Municipal sewage sludge has a lot of organic matter and is a rich source of nutrients, thus generating interest as a cheap fertilizer. The amount of the sewage sludge dose used in agriculture to fertilize crops is determined by law and its application should be in accordance with the rules of the EU. The problem is to determine the rate of release of nutrients from sewage sludge and intake speed of these components by the plants. The aim of this study was to evaluate the agricultural use of sewage sludge in the year of application and its residual effect in maize grown for silage. Maize variety 'PR39G12' was grown in the field after 5-year monoculture. Experiments were carried out according to the scheme: the control without sewage sludge (mineral fertilizers); sewage sludge the year of application, sewage sludge the first year after application; sewage sludge the second year after application. Sewage sludge was applied in the spring at a dose of 10 tonnes D.M.· ha^-1, which was tested both in terms of microbial and heavy metal content. The amount of sewage sludge applied dose was in line with the regulations of Minister of Environment at that time [Directive... 2002] which allows the use of sludge in applied amount once every 5 years. Years in which the study was conducted were characterized by high volatility of weather conditions. There were significant differences in the amount and distribution of rainfall and the considerable volatility in the course of temperature in different periods of plant development. In the two years of the study (2006 and 2008) on the treatments where sewage sludge was applied in the first year, a trend of fewer plant losses was noted compared with plants with mineral fertilizer applied. Below-cob leaf greenness index showed no difference between the plants grown on mineral fertilizers and municipal sewage sludge, but the use of municipal sewage sludge contributed to cob set up. On the treatments fertilized with sewage sludge, plant productivity as fresh and dry matter yield of total maize plants was higher than on treatments with mineral fertilization.

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