsoil of the digestate-treated group,
accompanied by an increase in tortuosity. Double lactate-extractable phosphorus (DL-P) distribution varied across the different flow pathways, with higher concentrations detected in matrix flow and a depletion observed in preferential flow regions in both treatments. These findings confirm the close relationship between the type of flow pathway and phosphorus distribution in soils. Additionally, a significant correlation was observed between pH levels and DL-P in the digestate-treated group, indicating potential implications for phosphorus availability. Overall, the results of this study suggest that the long-term application of biogas digestate is likely to improve soil properties as related to soil organic matter content, particularly in the topsoil of sandy soils. The study highlights the significance of the prevailing flow and transport pattern on nutrient distribution, with potential implications for nutrient management in agricultural systems. While the study design presented prevents the unequivocal assignment of differences to treatment effects, our data likely illustrate the impacts of biogas digestate amendment on the investigated sandy soil. Further research should focus on assessing the long-term effects of digestate application in loamy and clayey soils. |
| Persistent UFZ Identifier | https://www.ufz.de/index.php?en=20939&ufzPublicationIdentifier=29025 |
| Koch, S., Liu, H., Lenz, C., Eichler-Löbermann, B., Vogel, H.-J., Lennartz, B. (2024): Soil structure and solute transport pathways in biogas digestate-amended soils Soil Tillage Res. 240 , art. 106074 10.1016/j.still.2024.106074 |
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