Broiler Litter Application Rate Research Articles

Broiler litter application rate and time impacts on corn ear mineral composition

AbstractThe nutrient composition of a corn (Zea Mays L.) ear impacts its nutritional value and potential use as human food and animal feed. Whether the application of broiler litter (BL) can enrich corn ears with supplied mineral elements compared to conventional fertilizers is not well studied. A 2‐year study investigated the mineral composition of corn ears as affected by nutrient source (BL or urea), application rate (0, 168, and 336 kg total N ha−1), and application time (single or split) at three locations in Alabama, USA. Corn ear samples were collected at physiological maturity each year and analyzed for the total nutrient contents of 11 mineral elements. Regardless of application rate and application time, BL did not increase any elemental concentrations in the corn ear. Corn fertilized with urea had the highest corn ear concentrations of nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), potassium (K), calcium (Ca), magnesium (Mg), zinc (Zn), manganese (Mn), iron (Fe), and copper (Cu) across all locations. Corn ear N concentration depended on the soil's level of plant‐available N (PAN). Corn ear concentrations of P, K, and other mineral elements were not dependent on their soil levels but the corn ear N concentration. Thus, growing corn with an adequate supply of PAN in soil, irrespective of the source ensures maximum accumulation of corn ear N and other mineral elements.

Effects of broiler litter application rate and time on corn yield and environmental nitrogen loss

AbstractUse of broiler litter (BL) for agronomic purposes requires balancing the amount of nitrogen (N) needed to maximize crop yield while reducing environmental N footprints. This 2‐yr study (2018–2019) compared the effects of N source (BL or urea), application rate [0, 168, and 336 kg total N ha–1), and application timing (single or split) on corn (Zea mays L.) yield and environmental nitrogen loss (ENL) on three Alabama soil types. A field‐scale partial N budget was developed by accounting for known N inputs and outputs. The difference between the input and output in the partial N budget was considered as ENL, which comprised of N losses via runoff, leaching, volatilization, and denitrification. Application of BL increased corn yield relative to urea at only one site. At the responsive site, BL application rate had no significant effect on corn yield, but pre‐plant single application of BL produced 52% greater corn yield compared with split application. At other two sites where yield was lower for corn receiving BL, corn yield increased significantly with increasing BL application rate. Total N loss to the environment ranged between 32 and 52% of the N input. The influence of N source on ENL varied by site however losses increased with increasing N fertilization rates. Application timing did not influence ENL at two of three sites. This study showed that a lower application rate (168 kg ha–1) of BL prior to planting was a better management strategy for increasing corn yield, while reducing environmental N loss.

Nutritional and physical properties of organic Beauregard sweet potato [Ipomoea batatas (L.)] as influenced by broiler litter application rate.

Organic farming has been on an upward trend in recent years. However, the manures used like broiler litter have variable nutrient content, making it important to establish optimal application rate, for maximum crop yield and quality. Additionally, some states like Alabama restricts the amount of broiler litter to control excessive nutrients accumulation which can lead to surface and ground water contamination. The current study evaluated the effect of broiler litter at rates 0, 0.5, 1, 2, and 3 t ha−1 (treatments T0, T0.5, T1, T2, and T3), on the nutritional and physical properties of Beauregard sweet potato. Analyses were performed to determine moisture, ash, fiber, vitamin C, and β-carotene contents using oven, muffler furnace, dye, and spectrophotometric methods; texture; and color using compressive strength and L, a, b system, respectively. Ash content of the samples ranged from 0.9% to 1.4% with a very strong positive linear correlation (r = 0.9) to the broiler litter rate. However, vitamin C had a quadratic relationship with the broiler litter rate with a peaking at T0.5 (15.5 mg/100 g). The yellow color (b-value) also had a strong linear relationship with the broiler litter rate (r = 0.86). However, the other measures showed moderate, weak, or negligible correlations to the broiler litter level. T0.5 had the highest β-carotene (262.0 μg/g), dry matter contents and had the most firm (0.040 kN) sweet potatoes with the deepest orange color (L = 60.7). Based on the study's findings, 0.5 t ha−1 appeared to be appropriate level of broiler litter, which is consistent with Alabama's law and is also advantageous in terms of low cost of farming practices and water pollution reduction.

Evaluación de mejores prácticas de manejo para reducir las pérdidas de nutrientes contaminantes en escorrentía desde suelos enmendados con carnada de pollos parrilleros. I. Adiciones de alum.

