Modelling maize grain yield and nitrate leaching from sludge-amended soils across agro-ecological zones : a case study from South Africa

dc.contributor.authorOgbazghi, Zekarias M.
dc.contributor.authorTesfamariam, Eyob Habte
dc.contributor.authorAnnandale, John George
dc.date.accessioned2020-06-17T14:15:44Z
dc.date.available2020-06-17T14:15:44Z
dc.date.issued2019-10
dc.description.abstractWhen applying municipal sludge according to crop N requirements, the primary aim should be optimizing sludge application rates in order to maximize crop yield and minimize environmental impacts through nitrate leaching. Nitrate leaching and subsequent groundwater contamination is potentially one of the most important factors limiting the long-term viability of sludge application to agricultural soils. This study assessed maize grain yield and potential nitrate leaching from sludge-amended soils, using the SWB-Sci model, based on crop nitrogen requirements and inorganic fertilizer. The following hypotheses were tested using the SWB-Sci model and 20 years of measured weather data for 4 of the 6 South African agro-ecological zones. Under dryland maize cropping, grain yield and nitrate leaching from sludge-amended soils compared to inorganic fertilizer: (1) will remain the same across agro-ecological zones and sites, (2) will not vary across seasons at a specific site, and (3) will not vary across soil textures. Model simulations showed that annual maize grain yield and nitrate leaching varied significantly (P > 0.05) across the four agro-ecological zones, both for sludge-amended and inorganic fertilizer amended soils. The annual maize grain yield and nitrate leaching from sludge-amended soils were 12.6 t∙ha−1 and 32.7 kgNO3 -N∙ha−1 compared to 10.2 t∙ha−1 and 43.2 kgNO3 -N∙ha−1 for inorganic fertilizer in the super-humid zone. Similarly, maize grain yield and nitrate leaching varied significantly across seasons and soil textures for both sludge and inorganic fertilizer amended soils. However, nitrate losses were lower from sludge-amended soils (2.3–8.2%) compared to inorganic fertilizer (11.1–26.7%) across all zones in South Africa. Therefore, sludge applied according to crop N requirements has a lower environmental impact from nitrate leaching than commercial inorganic fertilizer. Further validation of these findings is recommended, using field studies, and monitoring potential P accumulation for soils that received sludge according to crop N requirements.en_ZA
dc.description.departmentPlant Production and Soil Scienceen_ZA
dc.description.librarianpm2020en_ZA
dc.description.sponsorshipWater Research Commission of South Africa (WRC) and East Rand Water Care Works (ERWAT).en_ZA
dc.description.urihttps://www.ajol.info/index.php/wsaen_ZA
dc.identifier.citationOgbazghi, Z.M., Tesfamariam, E H. & Annandale, J.G. 2019, 'Modelling maize grain yield and nitrate leaching from sludge-amended soils across agro-ecological zones : a case study from South Africa', Water SA, vol. 45, no. 4, pp. 663-671.en_ZA
dc.identifier.issn0378-4738 (print)
dc.identifier.issn1816-7950 (online)
dc.identifier.other10.17159/wsa/2019.v45.i4.7548
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/2263/75017
dc.language.isoenen_ZA
dc.publisherWater Research Commissionen_ZA
dc.rights© 2019. Water Research Commission.Published under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International Licence (CC BY 4.0).en_ZA
dc.subjectSewage sludgeen_ZA
dc.subjectInorganic fertilizeren_ZA
dc.subjectNitrate leachingen_ZA
dc.subjectMaize yielden_ZA
dc.subjectAgro-ecological zonesen_ZA
dc.subjectSWB-Sci modelen_ZA
dc.titleModelling maize grain yield and nitrate leaching from sludge-amended soils across agro-ecological zones : a case study from South Africaen_ZA
dc.typeArticleen_ZA

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