Towards efficient N cycling in intensive maize: role of cover crops and application methods of digestate liquid fraction

Abstract

Digestate, a by-product of biogas production, is widely recognized as a promising renewable nitrogen (N) source with high potential to replace synthetic fertilizers.Yet, inefficient digestate use can lead to pollutant N losses as ammonia (NH 3 ) volatilization, nitrous oxide (N 2 O) emissions and nitrate (NO − 3 ) leaching. Cover crops (CCs) may reduce some of these losses and recycle the N back into the soil after incorporation, but the effect on the N balance depends on the CC species.In a one-year field study, we tested two application methods (i.e., surface broadcasting, BDC; and shallow injection, INJ) of the liquid fraction of separated codigested cattle slurry (digestate liquid fraction [DLF]), combined with different winter cover crop (CC) options (i.e., rye, white mustard or bare fallow), as starter fertilizer for maize. Later, side-dressing with urea was required to fulfil maize N-requirements. We tested treatment effects on yield, N-uptake, N-use efficiency parameters, and N-losses in the form of N 2 O emissions and NO − 3 leaching. CC development and biomass production were strongly affected by their contrasting frost tolerance, with spring-regrowth for rye, while mustard was winter killed.After the CCs, injection of DLF increased N 2 O emissions significantly compared with BDC (emission factor of 2.69% vs. 1.66%). Nitrous oxide emissions accounted for a small part (11%-13%) of the overall yield-scaled N losses (0.46-0.97 kg N Mg grain −1 ). The adoption of CCs reduced fall NO − 3 leaching, being 51% and 64% lower for mustard and rye than under bare soil. In addition, rye reduced NO − 3 leaching during spring and summer after termination by promoting N immobilization, thus leading to −57% lower annual leaching losses compared with mustard. DLF application method modified N-loss pathways, but not the cumulative yield-scaled N losses. Overall, these insights contribute to inform an evidencebased design of cropping systems in which nutrients are recycled more efficiently. K E Y W O R D Scover crop residues, digestate broadcasting, digestate injection, N 2 O emissions, NO − 3 leaching