Cattle Farmyard Manure Research Articles

Optimizing an Organic Method of Sugar Beet Cultivation and Yield Gap Decrease in Northern Poland

In the period of 2016–2018, two series of field studies on organic sugar beet growing (Beta vulgaris L.) were carried out in northern Poland on Luvisol loamy soil (medium–heavy) soil in Bałcyny and Płonne. The aim of this study was to decrease the yield gap between organic and conventional beets. Factors to increase the yield of organic beet were differentiated fertilization (cattle farmyard manure (FYM), compost, and Bioilsa) and choice of varieties (Eliska, Jampol, and Sobieski). The reference point was the conventional cultivation of the same sugar beet varieties, fertilized with manure and NPK mineral fertilizers, the prevailing standard of sugar beet cultivation in Poland. High sugar beet root yields exceeding the average yield in Poland by 25–30% were obtained in both studies, both in conventional and organic cultivation. Higher root and white sugar yields were obtained in the study conducted at Płonne (with similar soil conditions to those at Bałcyny), but they were characterized by higher temperatures during the growing season. The lowest root yields in both experiments were obtained by fertilizing the organic beet with compost (66.1 t per ha in Bałcyny and 78.13 t per ha in Płonne), which were 10.8% and 8.5% lower than the conventional crop, respectively. Higher root yields in organic cultivation were obtained by fertilizing the sugar beet with FYM, which reduced the differences from conventional beet to 7.7% in the study in Bałcyny and 2.1% in the study in Płonne. Thus, the results showed no need to convert cattle FYM to compost. The highest root yields in organic cultivation were obtained by fertilizing the sugar beet with Bioilsa N 12.5 supplemented with mineral fertilization of K, Mg, and S (Patentkali). This fertilization provided a yield of 78.1 t of roots per ha in Bałcyny, which is a reduction in the yield gap to 1.4%, a statistically insignificant value. Moreover, in the study at Płonne, organic sugar beet fertilized with Bioilsa and Patentkali yielded 86.7 t of roots per ha, compared to 85.6 t per ha of conventional beet, so a yield gap was not seen here. The choice of varieties was also of great importance for root and pure sugar yields in both farming systems. The lowest yields were obtained from the Eliska variety, and at Bałcyny, a change of beet cultivar to Jampol increased the organic root yield from 68.8 t per ha to 76.0 t per ha, while reducing the yield gap from 10.1% to 2.2%. At Płonne, replacing the Eliska variety with Jampol reduced the yield gap between organic and conventional roots from 6.6% to 0.3%.

Selected Carbon and Nitrogen Compounds in a Maize Agroecosystem under the Use of Nitrogen Mineral Fertilizer, Farmyard Manure, Urease, and Nitrification Inhibitors

Carbon and nitrogen compounds in agroecosystems have attracted much attention in recent years due to their key roles in crop production and their impacts on environment quality and/or climate change. Since fertilization profoundly disrupted the C and N cycles, several mitigation and/or adaptation strategies, including the application of farmyard manure (FYM) and/or urease and nitrification inhibitors (UI and NI), have been developed. The aim of this study was to evaluate the contents of soil organic carbon and its fractions, the total and mineral forms of nitrogen, as well as CO2 and N2O emissions under mineral and organic fertilization with and without urease and nitrification inhibitors in a maize agroecosystem. A two-year field study was carried out on Cambisols (silt) in Poland. The experiment scheme included nine treatments: C (the control without fertilization), UAN (Urea Ammonium Nitrate), UAN+UI, UAN+NI, UAN+UI+NI, FYM with N mineral fertilizer base, FYM with N mineral fertilizer base+UI, FYM with N mineral fertilizer base+NI, and FYM with N mineral fertilizer base+UI+NI. It was found that treatments fertilized with cattle FYM were higher sinks and sources of C and N compounds in comparison to the UAN plots. The organic carbon, humic and humin acid, and total nitrogen concentrations, in contrast to ammonium and nitrate nitrogen, were not affected by the inhibitors added. Nitrification and urease inhibitors were effective in decreasing N2O emissions only in treatments that were exclusively applied with UAN and had no significant influence on CO2 emissions.

