A New Method to Recycle Dairy Waste for the Nutrition of Wheat Plants

Abstract

Dairy products are vital components of human food, however, they are rapidly spoiled due to their high content of organic matter which encourages the growth of decomposing microbes. The recycling of dairy wastes is an ideal solution to preserve the environment, as it is in line with the principles of sustainable agriculture. In this experiment, an organic fertilizer was extracted from dairy wastes and was used for the nutrition of wheat grown on sandy soils under two-year field studies. The application rate of the extracted organic fertilizer was 8 ton ha−1. Moreover, the same rates of N, P, and K were added from inorganic fertilizers. The extracted organic fertilizer significantly (p < 0.05) enhanced the wheat growth and increased chlorophyll by 11% and 16% in the first and second season, respectively, in comparison to the inorganic fertilization. The extracted organic fertilizer significantly minimized the soil pH from an initial value of 8.00 to 7.05. The tested organic fertilizer increased the uptake of N, P, and K by 55%, 49%, and 51% above the inorganic nutrition, respectively. The wheat straw and grain yield increased by 16% and 29% as a result of the addition of the organic fertilizer extracted from dairy wastes. The dairy wastes organic fertilizer caused a notable improvement in the soil quality. The extracted organic fertilizer was able to supply wheat with its nutrient requirements as it showed a remarkable superiority over the mineral fertilization. The disposal of expired dairy waste can be managed in a way that preserves the environment by converting it to organic fertilizers. Laboratory and field experiments have proven the efficiency of the extracted organic fertilizer in nutrition of wheat plants in sandy soils with low fertility.