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Sunflower responseto the application of aconcentrated beet vinasseJosé M. Murillo a , Francisco Cabrera a , RafaelLópez a & Piedad Martín‐Olmedo a

a Instituto de Recursos Naturales yAgrobiologia, CSIC , P.O. Box 1052, 41080,Seville, SpainPublished online: 11 Nov 2008.

To cite this article: José M. Murillo , Francisco Cabrera , Rafael López & PiedadMartín‐Olmedo (1998) Sunflower response to the application of a concentratedbeet vinasse, Communications in Soil Science and Plant Analysis, 29:5-6,643-655, DOI: 10.1080/00103629809369974

To link to this article: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00103629809369974

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COMMUN. SOIL SCI. PLANT ANAL., 29(5&6), 643-655 (1998)

Sunflower Response to the Application of aConcentrated Beet Vinasse

Jose M. Murillo, Francisco Cabrera, Rafael Lopez, andPiedad Martin-Olmedo

Instituto de Recursos Naturales y Agrobiologia, CSIC, P.O. Box 1052, 41080Seville, Spain

ABSTRACT

The present paper deals with the effect of a concentrated, depotassified, Betavulgaris L. vinasse [desugared beet molasses, 3.5% nitrogen (N), 2% sodium(Na)] on germination and growth of Helianthus annuus L. Compared toother species [Lepidium sativum L., Sorghum vulgare Pers., Loliummultiflorum Lam., Triticum aestivum L., Hordeum vulgare L., Medicago sativaL. and a wild Melilotus segetalis (Brot.) Ser.], sunflower, and ryegrass, hadthe smallest in vitro germination indices under both solutions of 0.15 and0.50% of pure vinasse. However, seedling emergence, plantlet growth, andnutrient content of sunflower grown in pots, in three different soil types,were not negatively affected by the application of a moderate dose of purevinasse (roughly equivalent to 2-3 t ha-1) at sowing or 30 days before. In afield experiment, the application of a similar dose of vinasse did not have anydetrimental effects on sunflower growth, with the achenes reaching similaroil and fatty acid contents under both vinasse treatments (application at sowingand 30 days before) and control. The application of vinasse at sowing canpartially avoid losses of N that can take place if the vinasse is applied too farin advance of sowing.

643

Copyright © 1998 by Marcel Dekker, Inc.

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644 MURILLOETAL.

INTRODUCTION

Beet vinasses are molasses which are almost completely biochemicallydesu;»ared, and sometimes subsequently concentrated and depotassified, that arebyproducts of the sugar agro-industry. These effluents were discharged withoutany treatment into the rivers resulting in serious pollution problems. Consequently,this practice was made illegal in EU. Vinasses were then kept in evaporationponds, but caused further problems such as ground water pollution, bad odor,insect presence, and other nuisances.

Besides other uses (Steinmetzer, 1991; Weathers, 1995) vinasses have beenincreasingly used as field fertilizers. This use is a possible solution to the abovementioned pollution problems. At present most information concerns the use ofvinasses as a liquid fertilizer (Cabrera et al., 1987; Srivastava and Sahai, 1987;Cruz et al., 1991; Algur and Kadioglu, 1992). However, vinasses can beconc( sitrated resulting in a syrupy product suitable for co-composting, an importantadvantage when using vinasses as fertilizer (Madejdn et al., 1995).

The agronomic value of these concentrated vinasses arises from their highcontents of organic matter and potassium (K) and moderate content of N, althoughpract cally lacking phosphorus (P). As a drawback, vinasses have a high saltcontent, which necessitates further research into the effect of application on soilsalinization and plant germination and growth.

Ths absence of deleterious effects is one of the most crucial aspects to be takeninto account when studying the agricultural possibilities of this potentiallyhazaidous byproduct. To consider that its fertilizing value, in relation toconventional fertilizers, is always the main aspect to be studied could become amisat propriate approach. As it may occur with other products, e.g. urban composts(Mur llo et al., 1995), large doses of the waste would be needed to be equivalentto conventional fertilizers under standard crop production (L6pez, 1992; Martfn-Olmedo, 1996). Large doses of this byproduct are not recommendable becauseof the risk of soil salinization.

Ho wever, the agricultural use of this by product at moderate doses has potential,once 1 he absence of deleterious effects is established, on the basis that this practicecould contribute to the maintenance of the soil organic matter content and solvein part the waste disposal problem.

