Abstract

Animal manure has good agronomic potential as fertilizer and / or soil improver. The slurry from animal production can be applied to the soil, either fresh or treated, after a treatment that can be completely aerobic, anaerobic or facultative aerobic. The most commonly used slurry comes from facultative aerobic lagoons or from biogas production plants. Each type of slurry has unique characteristics, which, in addition to the process, depend on the age of the animal, the type of feed, the amount of water used in the washing process, in addition to the type of washing (use of detergents or other cleaning substances). In the case of slurries coming from biogas plants, they are called digestates or biodigestates. Due to its high nutrient load, slurry can be used as fertilizer for crops, pastures, forest plantations, and fruit trees. The advantages that slurry has with respect to a chemical fertilizer source are its lower cost, and the positive effects caused on soil quality, given its organic matter (C), nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) contribution. However, like conventional chemical fertilizers, its application must be very careful, to maximize agronomic benefits and minimize the negative impacts that misuse could cause on crops, soil, water, and air.