Nutrient Content: Digestate typically has higher nitrogen and potassium levels than other organic amendments like compost or manure. This makes it particularly effective for crops requiring these nutrients.
Pathogen Reduction: The anaerobic digestion process significantly reduces pathogens, making digestate safer for use than raw manure.
Consistency: Digestate is often more consistent in composition compared to other organic amendments, ensuring predictable performance.
Performance
Crop Yields: Studies have shown that digestate can enhance crop yields similarly or even better than compost and manure due to its high nutrient availability.
Soil Health: Digestate improves soil structure and microbial activity, similar to compost. However, its higher nutrient content can offer additional benefits for plant growth.
Environmental Impact: Digestate use can reduce reliance on chemical fertilizers, decrease greenhouse gas emissions, and promote sustainable farming practices.
Conclusion
Digestate stands out for its high nutrient content, pathogen reduction capabilities, and consistent performance, making it a valuable organic amendment. The positive experiences reported by experts from various countries highlight its potential to enhance soil health and crop productivity while promoting sustainable agriculture.
Only the solid digestate contains organics. This is only 15% of the total digestate mass. How does is behave: relatively poorly as an overall. Depends on soils, vegetal, weathering ...