Me derate doses of concentrated beet vinasse could even be applied at plantingof suitable crops (Murillo et al., 1993a). This is an important aspect to be takeninto account as this byproduct is a readily decomposable waste (L6pez, 1992)and, like vinasses in general, problems of nutrient loss can occur due to leaching.Leacr ing can especially occur if the application to soils is done long enoughbefore planting, as this practice is usually recommended because of its high saltcontent (Cuadros-Garda, 1989).

In Ihe context of the above ideas, the present paper deals with the effect of aconce itrated beet vinasse on in vitro germination, growth and nutrient composition

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SUNFLOWER RESPONSE TO CONCENTRATED BEET VINASSE 645

TABLE 1. Analysis of depotassified concentrated beetvinasse (w/w, on a fresh matter basis). The normal rangefor each parameter is in parentheses.

pH 5.0(4.6-5.3)ON 4.0(3.0-5.0)Density (gem3) 1.3(1.2-1.4)Dry matter (%) 54.0(40.0-60.0)Organic matter (%) 40.0(20.0-40.0)

3.3(2.0-3.6)0.02 (0.02 - 0.04)3.5(2.1-4.6)1.0

Ca(%) 0.3(0.1-0.5)Mg(%) 1.0(0.3-1.0)Na(%) 2.0(1.4-3.0)Fe(mgkg') 16.0(15.0-20.0)Mn(mgkg-l) 14.0(16.0-20.0)

of sunflower (one of the crops for which vinasses are especially recommended)when the product is applied at a moderate dose before or at planting.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A depotassified, concentrated, beet vinasse of a density of 1.3 g cm° was used.Table 1 shows its chemical composition, and the normal ranges for differentproperties of this byproduct.

In Vitro Germination Bioassay

This bioassay was essentially performed according to Zucconi et al. (1985)using concentrations of 0.15% and 0.50% in water of the raw vinasse. Electricalconductivities (EC) of the vinasse solutions were 0.90 dS m 1 and 3.10 dS m1 .Volumes of 1.5 mL of these solutions were added to sterilized Petri dishes (5.5cm diameter) lined with filter paper (Whatman No. 1, dried at 105°C forsterilization) and containing four sunflower seeds (cv. SW 101 and cv. Hysum33). For comparative purposes, sorghum (cv. Rosado D.R.), wheat (cv. AlcalaRl) , barley (cv. Kim Rl), ryegrass (cv. Tewera), alfalfa (cv. Arag6n), and thenative sweetclover Melilotus segetalis (Brot.) Ser. (Guadalquivir salt marsh, SWSpain) were also used. Controls were prepared in the same way but adding 1.5mL of deionized water. Seeds were incubated at 22°C in the dark, using 25

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646 MURILLOETAL.

replicates per treatment. A drop of water or vinasse was added to each Petri dishafter 48 h and 72 h, verifying also at those times that the roots were in contactwith the filter paper. A randomized complete block design was used for eachspeci;s. The number of germinated seeds and primary root length (fasciculateroot system in the case of barley) were determined after 96 h. Germination index(GI) was obtained for each species by multiplying germination by root length,both jxpressed as percentage of the control, divided by 100. This germinationbioassay was repeated twice (deviation of the results was <10%). Results fromduplicate assays are given as a mean value.

Seedling Emergence, Growth, and Nutrient Concentration of Sunflower PlantsGraving in Pots and in the Field

For these experiments sunflower cv. Hysum 33 was selected. Seedlingemergence was studied in pots using the first horizon of three different soils ofSW Spain: amoderately acid sandy loam (pH 6.3,0.5% CaCO3), and one red (pH7.7, 12% CaCO3), and one light yellowish-brown (pH 7.8, 30% CaCO3) sandyclay loam, which will be referred to as acid, red, and calcareous soils, respectively,throujihout the text. The soils were air dried and ground to pass a 2-mm sieve tomake the particle size uniform. Pots of 300 g of dry soil were used. For someparticular studies, pots of 6 kg of dry soil were also used.

