UTILISATION OF RESIDUAL WASTE FROM SUGAR BEET PULP FERMENTATION AS FERTILISER IN SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE

The aim of the study was to evaluate the usefulness of applying the residue from the process of anaerobic digestion of organic waste formed during the production of sugar in the sustainable cultivation of sugar beet. Experimental sugar beet plots were fertilised with the residue from the fermentation of beet pulp while the control group was fertilized with mineral fertilisers. To evaluate the quality of the crop, the indicators of technological value of sugar beet developed in the Department of Sugar Industry, the Institute of Agricultural and Food Biotechnology, Leszno, Poland were used. All the beets met the quality criteria in totality, regardless of the variant of fertilisation. It has been shown that the use of residues from the fermentation of studied beet pulp does not cause a reduction of technological value of cultivated sugar beets. This procedure could reduce the amount of fertilisers. At the same time, the use of a biogas fermenter will improve the economic benefit of a sugar factory.