Responses of soil physico-chemical properties, structure of the microbial community and crop yields to different fertilization practices in Russia's conventional farming system.

The use of fertilizers affects not only the soil fertility and crop yield, but also significantly changes the taxonomic structure of the soil microbiocenosis. Here, based on stationary field experiment, we studied the influence of organo-mineral fertilizer (ОМF), modified by bacteria Bacillus subtilis, H-13 in comparison with different fertilizer systems (organic, mineral, organo-mineral) on (i) crop yield, (ii) physical and chemical properties, and (iii) alpha and beta diversity of the microbial community Albic Retisol (Loamic, Aric, Cutanic, Differentic, Ochric). The studies were carried out against the background of liming (рНКCl - 5.9) and without it (рНКCl - 5.1). The use of only one cattle farmyard manure was less effective than its co-application with mineral fertilizers in half doses. A similar effect was obtained when applying ОМF. In addition, the use of OMF contributes to a significant increase in the reserves of soil organic carbon in the soil layer 0-20 cm by 18%-32%. Using high-throughput sequencing of the 16S rRNA variable V4 gene sequence libraries, 10.759 taxa from 456 genera were identified, assigned to 34 fila (31 bacterial and 3 archaeotic. Unilateral application of mineral fertilizers leads to a significant decrease in the alpha diversity of the structure of soil microbial communities (OTE (other things equal) and Shannon index). A clear clustering of the microbiota was found in the variants with and without the introduction of сattle farmyard manure. It is revealed that the taxonomic structure of the microbiocenosis is formed under the influence of two main factors: crop rotation culture and applied fertilizers. The type of cultivated crop determines the dynamics of the microbiota at the level of larger taxa, such as domains, and fertilizers affect the structure of the microbial community at a lower taxonomic level (phyla, orders, bloodlines). On the basis of the Deseq analysis, marker taxa were identified, according to the share participation of which it is possible to determine the type of cultivated crop and fertilizers used in the experiment. Understanding the dynamics of taxa association and other influential factors can lead to the creation of universal systems of metagenomic indication, where tracking the dynamics of microbial communities will allow for a comprehensive assessment of the agroecological state of soils and timely decisions to prevent their degradation.

Organic inputs with reduced chemical fertilizers improve yield, antioxidant components, and defense mechanisms in Tomato (var. Pusa Sheetal)

Chemical fertilizers are widely used to meet the nutritional needs of crops and increase yields; but, due to their high cost and abuse, certain adverse effects are causing the soil to deteriorate. A decline in soil organic carbon is being addressed through the use of vermicompost and farmyard manure as organic amendments, potentially reducing chemical fertilizer usage and ensuring sustainable crop nutrient supply. A study utilizing cattle farmyard manure and vermicompost, along with reduced chemical fertilizers, demonstrated that organic inputs significantly enhance tomato growth, physiology, yield, nutritional, and defense attributes. The study found that using farmyard manure and vermicompost in combination with reduced chemical fertilizers significantly increased plant height (14.2%), number of branches (26.7%), number of leaves (18.1%), fruit weight (30.7%), yield (89.4%), ascorbate peroxidase (15.4%), carotenoids (11.6%), vitamin C (15.4%), lycopene (17.2%), superoxide dismutase (18.5%), total antioxidant activity (55.4%), total soluble solids (9.9%), and vitamin C 7.9% in tomatoes, potentially reducing the need for chemical fertilizers. In addition, soil pH was slightly neutralized and soil organic carbon and available N, P, and K status of soils significantly improved. Tomatoes with higher levels of ascorbate peroxidase, carotenoids, lycopene, superoxide dismutase activity, total antioxidant activity, total soluble solids, and vitamin C, showed higher yields.

