Carbon and nitrogen mineralization pattern in post Methanated distillery effluent (PMDE) incubated clay loam soils of Trichirapalli District, Tamilnadu

Post Methanated Distillery effluent (PMDE) contains all nutrients and organic matter and used in agriculture as a source of plant nutrients and irrigation water. The effect of different levels of PMDE application on carbon and nitrogen dynamics was examined through a laboratory incubation experiment. Application of different levels of PMDE had significant influence on soil organic carbon and nitrogen in soil. Both the NH4-N and NO3-N fractions markedly increased with increase in the levels of PMDE up to 40m3/ha. Results showed that PMDE application not only adds mineral N (NH4-N and NO3-N) to soil, but also promotes the mineralization of soil organic N, thus resulting in large amounts of NH4-N and NO3-N in soil.