Published online August 2, 2018
Biosolids and conservation tillage:
Long-term effects on grain, straw yield of dryland wheat
By Bill Schillinger, Andy Bary, and Craig
Cogger, Department of Crop and Soil
Sciences, Washington State University
Organic amendments and conservation
tillage are important management tools for reducing soil
erosion and improving soil health in dryland agricultural
systems. Biosolids produced from municipal wastewater
treatment plants are applied to many agricultural fields
around the world as a source of nitrogen, phosphorus,
sulfur and other plant nutrients such as copper, boron,
molybdenum, zinc, and iron. Wastewater or sewage
sludge can harbor enteric bacteria, pathogenic organ-
isms, heavy metals, and particulate matter. For this reason,
sewage sludge undergoes digestion to stabilize organic
matter and reduce levels of harmful organisms. The solids
that remain after digestion are then referred to biosolids,
which are typically dewatered before being transported
for application on fields.
doi:10.2134/cs2018.51.0408
18  Crops & Soils magazine | July–August 2018 American Society of Agronomy
Biosolids intended for application to land must meet
federal regulations for low levels of trace elements and
pathogen reduction. Biosolids that meet these guidelines
are referred to as class B biosolids and may be land-
applied once a site permit is obtained. Application rates
need to meet the best management agronomic rate of
nitrogen for the crop being grown. The primary nutrients
in biosolids are in organic forms and are not as soluble
as those in synthetic fertilizers. Because the nitrogen
in biosolids is in organic form, it must be biologically
converted (mineralized) to become plant available. Like
other organic materials, biosolids provide decreasing
amounts of available nitrogen every year for several years
after the initial application. The slow release means that
biosolids can nourish plants at a slower rate over a longer
time period with high use efficiency, compared with most
synthetic fertilizers, when applied at the appropriate rate.
Biosolids contain very low levels of potassium, so this nu-
trient should be monitored through Table 1. Winter wheat grain yield (bushels/acre) in the Lind biosolids experiment for
soil testing to make sure there are the first six years.
sufficient amounts for optimum crop
6-year
growth.   2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017
avg.
Biosolids also provide stable soil ---------------------------------------------bu/ac---------------------------------------------
organic matter (SOM) and, therefore,
Application              
can replenish some of the SOM
lost to wind erosion and oxidation   Synthetic fertilizer 50 42 32 21 21 72 45
during the past 135 years of dryland  Biosolids 54 44 31 23 23 69 45
farming in the wheat–fallow region   Significance (p ≤ 0.05) ns ns ns ns ns ns ns
of the U.S. Inland Pacific North-
Tillage              
west. Organic materials are the
major binding agents for aggregate  Undercutter 52 43 33 22 22 73 46
formation and stabilization. Biosolid   Tandem disk 52 43 30 23 23 69 45
applications have been shown to   Significance (p ≤ 0.05) ns ns ns ns ns ns ns
improve soil quality. Soil physical,
chemical, and biological changes ---------------------------------------------inches---------------------------------------------
often observed are greater water- Crop-year precipitation 11.09 10.87 7.69 7.61 12.66 14.78 10.78
holding capacity, improved tilth,
reduced soil erosion, increased cat-
ion exchange capacity, and reduced 2016–2019 crop years. The synthetic fertilizer treatment
micronutrient deficiencies. received 50 lb N and 10 lb S/ac as aqua + thiosol for
every wheat crop.
The experiment
An eight-year biosolids field experiment was initiated Results
at the Washington State University Dryland Research Results to date (the first six years) show equal winter
Station near Lind, WA in April 2011. The cropping system wheat grain yield between tillage method and fertilizer
is a two-year winter wheat-summer fallow rotation. method combinations (Table 1). More spikes were pro-
Long-term average annual precipitation at the site is 9.6 duced with biosolids, but this was offset by greater kernel
inches. We used a split-block experimental design with weight in the synthetic fertilizer treatment (Table 2). These
fallow-period tillage method (either traditional tandem yield component differences primarily occurred during
disk or conservation undercutter) for the main-plot treat- the first crop after biosolid application when relatively
ments, and the sub-plot treatments were fertilizer type more nitrogen is released compared with the second crop
(either synthetic fertilizer or biosolids). Two sets of plots cycle. Importantly, biosolid-amended soils produced 22%
were established to allow for data collection every year in more wheat straw (p = 0.007) compared with synthetic
both the crop and fallow phases of the rotation. Biosolids fertilizer (Table 2). There were no differences in any of the
were applied with a manure spreader at a rate of 2.8 dry grain yield components or in straw production between
tons/ac to meet the nutrient requirements for two winter the tillage treatments. However, undercutter tillage
wheat crops over four years (2012–2015). Biosolids were
reapplied to both sets of plots at the same rate for the [continued on p. 42]