El efecto de alum [AI2(S04)3-14H20] en la reducción de las concentraciones de fósforo (P) en las aguas de escorrentía desde los suelos enmendados con residuos de carnadas de pollos parrilleros se evaluó en varios eventos de lluvia simulada. Adiciones de alum a razón de 20% (peso/peso) causaron una reducción significativa en la fracción de P "soluble" (CaCI2-extraíble) presente en la matriz de la carnada de pollos parrilleros. Como resultado, el P soluble añadido al suelo se redujo en un 43% y un 75% para los tratamientos de 6 t/ha y 20 t/ha de residuos de carnada de pollos parrilleros con alum en comparación con sus contrapartes sin alum. Las concentraciones de P total en la escorrentía de los tratamientos 6 t/ha y 20 t/ha de residuos de carnada de pollos parrilleros sin alum resultaron altamente enriquecidas, promediando 2.59 y 6.10 mg/L, respectivamente. En la dosis más alta de residuos de carnada de pollos parrilleros (20 t/ha), el tratamiento de 20% de alum logró una reducción de 52% en la concentración de P total en la escorrentía relativo al tratamiento sin alum. Sin embargo, el efecto más notable de alum fue en la reducción de las pérdidas de P disuelto. Las pérdidas en las concentraciones de P disuelto promedio en el tratamiento de 20 t/ha de residuos de carnada de pollos parrilleros (sin alum) fue de 3.55 mg/L, un valor significativamente mayor que el umbral de 1.0 mg/L que ha sido sugerido como el límite potencial para el control de pérdidas de P por escorrentía de predios agrícolas. En dicha dosis de aplicación los tratamientos de 10% y 20% de alum alcanzaron reducciones de 58% y 70% en las concentraciones de P disuelto en la escorrentía, espectivamente. Las pérdidas en las concentraciones de P disuelto observadas para los tratamientos con 20% de alum cumplieron con el valor umbral de 1.0 mg/L en prácticamente todos los casos, irrespectivamente de la dosis de residuos de carnada de pollos parrilleros evaluada. Las pérdidas de P total en la escorrentía fue correlacionada positivamente tanto con la fracción de P soluble (extraíble con CaCI2) aplicado a los suelos, como con los niveles de P (Olsen) en el suelo durante las diferentes etapas de los eventos de simulación de lluvia. El contenido nutricional (N, P, y K) para muestras de hierba Bermuda reflejó el efecto de las diferentes dosis de residuos de carnada de pollos parrilleros. Se observó un mayor contenido nutricional en los tratamientos de 20 t/ha comparado con los de 6 t/ha. No obstante, los efectos solo fueron estadísticamente significativos para nitrógeno. El alum no parece ejercer un impacto significativo en el contenido nutricional de la yerba Bermuda, aunque se observaron disminuciones leves (no significativas) para N y P en el tratamiento de 20 t/ha de carnada de pollos parrilleros con 20% de alum.

Five-Year Change in Soil Profile Chemical Properties as Affected by Broiler Litter Application Rate

The broiler (Gallus gallus domesticus) industry generates large quantities of nutrient- and trace metal-enriched litter. Broiler litter (BL) is typically land applied as a nutrient source for forages. Continual annual BL applications can increase nutrient and trace metal concentrations in soil over time, creating the potential for negative environmental impacts. The objective of this study was to determine the long-term effects of BL application rate on soil profile chemical properties in a Captina silt loam (fine-silty, siliceous, active, mesic, Typic Fragiudult) with a history of BL applications. Broiler litter was applied annually at 0, 5.6, and 11.2 Mg of dry weight-based litter ha−1 during a 5-year period. Soil was sampled in 10-cm increments to 90 cm and characterized for pH, electrical conductivity, organic matter, dissolved organic C, P saturation, and acid-recoverable (P, K, Ca, Mg, S, Na, Fe, Mn, Zn, Cu, Al, As, Cd, Cr, and Se), Mehlich-3-extractable (P, K, Ca, Mg, Na, Fe, Mn, Zn, and Cu), and water-soluble (P, K, Ca, Mg, S, Na, Fe, Mn, Zn, Cu, Al, As, Cd, Cr, and Se) soil nutrient and trace metals. Soil nutrient and trace metal contents generally increased with continued BL application for 5 years in the Mehlich-3-extractable and water-soluble pools. Soil properties affected by litter treatment generally increased over time in the top 20 cm as litter rate increased. It seems that continued annual application of BL to soil with a history of BL application will continue to accumulate Mehlich-3-extractable and water-soluble soil nutrient and trace metals near the soil surface. A decrease in soil nutrient and trace metal contents when BL applications ceased generally did not occur. Therefore, it seems that decreases in most soil chemical property magnitudes caused by the cessation of BL applications will require more than 5 years and could continue to pose potential negative environmental consequences.

