Effects of Composts and Digestate on the Environment, Soil Fertility and Plant Health
In Switzerland, approximately 750'000 tons dry matter of organic wastes are recycled annually. In the long term, it will only be possible to sell composts and digestates which improve soil quality. The aim of the present project is to develop quality parameters in this direction and to evaluate the effects of compost and digestate applications on plant growth and health, soil parameters and the environment. The project comprises the following topics:
- Literature review
- Definition and evaluation of quality parameters for compost and digestate
- Analysis of the current state of composts and digestates produced in Switzerland, in order to estimate the potential of these materials to improve soil quality and plant health
- Post-digestion treatment of digestates
- Case study: Effect of compost and digestate on plant growth and health
- Planning and preliminary tests for experiments to determine the long-term effects of composts and digestates on soil structure, chemistry, microbiology, fauna and flora.
This project was carried out by
- FiBL (Research Institute of Organic Agriculture, CH-Frick),
- Agroscope ART, Station Reckenholz (CH-Zürich) and
- the University of Applied Sciences Wädenswil (HSW, CH-Wädenswil)
in collaboration with several international organizations.
The project is supported by
- the Swiss Federal Office for the Environment (FOEN),
- the Swiss Federal Office of Energy (SFOE),
- the Swiss Federal Office for Agriculture (SFOA),
- and the Swiss Association of Composting and Methanisation Plants
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