Digital Extra
The digital version of Crops & Soils magazine features exclusive articles not found in print. Here’s what’s new this issue:
• Newly certified
• Foliar application of iron fertilizers to control iron deficiency chlorosis of soybean
• Effect of mid-season foliar fungicide and foliar insecticide applied alone and in combination on soybean yield

dl.sciencesocieties.org/publications/crops-and-soils July–August 2018 | Crops & Soils magazine  19

Features

Biosolids and conservation tillage research in Washington and Oregon in different climatic
zones has shown that wheat grain yields are generally
[continued from p. 19] equal to or somewhat greater compared with control syn-
thetic-fertilizer plots. Our study (to date) has documented
that use of biosolids combined with
Table 2. Winter wheat grain yield components, straw production, and surface low-soil-disturbance conservation
residue after planting averaged over six years at Lind, WA. Treatment compari- tillage is an environmentally and
sons were synthetic fertilizers vs. fertilization with biosolids and traditional vs. agronomically sound practice for
conservation tillage. dryland wheat production.
Yield components

Surface Kernels/
1000
Grain Straw
Further reading
Spikes grain Cogger, C.G., A.I. Bary, E.A. Myhre,
residue† spike yield weight
weight and A. Fortuna. 2013. Long term crop
% m2 g bu/ac lb/ac and soil response to biosolids applica-
tions in dryland wheat. J. Environ. Qual.
Application
42:1872–1880.
  Synthetic fertilizer 24 220 35 39 40 3220
Cogger, C.G, D.M. Sullivan, A.I. Bary
 Biosolids 24 262 35 35 41 3910 and J.A. Kropf. 1998. Matching plant
  Significance (p-value) ns 0.02 ns 0.002 ns 0.007 available nitrogen from biosolids with
dryland wheat needs. J. Prod. Agric.
Tillage implement 11:41–47.
 Undercutter 29 238 35 37 40 3500 Pi, H., B. Sharratt, W.F. Schillinger, A.I.
  Double disk 19 244 35 37 40 3630 Bary, and C.G. Cogger. 2018. Wind ero-
sion potential of a winter wheat–summer
  Significance (p-value) < 0.001 ns ns ns ns 0.03 fallow rotation after land application of
† Percent surface residue cover remaining after planting with deep-furrow drills. biosolids. Aeolian Res. 32:53–59.
Schlatter, D.C., W.F. Schillinger, A.I. Bary,
B. Sharratt, and T.C. Paulitz. 2017. Bio-
retained significantly (p < 0.001) more surface residue solids and conservation tillage: Impacts
through the fallow cycle to protect the soil from wind on soil fungal communities in dryland wheat–fallow crop-
erosion compared with tandem-disk tillage. Even after two ping systems. Soil Biol. Biochem. 115:556–567.
wheat crops, adequate amounts of phosphorus and plant Sullivan, D.M. C.G. Cogger, and A.I. Bary. 2015. Fertilizing with
micronutrients remained in biosolid-amended soils. Other biosolids. PNW 508. Oregon State University Cooperative
Extension.

42  Crops & Soils magazine | July–August 2018 American Society of Agronomy