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Organic matter has an unquestionable important role in agriculture productivity due to its capacity to store water and nutrients, increase of the soil biodiversity and immobilize pollutants. Although fresh olive mill waste has phytotoxic properties, its compost can be used as a fertilizer. Mycorrhizal fungi can, potentially, increase crop productivity due to its relation with higher water and nutrients absorption by the roots. This work intended to evaluate the application of mycorrhizal fungi and composted olive mill waste on biomass production of ryegrass. The results showed that the olive mill waste compost could be used as an alternative source of fertiliser for ryegrass, but there must be a simultaneous application of inorganic nitrogen and phosphorus fertilizer. In that case, the application of mycrorrhizal fungi demonstrated to be able to improve ryegrass forage yield.

This work aims to compare the effects of slurry, digestate and a mineral fertiliser on the yield of Lolium sp. A pot trial was conducted in a Dystric Regosol with ryegrass sown in December 2018. Treatments were: Control (without fertilisation), mineral fertiliser (MF), digestate (DG) and cattle slurry (CS). MF was applied at an Ni rate of 85 kg ha-1 at sowing and 42.5 kg ha-1 at the first cut and the remaining 42.5 kg ha-1 at the second cut. DG and CS were applied at a rate corresponding to the application of 170 N kg ha-1 only at sowing (170No) or with 85 kg No ha-1 at sowing and 42.5 kg Ni ha-1 at the first cut and the same amount at the second cut. MF, DG and CS treatments were also done with and without the application of 35 kg P ha-1 at sowing as single superphosphate. Irrespective to the fertilisers used the fertilisation increased significantly (p < 0.001) the crop yield. DG and CS showed similar yields between the same treatments. MF showed the highest yield that was similar to DG with No+Ni application and to CS with only No or No+Ni but always with P fertilisation.