Agronomic amendments drive a diversity of real and apparent priming responses within a grassland soil

Soil carbon (C) sequestration is often viewed as a nature-based solution to help mitigate climate change. Key to realising this potential is a better understanding of which C inputs promote greater long-term C storage. The priming effect (PE) is the change in rates of microbial soil organic matter (SOM) decomposition caused by the addition of organic or mineral amendments to soil. The apparent PE (changes in CO2 from microbial biomass turnover) of substrates is often studied as a confounding factor, however, the real PE (decomposition of native SOM) is rarely measured due to uncertainties in C pool differentiation. Here, we used a 50-day mesocosm study to compare the effect of various common soil amendments (wood biochar and ash, protein, amino acids, glucose, cellulose, cattle farmyard manure (FYM), cattle slurry, inorganic N fertiliser, and different ratios of wheat straw:shoot mixes) on the real and apparent PEs of soil, using 5-year old quasi-stable 14C-labelled SOM and 14C-labelled active microbial biomass, respectively. Our results show that there are often significant differences in the real and apparent PE, for the same amendment, with variance in magnitude and, in some case, direction. We identified few consistent drivers of PE across the two assays, however, there was a negative relationship between the initial C:N ratio of the treatment and PEs, suggesting that while the nutrient stoichiometry of the C amendment is important, the usability and quality of the substrate for the microbial community are key to determining its priming response. Equally, context is important for interpretation, as treatments that elicit positive priming may still be replenishing or increasing soil C stocks.

Biodynamic compost effects on soil parameters in a 27-year long-term field experiment

BackgroundSoil samples were taken after 27 years from a long-term field experiment to study the effects of composted pure cattle farmyard manure (FYM) and two FYM treatments with biodynamic preparations on soil chemical and microbiological properties.MethodsSoil organic carbon (SOC), total nitrogen, basal respiration, fungal ergosterol, microbial biomass C (MBC) and nitrogen (MBN) were analyzed in a 6-field crop rotation system, conducted as a randomized block design with six replicates. The multi-substrate-induced respiration (multi-SIR) approach was used to assess microbial functional diversity by the respiratory response of 17 low molecular weight organic substances.ResultsAll composted FYM treatments revealed generally positive effects on SOC, total N, basal respiration, MBC, and MBN in contrast to control without FYM. Only fungal ergosterol was not increased by FYM application. After 27 experimental years, discriminant function analysis of multi-SIR data not only revealed significant general effects of biodynamic preparations, but was also able to differentiate between the sole application of the Achillea millefolium preparation and the standard application of all 6 biodynamic compost preparations.ConclusionsThe Achillea preparation was specifically able to improve the N status of the microbial community as indicated by the higher catabolic use of D-glucosamine as well as the amino acids γ-aminobutyric acid, L-cysteine, and L-leucine. The reason for different effects of the sole Achillea preparation and all 6 preparations cannot be explained by the current study.Graphical

Long-term continuous farmyard manure application increases soil carbon when combined with mineral fertilizers due to lower priming effects

Organic and synthetic fertilizers not only increase soil fertility and crop productivity but also enhance soil organic carbon (SOC). However, the priming effect (PE) leads to increased soil carbon (C) loss through native SOC mineralization. To date, the mechanisms by which long-term (>66 years) synthetic and/or organic fertilization alters net SOC sequestration remain a matter of debate. This study aimed to assess the effects of different fertilization practices on SOC decomposition and PE in agricultural systems subjected to long-term annual synthetic and/or organic fertilizer application. This aim was achieved by collecting topsoil samples (0–20 cm) from four long-term fertilization practices, i.e., unfertilized, synthetic supplemental (+s), cattle farmyard manure (+m, similar nutrient amount to +s), and synthetic fertilizer with farmyard manure (+s +m, the highest nutrient amount). The soil samples were incubated for 33 days with and without 13C-glucose addition, and a CO2 isotope analyzer combined with a modeling approach was used to establish a real-time method to monitor CO2 and 13CO2 production rates during the incubation period. Overall, +m increased the cumulative SOC-derived CO2 (SOC-CO2) by 107, 74, and 24 % compared to the unfertilized, +s and +s +m, respectively. The higher SOC-CO2 in +m treatment was associated with the greatest priming effect (PE, 390 ± 21 mg C kg soil−1), which corresponded to a 30 % increase compared to the average of the treatments that involved synthetic fertilizer (+s and +s +m) and a 137 % increase compared to the unfertilized control. The results were explained by the lower dissolved nitrogen (N), a proxy of available mineral N, in +m compared to +s +m, thus enhancing microbial mining for additional N via increasing SOC mineralization. However, the combined application of synthetic fertilizer and manure in the +s +m treatment provided enough easily accessible nutrients for microbial growth and activities from the applied synthetic fertilizer, leading to lower SOC mineralization than manure (+m) alone. Nevertheless, the treatments with manure application (i.e., +m and +s +m) significantly increased net SOC compared to the synthetically fertilized treatment and unfertilized control, suggesting greater C inputs than outputs and leading to high SOC accumulation over time. These results indicated that organic manure has a great potential to mitigate climate change by increasing SOC over time, which can be fostered by the addition of synthetic fertilizer; however, caution still needs to be taken regarding the quality and quantity of the added fertilizer.

