Abstract
Controlled environment experiments were set up in 2007 and 2008 to evaluate the potential of using by-products of the biofuel industry as soil amendments to improve fertility and plant growth in Saskatchewan soils. Trials were run with thin stillage (a by-product of ethanol production) and glycerol (by-product of biodiesel production). Canola (B. napus L.) and wheat (T. aestivum) were grown as the test crop in amended pots. Plant yield, composition, and soil properties were measured after five weeks. The stillage was found to be an effective soil amendment for increasing plant biomass yield. Per unit of nitrogen (N) added, canola yields were less than that of urea when nitrogen was the only limitation, due to only a portion of the nitrogen in the thin stillage becoming available over the five week period. However, when nutrients other than nitrogen were limiting, canola dry matter yields with thin stillage amendment approached or exceeded that of urea, due to the ability of the amendments to supply other nutrients such as phosphorus in addition to nitrogen. Glycerol, an amendment that only contains carbon, hydrogen and oxygen, was effective in increasing soil organic carbon content, but required supplemental fertilizer to account for nutrient tie-up by microorganisms during decomposition in the soil. The amendments did not have any biologically significant effects on other soil chemical parameters measured, including soluble metals, pH or salinity.
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Claims 6
Claim · model-written summary
Thin stillage increased plant biomass yield.
- Taxon
- Canola
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Brassica napus var. napust0 - Treatment
- stillagee0
- Outcome
- plant biomass yielde0
- Direction
- increasinge0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
.jpg?width=500)
Verbatim
e0“The stillage was found to be an effective soil amendment for increasing plant biomass yield.”
t0“Canola (B. napus L.) and wheat (T. aestivum) were grown as the test crop in amended pots.”
Claim · model-written summary
Per unit nitrogen, canola yield under thin stillage was lower than under urea when nitrogen alone limited growth.
- Taxon
- CanolaBrassica napus var. napust0
- Treatment
- thin stillagee1
- Outcome
- canola yieldse0
- Direction
- less thane0
- Qualifier
- when nitrogen was the only limitatione0
- Comparator
- ureae0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Per unit of nitrogen (N) added, canola yields were less than that of urea when nitrogen was the only limitation”
t0“Canola (B. napus L.) and wheat (T. aestivum) were grown as the test crop in amended pots.”
e1“when nutrients other than nitrogen were limiting, canola dry matter yields with thin stillage amendment approached or exceeded that of urea”
Claim · model-written summary
When other nutrients limited growth, canola dry matter yield with stillage approached or exceeded urea.
- Taxon
- CanolaBrassica napus var. napust0
- Treatment
- thin stillage amendmente0
- Outcome
- canola dry matter yieldse0
- Direction
- approached or exceedede0
- Comparator
- ureae0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“when nutrients other than nitrogen were limiting, canola dry matter yields with thin stillage amendment approached or exceeded that of urea”
t0“Canola (B. napus L.) and wheat (T. aestivum) were grown as the test crop in amended pots.”
Claim · model-written summary
Glycerol increased soil organic carbon content.
- Taxon
- CanolaBrassica napus var. napust0
- Treatment
- Glycerole0
- Outcome
- soil organic carbon contente0
- Direction
- increasinge0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Glycerol, an amendment that only contains carbon, hydrogen and oxygen, was effective in increasing soil organic carbon content”
t0“Canola (B. napus L.) and wheat (T. aestivum) were grown as the test crop in amended pots.”
Claim · model-written summary
Glycerol required supplemental fertilizer because of nutrient tie-up during decomposition.
- Taxon
- CanolaBrassica napus var. napust0
- Outcome
- supplemental fertilizere0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“but required supplemental fertilizer to account for nutrient tie-up by microorganisms during decomposition in the soil”
t0“Canola (B. napus L.) and wheat (T. aestivum) were grown as the test crop in amended pots.”
Claim · model-written summary
The amendments had no biologically significant effect on soluble metals, pH or salinity.
- Taxon
- CanolaBrassica napus var. napust0
- Treatment
- amendmentse0
- Outcome
- soluble metals, pH or salinitye0
- Direction
- did not have any biologically significant effectse0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“The amendments did not have any biologically significant effects on other soil chemical parameters measured, including soluble metals, pH or salinity.”
t0“Canola (B. napus L.) and wheat (T. aestivum) were grown as the test crop in amended pots.”
The same questions in other papers
other · yield · Brassica napus (oilseed rape)Positive and negative results
22 papers in the same direction as this paper · 3 in the opposite direction
- no effect
- negative
- no effect
22 papers more in this group
See all 26 papers →Claims are grouped by organism, treatment and what was measured or targeted. A paper counts as positive when any of its claims in the group is positive.