Summary
This pot experiment examined how the legacy of prior soil management practices influences greenhouse gas emissions following digestate application, comparing this against the predictive power of soil properties alone. The findings reveal that knowledge of historical organic amendment use is essential for predicting soil GHG responses to digestate, as legacy effects dominated CO₂ and N₂O emissions whilst soil texture controlled CH₄ flux. The results challenge the assumption that current soil properties and management alone are sufficient predictors of GHG outcomes following organic material application.
UK applicability
The study was conducted using soil from an established field experiment and is directly relevant to UK agricultural practice, where digestate application from anaerobic digestion is increasingly used for nutrient recycling. The findings suggest that GHG emission predictions following digestate application in UK farms should account for the history of organic amendments used rather than relying solely on current soil characteristics.
Key measures
Soil N₂O, CH₄, and CO₂ fluxes (64-day sampling period); digestate application at 250 kg total N/ha equivalent; edaphic variables including soil texture and pH
Outcomes reported
The study measured soil greenhouse gas fluxes (N₂O, CH₄, and CO₂) over 64 days following cattle-slurry-digestate application to soils with different prior management histories (farmyard manure, green manure, or synthetic N-fertiliser). Results showed that previous soil management legacy effects were key determinants of CO₂ and N₂O emissions, whilst soil texture was the primary determinant of CH₄ flux.
Topic tags
Dig deeper with Pulse AI.
Pulse AI has read the whole catalogue. Ask about this record, its theme, or how the findings apply to UK farming and policy — every answer cites the underlying studies.