Fertigation can contribute to reducing ammonia emissions derived from the application of slurry in crops, by more than 70% in pivots and 90% in drip irrigation, according to the results of the Life Arimedia project in which Aragón and Aragon participate. the Italian region of Lombardy.
Coordinated by the Center for Agrifood Research and Technology of Aragón (CITA), this project held its closing technical session on Tuesday in virtual format with the participation of the Minister of Science, University and Knowledge Society, Maru Díaz, reports the Government Aragon in a press release.
Díaz has highlighted the potential of organic fertilizers over synthetic ones, “not only at an ecological level, but also economically”, so he is confident that the results of the project and the resulting experience can be transferred to new crops and improve the viability of agricultural areas, reduce environmental impact and become “a tool for the future for the rural world.”
The project, approved within the LIFE Program in the 2016 call in the category of LIFE Environment and Resource Efficiency projects, has had the objective of developing and fine-tuning fertigation techniques with the liquid fraction of pig slurry in Aragon ( Spain) and digested in Lombardy (Italy) to reduce ammonia emissions derived from the application of organic fertilizers to the field.
The project promotes the substitution of synthetic fertilizers for organic fertilizers to optimize the reuse of available nutrients in livestock manure, in order to promote sustainable management within the framework of a circular economy that minimizes resource consumption and nutrient emissions. to air, soil and water.
As explained by the project researchers, Dolores Quilez, coordinator, and Girogio Povolo, from the University of Milan, environmental monitoring has shown that ammonia emissions can be reduced in Lombardy by more than 75% with the application of digested fertilizer, 50% incorporated in pre-sowing and 50% in fertigation compared to plots with the usual fertilization techniques.
In Aragon, fertigation has quantified a reduction in ammonia emissions of over 70% in pivots and 90% in buried drip irrigation and an average reduction of 25% in the amount of Nitrogen applied.
In addition, the crop yield has been maintained in all the plots.
The information generated in the project, they have pointed out, aims to contribute to improving the management of slurry and digested in Mediterranean irrigated areas and in parallel to improving European environmental policies to achieve a reduction in ammonia emissions into the atmosphere.
–
