Meat and bone meal as nitrogen fertilizer to cereals in Norway

Authors

• A. JENG
• T. HARALDSEN
• N. VAGSTAD

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2137/1239099042643080

Abstract

Meat and bone meal (MBM) contains appreciable amounts of nitrogen (N), phosphorus and calcium making it interesting as fertilizer to various crops. The effect of Norwegian MBM as N fertilizer has been evaluated in pot and field experiments. The soils used in the pot experiment were peat and a sand/peat mixture, both low in content of plant nutrients. The field experiment was carried out on a silt loam. In the pot experiment increasing amounts of MBM gave significantly increased yields, although there was a partly N immobilisation shortly after seeding the soil based on peat organic matter. In the field experiment there was no period of N immobilisation and good N effect was found also for small amounts of MBM (Total N 50 kg ha-1). At total N 100 kg ha-1 there were no significant differences in grain yield of spring wheat between the treatments with MBM, mineral N fertilizer, and combination of MBM and mineral N fertilizer (N 50 kg ha-1 from each). The results indicate that the relative N efficiency of MBM compared to mineral fertilizer is 80% or higher, if MBM is applied to cereals in spring.;