Articles
Sustainability in apple cultivation through a circular approach: assessing the potential of pelleted pig slurry as a viable alternative to mineral fertilizers
Article number
1457_85
Pages
677 – 684
Language
English
Abstract
Modern fruit cultivation often relies on mineral fertilizers, a key factor in increasing yields, profit, and profitability.
However, the widespread use of synthetic fertilizers contributes to soil nutrient depletion and ecosystem degradation.
Livestock-derived organic waste materials could represent a viable alternative in fruit crop nutrition.
Animal wastes as fertilizers have been primarily used on cereal crops, while data on their distribution in orchards are limited, mainly to cattle manure or poultry litter.
The present study evaluated the response of young apple trees to pig slurry application as a partial or total substitute for mineral fertilizers over the period 2018-2021. To maximize efficacy, raw waste was transformed into easy-to-handle pellets and acidified to reduce gas emissions.
Five different treatments were compared: T1 – unfertilized control; T2 – acidified pellet; T3 – un-acidified pellet; T4 – acidified pellet combined with mineral fertilizers; T5 – traditional farm fertilization plan.
Crop growth (trunk cross-sectional area), productivity (yield, crop load index), basic analytical parameters (soluble solid content, pH, titratable acidity, size), and the nutraceutical properties (total polyphenolic content, antioxidant capacity) of the fruits were analyzed at harvest and during the postharvest.
The overall sustainability of the management system was evaluated through a life cycle assessment (LCA) of its carbon footprint.
Among the pelletized treatments, T4 exhibited the highest average production yield (26.23 kg tree-1) and crop growth (+6.8 cm2) over the considered period, demonstrating outcomes similar to T5 (25.87 kg tree-1 and +6.8 cm2) and statistically higher than the unfertilized control (22.84 kg tree-1 and +4.76 cm2). According to the LCA, the combined treatment T4 has been proven to be the least impactful, particularly in terms of acidification, photochemical oxidation, and eutrophication impacts.
This study demonstrated that the use of pelletized and acidified pig slurry may be a viable approach to reducing synthetic fertilizer usage and mitigating the environmental impacts of apple cultivation.
However, the widespread use of synthetic fertilizers contributes to soil nutrient depletion and ecosystem degradation.
Livestock-derived organic waste materials could represent a viable alternative in fruit crop nutrition.
Animal wastes as fertilizers have been primarily used on cereal crops, while data on their distribution in orchards are limited, mainly to cattle manure or poultry litter.
The present study evaluated the response of young apple trees to pig slurry application as a partial or total substitute for mineral fertilizers over the period 2018-2021. To maximize efficacy, raw waste was transformed into easy-to-handle pellets and acidified to reduce gas emissions.
Five different treatments were compared: T1 – unfertilized control; T2 – acidified pellet; T3 – un-acidified pellet; T4 – acidified pellet combined with mineral fertilizers; T5 – traditional farm fertilization plan.
Crop growth (trunk cross-sectional area), productivity (yield, crop load index), basic analytical parameters (soluble solid content, pH, titratable acidity, size), and the nutraceutical properties (total polyphenolic content, antioxidant capacity) of the fruits were analyzed at harvest and during the postharvest.
The overall sustainability of the management system was evaluated through a life cycle assessment (LCA) of its carbon footprint.
Among the pelletized treatments, T4 exhibited the highest average production yield (26.23 kg tree-1) and crop growth (+6.8 cm2) over the considered period, demonstrating outcomes similar to T5 (25.87 kg tree-1 and +6.8 cm2) and statistically higher than the unfertilized control (22.84 kg tree-1 and +4.76 cm2). According to the LCA, the combined treatment T4 has been proven to be the least impactful, particularly in terms of acidification, photochemical oxidation, and eutrophication impacts.
This study demonstrated that the use of pelletized and acidified pig slurry may be a viable approach to reducing synthetic fertilizer usage and mitigating the environmental impacts of apple cultivation.
Publication
Authors
G. Gamba, D. Donno, S. Contu, M.G. Mellano, G.L. Beccaro
Keywords
nutrient management, agronomy, sustainable agriculture, carbon footprint, animal waste, resource utilization
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