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ARS Home » Midwest Area » St. Paul, Minnesota » Plant Science Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #93207
Title: EFFECT OF ALFALFA GASIFICATION BYPRODUCT ON SOIL CHEMICAL PROPERTIES AND CORN BIOMASS ACCUMULATION IN THE GREENHOUSE

Author
item MOZAFFARI, MORTEZA - UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA
item ROSEN, CARL - UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA
item Russelle, Michael
item NATER, EDWARD - UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA

Submitted to: Agronomy Abstracts
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 6/12/1998
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Beneficial use of industrial byproducts is an environmentally sound option. In Minnesota, gasification of alfalfa for energy production is projected to generate significant quantities of ash. A study was conducted to evaluate the potential use of ash as a fertilizer using corn (Zea mays L.). Two soils representing diverse properties found in Minnesota were used. One was a Barnes clay loam with high K and low P and the other was a Hubbard sand with low K and high P. Treatments consisted of control, 220 kg/ha K, 34 kg/ha P, and 6 ash rates ranging from 450 to 15,000 kg/ha equivalent. Neither ash nor fertilizer application affected corn biomass in the Barnes soil. In the Hubbard soil some of the ash treatments performed as well as K fertilizer, however the trend was not consistent across ash rates. Neither ash nor fertilizer affected P concentration in plants grown in either soil, but plant K concentration increased with ash application. Exchangeable K in both soils increased with ash application. These result indicate that the alfalfa gasification ash is a potential source of K for plants.