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Application of Municipal Refuse and Liquid Sewage Sludge to Agricultural Land: I. Field Study¹

ABSTRACT

The feasibility of using land for both waste disposal and crop production was studied by applying pulverized municipal refuse and liquid sewage sludge or liquid manure to land which was later planted to rye (Secale cereale L.) and subsequently to corn (Zea Mays L.). Refuse was applied at 188 metric tons/ha singly (R) or in combination with either 2.3 cm of liquid sewage sludge (RS) or 1.4 cm of liquid poultry manure (RM). Other treatments were a double waste rate—376 tons/ha of refuse + 4.6 cm of sludge (2[RS]), sludge alone (S), and a control (C) receiving no additions.

Yield of rye forage was not affected by treatment. Highest corn grain yields were obtained with the R treatment while yields with the S and 2(RS) treatments were significantly lower than yields with R. No treatments resulted in corn yields significantly different from the control treatment. Levels of Zn, Cu, Cd, and Pb in the rye and corn tissue were usually increased by waste additions but were below levels toxic to the crops or to animals that might consume the crops. Soil nitrate was increased by the various waste treatments. A considerable fraction of the nitrate lost from the soil profile during the winter could not be attributed to crop uptake.

Key Words: manure • heavy metals

¹ Contribution from the Department of Land Resource Science, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, NIG 2W1.

² Formerly Post Doctoral Fellows, University of Guelph, presently Research Associate, Dept. of Soil Science, North Carolina State University, Raleigh 27607; Assistant Professor, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg; and Professor, University of Guelph, respectively.

Received for publication December 11, 1973.