Invasive Plants in Support of Urban Farming: Fermentation-Based Organic Fertilizer from Japanese Knotweed

In this study, fermentation-based organic fertilizer (OF) was produced from the aboveground parts of Fallopia japonica (Houtt.) Ronse Decr. The quantity of N in OF (17.2 kg t−1 fresh lactic-fermented OF) was higher than average in cattle farmyard manure, but on a comparable level to solid poultry and rabbit manure. The OF was applied on a field to evaluate its effect on Chinese cabbage. The applied nutrients with OF N159 were 159, 19 and 100 kg ha−1 for N, P, and K, respectively. The applied nutrients with OF N317 were 317, 38, and 200 kg ha−1 for N, P, and K, respectively. The average mass of marketable Chinese cabbage (Brassica pekinensis Rupr.) single heads ranged from 253 g with N0 treatment to 602 g with N317 treatment. The nutrient recovery efficiency REN,P,K was 37, 20, and 50% for N317 and 55, 48, and 77% for N159. The OF was found to be a suitable alternative to farmyard manure. Additionally, OF produced from F. japonica could complement existing approaches to limit the spread of invasive species in cities. Further research should focus on perennial crop rotations and cropping patterns, different soil types, and a greater variety of crops and consider the possible retention of urban farmers using fertilizer from invasive plants.

Presence of Antibiotic Residues and Antibiotic Resistant Bacteria in Cattle Manure Intended for Fertilization of Agricultural Fields: A One Health Perspective.

Antibiotic resistant bacteria and antibiotic residues can enter the environment when using animal manure as fertilizer. Twenty-five mixed beef cattle farmyard manure samples and 9 mixed fattening calf slurry samples from different farms across Belgium were investigated for the presence of 69 antibiotic residues, antibiotic resistant Escherichia coli and Salmonella spp. Doxycycline, oxytetracycline, ciprofloxacin, enrofloxacin, flumequine and lincomycin were detected in all fattening calf slurry samples with mean concentrations of 2776, 4078, 48, 31, 536 and 36 µg/kg manure, respectively. Sulfadiazine was detected at a mean concentration of 10,895 µg/kg. Further, antibiotic residues were found in only 4 of the 25 beef cattle farmyard manure samples. Oxytetracycline was detected twice below 500 µg/kg. Paromomycin, ciprofloxacin and enrofloxacin were detected in a concentration below 100 µg/kg. Of E. coli isolates, 88% and 23% from fattening calf slurry and beef cattle farmyard manure, respectively, were resistant to at least one of the antibiotics tested. Multi-drug resistance was observed at a maximum of 10 and 7 antibiotics, respectively. The occurrence of antibiotic resistant E. coli and antibiotic residues is shown to be higher in fattening calf slurry than in beef cattle farmyard manure used for agricultural field fertilization.