Tht! vinasse was supplemented with P, as this nutrient is lacking in vinasse. Inthe case of pots of 300 g of soil, 0.7 mL of the raw vinasse plus 0.1 g of powderedsuper] )hosphate (35% in P2O5) were uniformly spread on the surface of each pot.Each pot was moistened by subirrigation with a measured amount of deionizedwater. This set of pots was kept like this for a month, the moisture content wasmeasured periodically and kept constant (treatment VJ0). After that, two othersets of pots were prepared; one with the same amounts of vinasse andsuper] )hosphate (treatment Vo) and the other with only superphosphate (treatmentC). Sowing was carried out on the same day on the three sets of pots, which wererandomly arranged in a complete block design for each soil with 30 replicates(pots) per treatment and soil (270 pots in total). Electrical conductivity (EC) wasmeasured in the upper 1 cm layer of the soil at sowing.

Treitments Vo, V30, and C were also established in pots of 6 Kg of soil, butusing only the red and the calcareous soils, with six replicates per treatment andsoil wiich were also randomly arranged in a complete block design for each soil.The amounts of vinasse and/or superphosphate per pot were in this case 14 mLand 2 g, respectively.

Four sunflower seeds were sown in each pot of 300 g of soil. After 14 daysseedling emergence was determined and sunflower plantlets were pulled out bycompletely dispersing the soil from each pot in water. The length of the completeprimai y root and shoot of each plantlet were immediately measured, then separated.Both fractions were then decontaminated by washing using different solutions

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SUNFLOWER RESPONSE TO CONCENTRATED BEET VINASSE 647

(see plant analysis), dried at 70°C and weighed on an analytical scale. Shoots androot system were then ground in an agata mill for analysis. In the case of pots of6 kg of soil 25 seeds were sown per pot, allowing 6 similar plants to grow per potafter thinning, which were collected at the stage of 6 leaves for analysis.

Treatments V , V30, and C were also established in the field on microplots of3.15 m2 set up on a uniform area of the calcareous soil. Vinasse and superphosphatewere spread on the corresponding microplot at a rate of 730 mL (ca. 3000 kg ha1)and 63 g, respectively. Sunflower seeds were sown in February and the emergedplantlets thinned at the stage of 6 leaves, one month later, to establish 24 similarplants per plot, which were then grown until maturity. Three sets of thinnedplantlets were collected from each microplot for analysis.

Plant and Seed Analysis

Plant shoots were decontaminated using distilled water. Solutions of 0.1 g L"1

phosphate-free detergent and 0.1N HC1 were also used in the case of roots.Nitrogen was determined in plant material by Kjeldahl digestion and mineralelements according to Jones et al. (1991) after dry ashing and ash solution bytreatment with HC1 on a hot plate. Potassium and Na were determined by flameemission, Ca, Mg, Fe, Mn, and Zn by atomic absorption spectrometry and P bycolorimetric determination using the phosphovanadomolybdic complex. Boronwas determined according to Barbier and Chabannes (1953). Oil content of theseeds (achenes) was determined by extraction with petroleum ether and the fattyacid contents according to Diessenbacher and Pocklington (1987).

When the data were subjected to an analysis of variance the mean separationwas performed using the Tukey test. A significant level of PO.05 was chosenthroughout the study.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

Results In Vitro

Both vinasse concentrations did not significantly reduce in vitro germinationof sunflower seeds in relation to the controls. However, a significant shorteningof the primary root length was observed for both treatments, especially at a vinasseconcentration of 0.5% (Table 2). Thus, the smallest GI values were obtained forboth varieties of sunflower, besides that obtained for ryegrass, for which in vitrogermination had been proved to be sensitive to the presence of concentrated vinasse(Murillo et al., 1993a). Sunflower and ryegrass were even more negatively affectedby vinasse than cress, a species known to be sensitive to toxic substances (ISTA,1985).

The in vitro results seem to indicate that alfalfa, the native sweetclover, andespecially sorghum would be the most adequate species to ensure satisfactoryearly growth under concentrated vinasse treatment (Table 2), the byproduct being

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648 MURILLOETAL.

TJ iBLE 2. Germination bioassay in vinasse for cress (Lepidium), sorghum, wheat,barley, ryegrass, alfalfa, Melilotus, and sunflower.

