Effect of Nutrient Supply on Chemical and Energetic Characteristics of Fiber Sorghum Biomass

The main objective of the present work, is to study the effect of the addition of different nutrients and irrigation doses on the chemical and energetic characteristics of the Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench ssp. bicolor biomass. The effect of compost addition is compared with the mineral fertilisation in two different irrigation doses . The experimental parcel, is located at CIEMAT-CEDER (Soria), at 1000 m above sea level, with a extremely weather and a loam sandy soil texture. The results obtained in the tested conditions show: a) the average biomass productivity was 9.81 d.m./ha, and no significant differences between treatments were observed. b) Mean values of the proximate analysis were 72.6 volatile matter, 6.2% ashes and 21.2 % fixed carbon. The volatile matter increases (1.1 %) and the ashes decreases (1.4 %) for the highest irrigation dose both in plots with no addition and in plots amended with compost. c) The N, S and Cl contents decreases for the highest irrigation dose in the same cases above mentioned. Mean values of the elemental analysis were: 45.0 % C, 6.3 % H, 1.4 % N, 0.15 % S and 0.49 % Cl. d) The average High Heating Value was 18071 kJ/kg d.m. and no significant differences between treatments were observed e) For the highest irrigation doses, a reduction in the K2 O, P2 O5, Mg and Si content, and a increase in the Al, Fe and Ti in ashes were detected. (Author) 13 refs