The Use of Digestate as Fertilizer: Effect on Cocksfoot Productivity and Total Energy Input

The financial viability of bioenergy production is mostly influenced by the productivity and quality of the biomass (Lehtomäki et al. 2011; Šiaudinis et al. 2012. Biogas which is an important form of bioenergy, is composed of methane and carbon dioxide produced from the anaerobic digestion of organic raw materials. To maximize the economic value of the anaerobic digestion process, both biogas and digestate should be efficiently utilized. The energy input for grass grown specifically for biogas production ranges from 4.1 to 24.5 GJ/ha (Kryževičienė et al. 2005; Navickas et al. 2006; Navickas et al. 2011) depending on the fertilizer rate. In this case and because of nutrient content in digestate, it may also be used as an organic fertilizer to increase the productivity of crops with a reduced need for mineral fertilizers. The objective of the current study was to investigate the effect of digestate, derived from pig manure and organic residues, on the productivity of cocksfoot (Dactylis glomerata L.)