14:00
14:10
14:30
14:40
14:55
15:10
15:20
16:15
16:45
Welcome
Dr Rosemary Collier, Warwick Crop Centre
Introduction to anaerobic digestion and digestates
Dr David Tompkins, WRAP
Introduction to the project
Dr Mary Dimambro, Cambridge Eco
Trial system design and results to date
Dr Catherine Keeling, Warwick Crop Centre
Potential benefits to industry
Rob Lillywhite, Warwick Crop Centre
Discussion
Viewing the glasshouse trials
Tea and coffee, discussion, networking
Close
Mary Dimambro
About Cambridge Eco
 Advising Defra, WRAP, industry, growers
 Experts in the use of
 composts
 digestates
Use of digestates in novel
growing media for ornamentals
bark
+ other sustainable materials
+ digestates
= novel growing media (admixtures)
Use of digestates in novel
growing media for ornamentals
 Controls (industry standards)
 Peat-based control
 Peat-free control (bark and wood fibre based)
 4 digestates – each with 5 admixtures
 5 replicates = 110 plants per trial
Using digestates
as a nutrient source
for trickle irrigation
in strawberries
Project timetable
 October-November:
 December :
 January-February:
 February-June:
 July-August:
Desk study
Digestate analysis
System optimisation
Glasshouse trial
Report
Why strawberries?
 C. 5,000ha of UK grown strawberries in 2010
 >100,000t of fruit
 Market value > £260 million
 Most protected soft fruit, including strawberries,
grown in peat‐based or coir bags or modules
 Trickle irrigation used for continual nutrient supply
Why digestates?
 Availability
 > 100 anaerobic digestion sites in the UK
 On-site AD = heat & digestate
 Potential for use in trickle irrigation
 Whole digestate
 Separated liquor
 Range of nutrients, including micronutrients
Digestate analysis
Total
solids (%)
C:N
pH
EC (1:6)
(dS m-1)
Maize
Slurry
Maize
Separated Separated
Food
Separated
Food
Whole 1
Food
Whole 2
Potato
Whole
2.9
3.7
4.5
2.2
7.1
5.1
4.0
8.5
3.5
8.4
3.3
8.4
3.3
8.2
7.3
8.2
6.1
8.2
4.4
5.4
7.0
4.2
4.5
3.8
Digestate analysis
N
NH4-N
NO3-N (<)
P
K
Ca
Mg
S
Fe
Mn
Na
Food
Separated
Food
Whole 1
Food
Whole 2
Potato
Whole
mg/kg
3700
2990
0.1
202
1330
797
92.9
134
75
3.4
1021
mg/kg
4900
3784
0.1
315
1869
2000
93.3
236
231
8.4
1146
mg/kg
6000
5260
0.1
456
1109
1974
63
342
555
5.0
2225
mg/kg
2400
2039
0.1
128
4752
126
46
78
57
1.3
46.4
Maize
Slurry
Maize
Separated Separated
mg/kg
4200
2044
0.1
514
4661
1862
436
303
197
15.9
439
mg/kg
4100
2175
0.1
246
3382
889
188
171
54
6.4
121