Liquid Digestate
Liquid digestate is an excellent alternative to bagged fertiliser, some of the benefits of applying it to your land include:
‣ A reduction in costs of fertiliser;
‣ A more readily available source of nitrogen;
‣ Providing N, P, K and trace elements;
‣ Reducing your business’ carbon footprint.
Solid Digestate
Solid digestate is a great soil conditioner, some of the benefits of applying it to your land include:
‣ Increasing soil moisture retention and therefore available water capacity;
‣ Providing a valuable source of organic matter in soil;
‣ Increasing workability;
‣ Improving drainage.
What nutrients does digestate contain?
The nutrient content of digestate varies depending on each producer and the types and amounts of feedstocks they use. At GP Biotec we have very consistent feedstock blend, consequently the nutrient content of our digestate is relatively uniform – the average analysis is given in the table below and is shown as a comparison to other digestates and standard livestock slurry (collated by John Williams, Principal Soil Scientist at ADAS, 2018):
Nutrient content of digestate and livestock slurries (kg/m3)
* Typical figures in RB209
Below is a grid demonstrating the typical fertiliser value of organic manure applications (collated by John Williams, Principal Soil Scientist at ADAS, 2018)
Typical fertiliser value of organic manure applications
*Assumes spring surface broadcast application
**Assumes N = 60p/kg; P2O5 = 60p/kg and K2O=40p/kg
Please contact us for our latest analysis.
Integrating this analysis into farm nutrient management plans will help maximise the fertiliser potential of digestate which should be considered as part of a farm nutrient plan.
We strongly recommend that those interested in digestate speak to their FACTS qualified advisers who can recommend the optimum quantities per hectare.