Projects

Innovative compost systems for optimizing soil fertility

Authority

Ministerium für Energiewende, Landwirtschaft, Umwelt, Natur und Digitalisierung des Landes Schleswig-Holstein

Federal State

Schleswig-Holstein

Contact

Mercatorstraße 3
24106 Kiel

Website: External link to the authority

Project Title

Innovative compost systems for optimizing soil fertility

Project description

Composting is a proven procedure to raise soil fertility and improve soil structure. Some pesticides and toxins can be degraded more rapidly by adding compost. The processes within the composting time produce robust humus particles and help mitigate climate change. In order to optimize implementation of these procedures, 18 farmers (17 of them organic, one conventional) together with consultants and scientists built the Operational Group "Innovative compost systems", with the aim to develop new technological methods of composting, producing compost extracts and to test and adapt them to the conditions in Schleswig-Holstein. Part of the project is to determine the effect of differently produced compost on soil fertility because efficient humus development enables advancements in management of resource-saving nutrient and plant protection, especially in organic farming. By analysing labor cost the connection between economics and ecology will be established.  

Results focusing on practiceorientation

Two different composting systems were investigated: the well-known controlled microbial composting process (CMC process) according to Lübke/Hildebrandt and the microbial carbonisation (MC process) according to Witte, which was newly analysed in a dissertation by Wonschik in 2017. They each showed advantages and disadvantages: In the CMC process, a compost turner is used several times to optimise aeration of the rotting material. The material is intensively homogenised and the process can be easily controlled. The purchase of the compost turner ties up capital and more labour than the MC process, in which a windrow is only set up once. However, there is a greater risk that the rotting process will stop due to dryness or waterlogging. The contents of the individual composts showed a wide range and also very different results in the quality measurement methods, some of which were newly developed.

Key words

Soil

Main funding source

Rural development 2014-2020

OG contact information

Ökoring S.-H. e.V., Versuchs- und Beratungsring Ökologischer Landbau Schleswig-Holstein
Grüner Kamp 15-17
24768 Rendsburg

Phone: 04331-9453460

Email: romanaholle@oekoring-sh.de

Type of OG partners

  • Farmer
  • Advisor
  • Researcher

Begin of project

2015

Project status

completed

Total budget applied for in EUR

194,311

Link 1

project website of EIP Agrar SH

NUTS3 CODE

DEF0B Rendsburg-Eckernförde

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