Utilization of liquid pig manure as an alternative fertilizer in persimmon orchard

Use of pig slurry has become of a big concern in South Korea because its disposal into the sea is strictly prohibited and the chemical processing cost is too high. Therefore, properly digested liquid pig manure (LPM) has been used as an alternative for conventional fertilizers on some crops since LPM contains a wide range of inorganic ingredients. This study examined the possibility of LPM as a nutrient source on behalf of other organic and chemical fertilizers (control) in an adult ‘Fuyu’ persimmon orchard for 3 years. LPM (0.22~0.41% N, 0.02~0.20% P₂O₅, and 0.11~0.49% K₂O) was spread to soil surface around the trees in March and in June to July to equal the amount of nitrogen supplied by the control at that time. LPM did not affect shoot length and leaf area but reduced occurrence of water sprouts. There was no significant difference of yield and fruit characteristics and no notable change of soil chemical properties between LPM and control treatments for 3 years. Our results indicated that LPM could be used as a source of nutrients in persimmon orchards.