Journal of Environmental Biology

Soil properties and enzyme activities as affected by biogas slurry irrigation in the Three Gorges Reservoir areas of China

Shiling Chen¹, Weiwei Yu²*, Zhi Zhang¹ and Surong Luo¹

¹Key Laboratory of the Three Gorges Reservoir Region's Eco-environment under the State Ministry of Education, Chongqing University,

Chongqing, China, 400045

²Key Laboratory of Hydraulic and Waterway Engineering of the Ministry of Education, Chongqing Jiaotong University, Chongqing, China, 400074

*Corresponding Author E-mail: yu11237@sina.com

Publication Data

Paper received:

29 September 2014

Revised received:

26 November 2014

Accepted:

03 December 2014

Abstract

Biogas slurry, as a quality organic fertilizer, is widely used on large scale livestock farmland in Southwest China. In the present study, slurry collected from anaerobic tank of dairy farm was used to irrigate farmland having typical purple soil in Chongquing, China. The study revealed that irrigation with biogas slurry increased soil ammonium nitrogen and soil nitrate by 47.8 and 19 % respectively as compared to control check. The average soil available phosphorus and soil phosphorus absorption co-efficient changed slightly. Relative enzyme activities of N and P transformation were indicated by catalase, urease, invertase and phosphatase activity. Irrigation period and irrigation quantity were selected as variable factor. Catalase, invertase and urease activity was highest when irrigation period and irrigation quantitiy was 4 days and 500 ml; whereas highest phosphatase activity increased significantly in purple irrigated by biogas slurry. The result of the present study is helpful in finding optimum irrigation conditions required for enzyme activity within defined range. It further reveals that biogas slurry enriches soil with various nutrients by enhancing N, P content and enzyme activities as well as it also deals with large number of biogas slurry for protecting the environment.      

 Key words

Biogas Slurry Irrigation, Soil Properties, Enzyme Activities 

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