Runoff Water Quality from Broiler Litter‐Amended Tall Fescue in Response to Natural Precipitation in the Ozark Highlands

The Arkansas poultry industry produced more than 1.2 billion broiler chickens (Gallus gallus domesticus) and generated approximately 1.3 million Mg of broiler litter in 2002. High transportation costs of relocating broiler litter have led to annual land applications near poultry houses, increasing concern for potential surface water contamination from runoff. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of broiler litter application rate on runoff water quality in response to natural precipitation. Six plots (1.5 by 6.0 m), located on a Captina silt loam (finesilty, siliceous, active, mesic Typic Fragiudult), were amended with fresh broiler litter at 0, 5.6, and 11.2 Mg ha(-1) (control, low, and high litter treatments, respectively) once annually for 4 yr (May 2003 through April 2007). Runoff collected after each runoff-producing event was analyzed for soluble nutrients and metals. Cumulative runoff did not differ among litter treatments over the 4-yr study. At times, flow-weighted mean (FWM) concentrations of As from all litter treatments exceeded the maximum contaminant level for drinking water (0.01 mg As L(-1)). Four-year FWM Fe concentrations and runoff losses were greater (P < 0.05) from the high than from the low litter treatment and unamended control, and the 4-yr FWM P concentration from the low litter treatment (3.0 mg L(-1)) was greater than that from the unamended control (1.8 mg L(-1)). Since precipitation is temporally variable, evaluating runoff water quality in response to natural precipitation over several years is key to ascertaining the long-term impacts of surface-applied soil amendments like broiler litter.

Managing Broiler Litter Application Rate and Grazing to Decrease Watershed Runoff Losses

Pasture management and broiler litter application rate are critical factors influencing the magnitude of nutrients being transported by runoff from fields. We investigated the impact of pasture management and broiler litter application rate on nutrient runoff from bermudagrass (Cynodon dactylon) pastures. The experiment was conducted on a Ruston fine sandy loam with a factorial arrangement on 21 large paddocks. Runoff water was collected from natural rainfall events from 2001 to 2003. Runoff water and soil samples were analyzed for nutrients and sediments. Runoff was generally greater (29%) from grazed than hayed pastures regardless of the litter application rate. There was greater inorganic N in the runoff from grazed paddocks when litter rate was based on N rather than P. The mean total P loss per runoff event for all treatments ranged from 7 to 45 g ha(-1) and the grazed treatment with litter applied on N basis had the greatest total P loss. Total dissolved P was the dominant P fraction in the runoff, ranging from 85% to 93% of the total P. The soluble reactive P was greater for treatments with litter applied on N basis regardless of pasture management. Runoff total sediments were greater for N-based litter application compared to those which received litter on P basis. Our results indicate that litter may be applied on N basis if the pasture is hayed and the soil P is low. In contrast, litter rates should be based on a P-basis if pasture is grazed.

Broiler Litter Application Rate Effects on Bermudagrass Nutrient Uptake and Phosphorus Level of Soils Differing in Application History

The effect of broiler litter application rate on bermudagrass [Cynodon dactylon (L.) Pers.] yield and nutrient uptake, and on phosphorus (P) level of two associated soils was studied over three years. Five litter rates (0,4.48, 8.96,17.92, and 35.84 Mg ha−1; on as-is basis) were applied each year to two geographically associated soils: a Ruston fine sandy loam with no history of litter application and a Savannah fine sandy loam with high soil P due to thirty years of application. Annual forage yield and nutrient uptake increased quadratically in response to application rate. Apparent P recovery averaged 12% on the Ruston soil and 4% on the Savannah soil. Within three years, P levels of both soils were equivalent, indicating that without consideration of litter application rate, P level of even low-P soils can rapidly reach excessive levels.

BROILER LITTER RATE EFFECTS ON NUTRIENT LEACHING FROM SOIL UNDER PASTURE VEGETATION IN THE OZARK HIGHLANDS

Litter from broiler chicken (Gallus gallus domesticus) production is a beneficial soil amendment containing organic material and many nutrients essential for proper plant growth. However, repeated land application of litter in regions of concentrated broiler production has raised concerns regarding nutrient and trace element loading in soil and potential groundwater and surface water contamination via runoff and leaching. The objective of this study was to evaluate seasonal and annual effects of broiler litter application rate on soil leachate concentrations and leaching losses of several essential plant nutrients [nitrate-N (NO 3 -N), ammonium-N (NH 4 -N), P, K, Ca, Mg, and Na] from a silt-loam soil (fine-silty, siliceous, active, mesic Typic Fragiudult) under tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea Shreb.) vegetation in the Ozark Highlands of north-west Arkansas. Equilibrium-tension lysimeters were used to continuously monitor and collect soil leachate solution from below the undisturbed root zone of small plots for a two-year period after two annual broiler litter applications at rates of 0 (control), 5.6 (low), and 11.2 (high) Mg litter ha -1 . In Year 1 (May 2003-April 2004), flow-weighted mean leachate concentrations of Ca, Na, P, and Mg differed among litter rates during one or more periods; however, there were no consistent treatment effects. In Year 2 (May 2004-April 2005), leachate concentrations of Mg and NH 4 -N differed among litter rates during one or more periods, in which all had the greatest concentration under the low-litter treatment. There were no differences in plant nutrient leaching losses among litter rates during either full year or cumulatively over the two-year period. The land use combination of a long history of litter application, followed by several years of no litter, followed by two consecutive years of additional litter application seems to cause few water quality concerns caused by nutrient leaching, with the exception of P if leachate and/or groundwater discharge to the soil surface.