Towards Country-Specific Nitrous Oxide Emission Factors for Manures Applied to Arable and Grassland Soils in the UK

Nitrous oxide (N2O) emission factors (EFs) were calculated from measurements of emissions from livestock manures applied to UK arable crops and grassland as part of a wider research programme to reduce uncertainty in the UK national agricultural N2O inventory and to enhance regional inventory reporting through increased understanding of processes and factors controlling emissions. Field studies were undertaken between 2011 and 2013 at 3 arable and 3 grassland sites in the UK. Nitrous oxide emissions were measured following the autumn and spring application of different manures (pig slurry, cattle slurry, cattle farmyard manure (FYM), pig FYM, poultry layer manure, and broiler litter) at typical rates, using representative manure application and soil incorporation methods. In addition, ammonia emissions and nitrate leaching losses (1 site on a light sandy soil) were measured to calculate indirect N2O losses. IPCC comparable, direct N2O EFs ranged from −0.05 to 2.30% of total nitrogen applied, with the variability driven by a range of factors including differences in manure composition, application method, incorporation and climatic conditions. When data from the autumn applications were pooled, the mean N2O EF from poultry manure (1.52%) was found to be greater (P < 0.001) than from FYM (0.37%) and slurry (0.72%), with no difference found (P = 0.784) in the EF for bandspread compared with surface broadcast slurry application, and no effect (P = 0.328) of the nitrification inhibitor, Dicyandiamide (DCD). For the spring applications, the mean N2O EF for bandspread slurry (0.56%) was greater (P = 0.028) than from surface broadcast slurry (0.31%), but there were no differences (P = 0.212) in the mean N2O EFs from poultry manure (0.52%), slurry (0.44%), and FYM (0.22%). The study did confirm, however, that DCD reduced N2O emissions from slurries applied in the spring by 45%. EF data from this project have been used in the derivation of robust Tier 2 country specific EFs for inclusion in the UK national agriculture greenhouse gas inventory.

Effect of mixed cropping with lupin (Lupinus albus L.) on growth and nitrogen uptake in pasture grasses grown under manure application

ABSTRACTThe use of organic fertilizer is essential to ensure sustainable agricultural production. Because organic fertilizer normally acts as a slow-release fertilizer, improving its nutrient-use efficiency is important, particularly in terms of nitrogen (N) nutrition. In the present study, we attempted to increase the N-use efficiency of cattle farmyard manure (CM) in the cultivation of pasture grasses by mixed cropping with white lupin (Lupinus albus), which has been reported to decompose organic N in its rhizosphere. Timothy (Phleum pratense) and orchard grass (Dactylis glomerata) were cultivated with or without either lupin or soybean (Glycine max) in pots under three different N treatments (CM, ammonium sulfate, or no N). In the CM treatment, growth was higher in grasses cultivated with lupin than in those cultivated alone or with soybean. Moreover, decomposition of soluble organic N and protease activity in the rhizosphere soil of grasses with CM treatment were enhanced by mixed cropping with lupin. Analyses of microbial activity and bacterial community structure using Biolog EcoPlates suggested that the enhanced decomposition of soluble organic N was facilitated by lupin roots rather than by rhizosphere microorganisms.

Meta-modeling methods for estimating ammonia volatilization from nitrogen fertilizer and manure applications

Accurate estimations of ammonia (NH3) emissions due to nitrogen (N) fertilization are required to identify efficient mitigation techniques and improve agricultural practices. Process-based models such as Volt’Air can be used for this purpose because they incorporate the effects of several key factors influencing NH3 volatilization at fine spatio-temporal resolutions. However, these models require a large number of input variables and their implementation on a large scale requires long computation times that may restrict their use by public environmental agencies. In this study, we assess the capabilities of various types of meta-models to emulate the complex process-based Volt’Air for estimating NH3 emission rates from N fertilizer and manure applications. Meta-models were developed for three types of fertilizer (N solution, cattle farmyard manure, and pig slurry) for four major agricultural French regions (Bretagne, Champagne-Ardenne, Ile-de-France, and Rhône-Alpes) and at the national (France) scale. The meta-models were developed from 106,092 NH3 emissions simulated by Volt’Air in France. Their performances were evaluated by cross-validation, and the meta-models providing the best approximation of the original model were selected. The results showed that random forest and ordinary linear regression models were more accurate than generalized additive models, partial least squares regressions, and least absolute shrinkage and selection operator regressions. Better approximations of Volt’Air simulations were obtained for cattle farmyard manure (3% < relative root mean square error of prediction (RRMSEP) < 8%) than for pig slurry (17% < RRMSEP < 19%) and N solution (21% < RRMSEP < 40%). The selected meta-models included between 6 and 15 input variables related to weather conditions, soil properties and cultural practices. Because of their simplicity and their short computation time, our meta-models offer a promising alternative to process-based models for NH3 emission inventories at both regional and national scales. Our approach could be implemented to emulate other process-based models in other countries.

