The value of liquid digested sewage sludge. III. The results of an experiment on barley

Abstract

In a trial laid out to compare the effects of liquid digested sludge with equivalent nitrogen and phosphate fertilizers as ‘Nitra-shell’ and superphosphate, growth data, and data of grain and straw yield were obtained.Liquid digested sludge increased the dry weight and shoot number at the ‘tillering’ stage, and dry weight and ear number at the flowering stage, more than equivalent fertilizer.By 13 May, sludge-treated plants had absorbed more nitrogen than fertilizer-treated plants. By 19 June this was reversed for the sludge-treated plants had then absorbed 81% of the nitrogen absorbed by fertilizer-treated plants; ripe grain from sludge plots had a lower nitrogen percentage than grain from fertilizer plots.