Modeling phosphorus in the upper Etowah River basin: identifying sources under uncertainty

The Uniform Covering by Probabilistic Rejection (UCPR) algorithm was used, in conjunction with the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) model, to identify P loads from point source and nonpoint source polluters in the upper Etowah River basin (UERB) in Georgia. The key findings of the research are as follows. The mean absolute error was preferred over the root mean square error as a search criterion for the UCPR algorithm when water quality observations are scarce. The undocumented P load from point sources in the UERB was consistently estimated as about 43 kg/d by the proposed method; but the method was not able to identify the broiler litter application rate to the poultry/beef operation pastures. Point sources (both documented and undocumented), poultry/beef operation pastures, and forests are the three major contributors of P. During 1992-1996, on average they accounted for 36.4, 31.7, and 17.2% of P load from the UERB, respectively.

BROILER LITTER APPLICATION EFFECTS ON SELECTED TRACE ELEMENTS UNDER CONVENTIONAL AND NO-TILL SYSTEMS

This study was conducted on two separate commercial farms representing no-till at Coffeeville and conventional tillage system at Cruger in Mississippi to evaluate the dynamics of selected some trace elements in response to long-term broiler litter application to cotton. The soil at Cruger is a Dubbs silt loam (fine-silty, mixed, active, thermic Typic Hapludalfs) and at Coffeeville is an Ariel silt loam (coarse-silty, mixed, thermic Fluventic Dystrochreps). In each site, the experimental design was a randomized complete block with eight treatments replicated four times. Treatments included broiler litter rates of 0, 2.2, 4.5, and 6.7 Mg ha−1 in some combination with 0, 34, and 67 kg nitrogen ha−1. Commercial nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium fertilizer at recommended rate was also included. At Coffeeville location at the end of third year, soil surface (0-15 cm) total C and total copper (Cu), zinc (Zn), and arsenic (As) significantly increased with increasing broiler litter applications. In Coffeeville under the no-till system, application of broiler litter at the highest rate (6.7 Mg ha−1) significantly increased soil surface (0-15 cm) total C, total Cu, Zn, and As by 28%, 67%, 51%, and 69%, respectively, as compared with unfertilized control. At Cruger location, changes in soil C and trace elements were less responsive to treatment applications. Downward movement of Cu and Zn was limited to 15 cm of soil depth, but As was detected at about 30 cm of soil depth at high broiler litter application rate. Despite elevated concentrations of trace metals at the soil surface, their concentrations in the soils were in the range considered normal with no potential threat to the ecosystems.

Small grain winter cover crops for conservation of residual soil nitrogen in the mid-Atlantic Coastal Plain

AbstractCereal rye is an effective winter cover crop because it accumulates residual soil N and reduces nitrate leaching. Wheat, barley, and triticale are alternative winter small grain species that may be managed as winter cover crops and yet produce marketable commodities. The objectives of this research were to evaluate N recovery capacity and grain yields of wheat, barley, triticale, and cereal rye grown as winter cover crops. Field plots established in 1996 and 1997 at two different locations on Maryland's mid-Atlantic Coastal Plain were amended with annual spring applications of four rates of broiler litter in a randomized complete block design with four replications. Each manure rate plot was divided into four subplots by planting four winter small grain cover crops: wheat, barley, triticale, and cereal rye. Rye cover crop treatments were killed with herbicide when the plants were 30 to 50 cm tall, while the wheat, barley, and triticale treatments continued to grow until grain maturity. Barley, rye, triticale, and wheat cover crops exhibited similar capacities to accumulate soil N, and therefore, reduce the potential for NO3—N leaching to groundwater. At the time of rye kill-down, aerial biomass N accumulation ranged from 11 to 112 kg N ha−1 and soil NO3—N levels were low (&lt;1.5 mg NO3—N kg−1) and relatively uniform across treatments. Average barley, triticale, and wheat grain yields increased with previous broiler litter application rate and initial soil NO3—N concentration. Potential income derived from the grain and straw produced could partially or completely offset cover crop production costs.