1 牛ふん堆肥無農薬栽培コシヒカリの特徴 : 収量・収量構成要素・品質・食味および土壌・植物体元素組成

1 牛ふん堆肥無農薬栽培コシヒカリの特徴 : 収量・収量構成要素・品質・食味および土壌・植物体元素組成

Nutrient status of soil and winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) in response to long-term farmyard manure application under different climatic and soil physicochemical conditions in the Czech Republic

ABSTRACTLong-term field experiments with annual crop rotation were established in 1955 and 1956 at three locations (Lukavec, Čáslav, Ivanovice) in the Czech Republic, which differ in their climate and soil physicochemical properties. The effect of cattle farmyard manure (FM) and a combination of FM and mineral (NPK) fertilizer application (FMNPK) on nutrient status of soil and the response of winter wheat, and nutrient content of wheat grain and straw were evaluated after ~60 years since the establishment. The results showed higher pseudototal (aqua regia soluble) contents of phosphorus and sulfur from FM and FMNPK application compared with control, whereas the labile and moderatory labile content of individual nutrients (except calcium) varied between treatments. The nutrient content of wheat grain and straw was more significantly (p < 0.05) affected by the location and growing season than by the fertilizers. The substantial changes in wheat nutrient uptake occurred for the weakly acidic loamy Gleyic Phaeozem, whereas the lowest response due to fertilizer application was observed for the acidic Cambisol (sandy loam texture). Even after six decades of FM and FMNPK application, the effectiveness of these treatments was predominantly influenced by the soil and climatic conditions at the individual locations.

Effect of biodynamic soil amendments on microbial communities in comparison with inorganic fertilization

Cattle farmyard manure application is an important tool for maintaining soil fertility in organic agriculture, especially in biodynamic systems. The first objective was to investigate whether application of biodynamic preparations (CMBD treatment) causes positive effects additional to those of composted cattle farmyard manure fertilization (CM treatment). The second objective was to investigate the response of microbial cell-wall and cell-membrane biomarkers to the CM and CMBD treatments in comparison with inorganic fertilization plus straw return (MIN treatment). The third objective was to re-assess conversion values from the phospho-lipid fatty acid (PLFA) 16:1ω5 to arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal (AMF) biomass as well as those from ergosterol and the PLFA 18:2ω6,9 to saprotrophic fungal biomass. Application of biodynamic preparations did not cause any positive effects additional to those of composted farmyard manure fertilization. In the CM and CMBD treatments, bacterial PLFA content was 33% higher than in the MIN treatment, whereas bacterial muramic acid (MurN) content was 55% higher. The AMF indicator PLFA 16:1ω5 as well as neutral lipid fatty acid (NLFA) 16:1ω5 were both increased by roughly 80%, as the NLFA/PLFA ratio of 16:1ω5 varied only in a small range around 3.8. This indicates negligible interference from bacteria, suggesting that PLFA 16:1ω5 is a suitable marker for AMF biomass in soil. The indicators for saprotrophic fungi, the ergosterol content and the contribution of 18:2ω6,9 to total PLFA (mol%) were 40 and 60% higher, respectively, in the CM and CMBD than in the MIN treatments. In contrast, fungal GlcN was not affected by the fertilizer treatments. An increased ergosterol/fungal GlcN ratio indicates a shift in fungal community from AMF towards saprotrophic fungi in arable soils.