Sjiecics

Ciess

Scrghum

Wteat

Barley

Ryegrass

ALalfa

Mdilotus

Sunflower(SW 101)

Sunflower(Hysum 33)

Vinasseconcentration

%

00.150.50

00.150.50

00.150.50

00.150.50

00.150.50

00.150.50

00.150.50

00.150.50

00.150.50

Germination

% of control

100 a98.0 a94.0 a100 a107 a110a100 a104 a90.8 a100 a96.8 a100 a100 a86.0 a40.0 b100 a100 a106 a100 a113a91.3 a100 a100 a95.8 a100 a100 a94 a

Rootlengthmm

10.4 a4.5 b1.7 c

14.9 a8.7 b6.7 b13.0 a8.0 b1.7 c199 a108 b33.6 c14.7 a4.6 b3.1b8.1a7.8 a3.8 b9.2 a7.0 a3.0 b23.4 a6.4 b2.2 c21.0 a5.6 b1.8 c

Rootlength

% of control

10043.316.310058.144.8100

61.813.110054.216.910031.221.1100

95.846.710076.132.610027.49.310026.8

8.7

GI

%

4215.

6249-

6412-

5317-

278.

9649.

8630-

279-

278

\ 'alues followed by the same letter in the same column (for each species) do notdiffer significantly (PO.05).

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SUNFLOWER RESPONSE TO CONCENTRATED BEET VINASSE 649

TABLE 3. Emergence and growth of sunflower in pots of 300 g of soil (14-day-oldplantlets).

Soil Treatment Seedling Main root Shoot Root system Shoot dry

emergence length length dry weight weight

% cm cm mg mg

Acid

Red

Calcareous

C

v0vMcv0V30

cv0

88.3 a80.8 a89.2 a88.3 a89.2 a90.0 a93.3 a90.8 a92.5 a

18.8 a14.7 b20.1a

20.9 ab18.7 b21.1a19.9 a14.3 b19.6 a

4.5 b4.9 ab5.1a4.4 c5.1b5.9 a3.9 b4.2 b4.8 a

12.3 a9.8 b9.9 b12.0 b11.4 b15.7 a9.5 a9.6 a10.1a

45.5 a46.9 a45.4 a43.4 b43.1b47.7 a41.9 b46.2 a47.2 a

Values followed by the same letter in the same column (for each soil) do not differsignificantly (P<0.05).

less advisable for ryegrass and sunflower. However, as suggested by Naylor andHutcheson (1986) there is no consistent test, or measurable parameter valid for allpossible conditions at the time of sowing, with in vitro germination tests being ingeneral of little predictive value for field growth of plants.

On the contrary, short assays in pots could offer useful information on thesuitability of a particular product as a fertilizer including positive and negativeeffects on plant growth. Kadioglu and Algur (1990) and Algur and Kadioglu(1992) used a pot technique when testing a liquid vinasse as a fertilizer.

Results of Pot Experiments (Sunflower Hysum 33)

Treatments Vo and V30 increased the EC values of the upper 1 cm layer in thethree soils tested (pots of 300 g of soil). In the acid soil, the EC value increasedfrom 0.5 dS m"1 (C) to 0.9 dS m 1 (VJ0) and 1.4 dS m1 (VJ; in the red soil the ECvalue increased from 0.6 dS m1 (C) to 1.5 dS m 1 (V30) and 2 dS m1 (V^, and alsofrom 0.6 dS m 1 (C) to 1.5 dS m1 (V30) and 1.8 dS m 1 (V^ in the calcareous soil.

These EC values measured in soil after the vinasse treatments were similar tothose recorded in the vinasse solutions used for the in vitro assays (0.9 to 3.1 dSnv1). As expected, Vo and V30 treatments did not influence seedling emergence inany of the three soils, although Vo treatment caused a significant shortening of theprimary root compared to C and V30 treatments (Table 3). These features were

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650 MURILLOETAL.

TABLE 4. Concentrations of nutrients of sunflower shoots and roots (14-day-old plantletsgrown in pots of 300 g soil). Mean values on a dry matter basis.

Soil

Acid

Red

Calcireous

Acid

Red

Calcsreous

Treat-

ment

C

vo

C

v.

