Summary
This glasshouse study evaluated the potential of anaerobic digestate derived from two distinct feedstocks (vegetable waste with maize, and dairy farm manure) as a partial replacement for inorganic fertiliser on wheat production. Digestate from food waste feedstock achieved higher grain yield than complete mineral fertiliser at lower nitrogen application rates and equal or superior macronutrient concentrations; however, both digestate types generated problematic gaseous emissions (ammonia from food digestate, residual methane from manure digestate). Optimal outcomes—combining good yield with reduced emissions—were obtained when digestate and mineral fertiliser were blended in a 1:1 ratio, suggesting scope for substantial cost and environmental savings in practice.
Regional applicability
The findings are relevant to UK farming policy encouraging circular nutrient recycling and biogas development on farms, particularly given widespread dairy and vegetable production sectors. However, the glasshouse conditions may not fully reflect field-scale performance or UK climate variability, and the study does not address whether results hold at farm scale or across different soil types common in the United Kingdom.
Key measures
Wheat grain yield, macronutrient concentrations (nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, others), micronutrient concentrations, ammonia emissions, methane emissions
Outcomes reported
The study compared chemical composition and agronomic performance of anaerobic digestate (from food waste or manure feedstock) versus mineral fertiliser and raw slurry when applied to wheat in a glasshouse. It measured plant yield, macro- and micronutrient concentrations in grain, and greenhouse gas emissions (ammonia and methane).
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