Nitrogen turnover, crop use efficiency and soil fertility in a long-term field experiment amended with different qualities of urban and agricultural waste

Organic wastes contain significant amounts of organic matter and nutrients and their recycling into agriculture can potentially contribute to closing the natural ecological cycle. The aim of this study was to evaluate the improvement in overall soil fertility and soil nitrogen (N) supply capacity in a long-term field experiment with repeated application of different urban and agricultural organic waste amendments. Soils from the CRUCIAL field experiment in Denmark, in which diverse types of urban (human urine, sewage sludge, composted household waste) and agricultural wastes (cattle slurry, farmyard manure and deep litter) have been applied annually for 11 years (at normal and accelerated rates), were used to estimate the effects of the different qualities of organic wastes on soil fertility, N turnover and crop N availability. Soil physical fertility parameters, such as water retention and total carbon, improved with the application of organic wastes. Cattle manure, sewage sludge and composted household waste in single or accelerated rates of application increased soil total N by 13–131% compared to the mineral fertiliser NPK treatment. The highest net N mineralisation capacity was observed for the accelerated rate of composted household waste, followed by all the other organic waste amendments and with the lowest net N mineralisation in the NPK-only and the unfertilised treatments. In soils amended for 11 years with NPK, human urine, cattle slurry, sewage sludge, cattle farmyard manure, cattle deep litter and composted household waste, the apparent crop N-use efficiencies (NUE, compared to unfertilised control) were 88, 73, 55, 51, 21, 16 and 11%, respectively. The continuous application of organic wastes generally increased NUE in the last year in comparison with the first year, except for composted household waste where N-use efficiency declined from 27 to 11%. The corresponding long-term mineral fertiliser N-equivalent (MFE) value ranged between 82% (human urine) and 13% (compost). Overall, continuous application of organic wastes improved soil fertility, with low C:N waste improving soil N availability, crop uptake and NUE the most, while the most C-rich and high C:N organic wastes (cattle deep litter and household waste compost) had a negative effect on crop NUE over time.

Microbial biomass and activity down the soil profile after long-term addition of farmyard manure to a sandy soil

Long-term application effects of cattle farmyard manure (CM) without and with biodynamic preparations (CMBD) on basal respiration, 0.5 M K2SO4 extractable C and the relationships of microbial biomass C (MBC) estimates by chloroform fumigation extraction (CFE) and substrate-induced respiration (SIR) were evaluated down to 1 m depth. The contents of total N, K2SO4 extractable C and MBC-CFE declined with depth from 0–25 to 90–100 cm by −82, −47 and 86%, respectively. The contents of these three soil properties were always 17% lower in the mineral fertilization (MIN) treatment than in the CM and CMBD treatments. However, these differences were not always significant. The MBC-SIR/CFE ratio varied around 1 and did not show a significant depth gradient, due to the strong layer-to-layer variation within each treatment, although this ratio was generally 25% lower in the subsoil than in the topsoil. The metabolic quotient qCO2, i.e. the ratio of basal respiration to MBC, was positively affected by the MBC-SIR/CFE ratio, soil pH and K2SO4 extractable C and negatively by total N. Long-term application of farmyard manure, especially in the CMBD treatment, resulted in a subsoil microbial community with a more efficient use of SOC and glucose.

Field storage conditions for cattle manure to limit nitrogen losses and optimise fertiliser value