cv0v30

cv.v30cv0v30cvo

N

%

4.56 a4.52 a4.49 a4.34 a4.21a4.63 a4.36 a4.40 a4.70 a

3.31b3.58 a3.58 a2.58 b3.23 a2.75 b3.23 a3.79 b4.18 a

P

%

0.84 a0.80 a0.73 b0.84 a0.75 b0.82 a0.82 a0.81a0.76 b

0.76 ab0.84 a0.68 b0.69 a0.61b0.51c0.86 a0.75 b0.77 b

K

%

Shoots1.52 c

Ca

%

.14a2.53 b 0.87 b3.21a1.24 c2.09 b 12.78 a1.33 c

1.11 a1.03 c.15 b.54 a

1.08 b2.03 b 0.99 b2.83 a

Roots1.22 b2.04 a2.24 a1.36 c2.08 b2.24 a2.08 c2.96 b3.88 a

1.31a

•-

•

•-

Mg

%

0.42 a0.41a0.42 a0.36 b0.34 b0.41a0.36 a0.36 a0.37 a

0.63 a0.56 b0.50 b0.54 b0.60 a0.54 b0.68 a0.59 b0.65 a

Fe

mg kg4

208 b198 b235 a167 b177 b233 a119c135 b179 a

•-

Mn

mg kg'1

37 b56 a61a27 a29 a32 a26 a28 a27 a

177 b242 a266 a71.7 b80.8 b103 a77.5 b96.1a95.0 a

Values followed by the same letter in the same column (for each soil) do not differsignifi ;antly (P<0.05).

essentially similar to those observed in vitro and to those obtained for ryegrass ina previous paper (Murillo et al., 1993a).

Shoot length was never shortened due to vinasse treatment in relation to thecontrol in any soil. Shoot length was even significantly increased in some casesby the vinasse treatments, especially in the red soil. Furthermore, shoot weightwas similar for the three treatments in the three soils or even significantly increasedin son: e cases by the vinasse presence, especially in the calcareous soil. The rootsystem weight was only reduced by the vinasse presence in the acid soil (Table3).

The effect of vinasse on the K concentrations of the shoots was manifested as aclear increase in K in the three soils. Treatment VJ0 also increased the Ca

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SUNFLOWER RESPONSE TO CONCENTRATED BEET VINASSE 651

TABLE 5. Concentration of nutrients of sunflower blades (plants at the 6-leavesstage of growth, grown in pots of 6 kg of soil). Mean values on a dry matter basis.

Soil

Red

Calcareous

Treat-

ment

CV.v*cv0

N

%

2.40 b3.90 a3.83 a2.17 b3.43 a3.28 a

P

%

0.37 c0.42 b0.49 a0.23 a0.22 a0.23 a

K

%

3.76 b5.23 a5.04 a4.18 b5.15 a5.08 a

Ca

%

3.25 c3.80 b4.15 a3.50 b3.34 b3.78 a

Mg

%

0.36 c0.41b0.44 a0.53 a0.39 c0.43 b

Fe

mg kg'1

345 a330 b351a359 a321a329 a

Mn

mg kg"1

38 c55 a48 b79 c148 a115b

Values followed by the same letter in the same column (for each soil) do notdiffer significantly (P<0.05).

concentrations of shoots in the red and the calcareous soils. In the case ofmicronutrients, an increase of Fe was observed in the shoots of plants grown inthe three soils for treatment V30. Both vinasse treatments (Vo and VJ0) increasedthe Mn concentrations of the shoots in the acid soil (Table 4). It is possible thatthese observed Fe and Mn increases had been an indirect effect of vinasse onplant uptake, as the Fe and Mn concentrations in the vinasse are rather low (Table

Conversely, the concentrations of the main nutrients N and P were not increasedby vinasse at this early stage of growth, despite the high N content of vinasse andits positive effect on the P plant uptake (Murillo et al., 1993b). However, theanalysis of the root system showed a positive effect of vinasse in the case of N atthis stage of growth (Table 4). This positive effect was not yet detectable in thecase of P, except for treatment Vo in the acid soil. The P concentrations of rootstended in general to be slightly smaller under the vinasse treatments. It was alsoobservable in the case of the shoots (Table 4).

Both vinasse treatments increased K and Mn concentrations of the roots in thethree soils, with significant differences in relation to the control (C) for K and inmost cases for manganese (Mn) (Table 4). In the case of magnesium (Mg), therewas not any positive effect of the vinasse treatments on the shoot and rootconcentrations at this early stage of growth. Data of calcium (Ca) and iron (Fe)for roots have not been shown because their determination is most likely distortedby adhering soil particles.

This positive effect on the root N concentration of the plantlets was furtherdetected at the 6 leaves stage of growth in the blades of plants which had beengrown in pots of 6 kg of soil. Table 5 shows that both vinasse treatments

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TABLE 6. Height and weight (complete plantlets) and concentration of nutrients of sunflower blades (plants at the 6-leaves stageof growui, grown in the field). Mean values of weignt and nutrient concentration on a dry matter basis.

Treatment

C

v.

