Piggery waste fertilisers exhibit beneficial function for plant establishment

Plant development during the establishment phase has important implications for the long-term prospects of the crop or pasture. The effects of different fertilisers on plant development during this establishment phase are not well understood. In a series of controlled experiments we assessed the influences of various organic fertilisers (piggery sludge, spent piggery litter, and struvite derived from piggery effluent) on shoot, root and rhizosphere community development over the establishment phase (i.e., the first 5 weeks of growth) of a model pasture species (kikuyu grass or Pennisetum clandestinum) grown in a sandy soil.