Storage and application of cattle farmyard manure (CFM) can cause considerable environmental problems through nutrient losses to soil, water and air, if not properly handled. We investigated different storage conditions of CFM at field scale to reduce nitrogen (N) losses to the soil, meanwhile optimising the agronomical quality of the CFM. The treatments differed in terms of storage method (stockpiling, extensive composting or co-composting with bulking agents) and coverage (no cover, plastic or geotextile cover). Over the different treatments, the ammonium-N concentrations under the piles in the 0–90 cm soil layer amounted to a maximum of 4.2% of the initial manure N content. We were able to assess the relative importance of each of the two processes resulting in a higher mineral N concentration under the piles, i.e. direct leaching from the CFM to the soil on the one hand, and a smaller indirect effect of elevated soil temperatures (up to 37°C) under the piles resulting in higher N mineralisation in the top soil on the other hand. NH4+-N was the most important component of mineral N under all heaps due to limited oxygen diffusion to the soil. N leaching and end-product quality were affected by a combination of treatment option (i.e. storage and cover) and initial manure characteristics. When CFM was characterised by a low volumetric moisture content and high C : N ratio, so in case of straw-rich CFM or CFM with added bulking agents, composting led to the least N leaching and most stable end product. When CFM was characterised by a high volumetric moisture content and low C : N ratio, stockpiling and covering (plastic or geotextile) resulted in lower N leaching to the soil. Stockpiling and covering the CFM with a geotextile resulted in a more stable end product than did covering with a plastic.

Accounting for the nitrogen in solid manures incorporated immediately after application in order to reduce emissions of ammonia

In four replicated field experiments the impacts of immediate incorporation of solid manures on ammonia (NH3) and direct nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions and apparent nitrogen recovery (ANR) of manure-N were measured. The impacts of immediate incorporation on nitrate (NO3−) leaching were modelled. Four manures: cattle farmyard manure (FYM); pig FYM; layer manure and broiler manure were applied to the soil surface or immediately incorporated by mouldboard plough, disc or tine. Two of the experiments were carried out on a clay soil and two on a sandy soil. There was, on average, no significant effect of application technique on ANR but there were significant increases in ANR following immediate incorporation in three experiments. Recovery of N by the succeeding crop was c. 8 % for cattle FYM, c. 13 % for pig FYM and c. 20 % for the poultry manures. Only c. 30 % of the applied N could be accounted for from measurements of NH3, N2O and ANR and modelling of NO3−. While immediate incorporation by plough increased direct N2O emissions from the sandy soil and all methods of immediate incorporation in autumn increased modelled estimates of NO3− leaching, these increases were only a small proportion of the NH3–N conserved which was probably either recovered by the crop or remained in the soil. Therefore concerns over so-called ‘pollution swapping’ should not be a barrier to the immediate incorporation of solid livestock manures in order to reduce emissions of NH3 and increase crop recovery of manure-N.

Effect of biochar application on mineral and microbial properties of soils growing different plant species

ABSTRACTBiochar is widely used as a soil amendment to increase crop yields. However, the details of its impact on soil properties have not been fully understood. A pot experiment was conducted using soybean (Glycine max (L.) Merr. cv. Toyoharuka) and sorghum (Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench cv. Hybrid Sorgo) under four soil treatment combinations (cattle farmyard manure with or without biochar and rapeseed cake with or without biochar) to elucidate the mechanisms of its beneficial effects on plant growth in terms of the microbial community structure and mineral availability in soils with different types of organic manure application. The application of biochar significantly increased the growth of both species, particularly sorghum with rapeseed cake application by 1.48 times higher than that without biochar. Microbial activity in soil was also enhanced by biochar application in both species with rapeseed cake application, particularly in sorghum. Principal component analysis using Biolog EcoPlateTM data indicated that biochar application changed the microbial community structure in soil, particularly sorghum-grown soil. The changes in microbial community structure in sorghum were considered to be at least partly affected by changes in soil pH due to interaction between plant and biochar under organic manure application. Biochar application had little effect on the profile of ammonium-acetate-extractable mineral elements in soil including calcium, potassium, magnesium, sodium and sulfur with both types of manure application under soybean. Under sorghum, however, biochar with rapeseed cake manure application altered the profile. This alteration is attributable to an increase in the extractable concentration of certain metals in the soil including aluminum, cadmium and zinc, possibly caused by enhanced organic matter decomposition producing metal-chelating organic compounds. These different changes in the soil properties by biochar application may be directly or indirectly related to the different growth responses of different plant species to biochar application under organic manure application.