Height

cm

15 ab17 a14 b

Weight

g

1.00 ab1.19a0.92 b

N

%

4.47 a4.56 a4.43 a

P

%

0.33 b0.36 a0.32 b

K

%

4.62 a4.92 a4.56 a

Ca

%

2.95 a2.76 b3.00 a

Mg

%

0.76 a0.76 a0.81a

Na

%

0.15 a0.14 a0.14 a

Fc

mg kg'1

183 a156 b191a

Mn

(mgkg1)

52 b51b59 a

B

(mgkg1)

40 a44a38 a

Values followed by the same letter in the same column do not differ significantly (PO.05).

TABLE 7. Percentage of protein, oil, and oil components (fatty acids) of Achenes of sunflower. Mean values on a fresh matterbasis.

Treatment Protein Oil ,4

C 34.5 a 42.5 a 0.1 5.9 a 0.1a 0.1a 0.1a 4.9 a 41.0 a 46.1aVo 35.5 a 44.0 a ND 5.8 a 0.1a 0.1a 0.1a 4.6 a 41.3 a 46.4 aV30 33.7 a 44.0 a ND 6.0 a 0.1a 0.1a 0.1a 4.3 a 40.0 a 48.0 a

Values followed by the same letter in the same column do not differ significantly (PO.05).

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SUNFLOWER RESPONSE TO CONCENTRATED BEET VINASSE 653

significantly increased N concentrations of blades, and the concentration of Pwas also increased in the red soil, although to a lesser extent. The positive effectof vinasse was also evident in the case of K, Ca, and Mn. The concentrations ofMn were in general smaller in the red soil, a fact also observed when using ryegrass(Murillo et al., 1993b). The effect of vinasse on the Mg concentrations was somepositive in the red soil and slightly depressing in the calcareous soil (Table 5).

Results in pots showed that the application of a moderate amount of vinasse atsowing, in the range of 2-3 t ha"1, did not cause any detrimental effect on thesunflower growth and nutrient composition, despite the comparatively low GIvalues obtained in vitro for this species (Table 2). Results obtained at field in thecalcareous soil have corroborated this assertion.

Results of Field Experiment

At the six leaves stage of growth the height and weight of sunflower plantsgrown in the field experiment were essentially similar between both vinassetreatments and control (Table 6). Treatment Vo was slightly better than V30, causinggreater N, P, and K concentrations in blades, but without significant differencesfor N and K with respect to V30 and C treatments. The presence of vinasse did notincrease the Na concentration of blades, and the concentrations of Fe, Mn, andboron (B) also were essentially similar under vinasse treatments and control, despitesome significant differences could be found. The ratio B/Ca was never lowerthan the critical value for sunflower of 1.3 x 10° (Alba and Llanos, 1990).

Further growth of the sunflower was satisfactory. The achenes had similarvalues of protein, oil and oil components under the three treatments (Table 7).Fiber content of achenes was also similar under the three treatments, approximately30% (data not shown). Oil content was slightly greater under both vinassetreatments, although without significant differences with respect to the control.However, these small differences in oil content could be important from acommercial point of view.

Moderate doses of concentrated beet vinasse do not seem to cause serious soilpollution problems. In our field experiment, EC values measured in the 0-30 cmsoil layer after sunflower plant maturity (data not shown) were the same for alltreatments (approximately 0.01 dS m1, using a soihwater ratio of 1:5). This wasin accordance with the data reported by Martfn-Olmedo (1996), who did not findsoil salinization problems using concentrated beet vinasse as a fertilizer after sixyears in very large pots (250 kg of soil), even at a doses greater than that used inour experiments.

CONCLUSIONS

Concentrated beet vinasses seem to be a promising product for use as a fertilizer.This product could be included as a deep fertilizer in fertilization schedules,

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generally applied as a pure (or co-composted) vinasse in combination with otherfertilizers, making high doses of this by-product unnecessary. Results obtainedhere show that when adequately managed it may be applied even at sowing withoutdetrimental effects on the early growth and nutrition of sunflower. Its applicationat sowing could partially avoid the leakage of nitrates to aquifers that can occurwhen this readily decomposable waste (L6pez, 1992) is applied too far in advanceof sowing.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

The authors thank Dr. M. Le6n (Instituto de la Grasa y sus Derivados, CSIC,Seville) for the determination of oil and fatty acids. This work was supported bythe CICYT of Spain (Project AGR 91-0600).

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