2009 Annual Report 1a.Objectives (from AD-416) Research will be conducted to. 1)develop predictions of nutrient availability in manures from organic and conventional dairy farms in the Northeast, including the development and improvement of analytical methods for predicting nutrient availability, and. 2)develop and transfer production and management practices that improve the efficiency of manure nutrient utilization and farm profitability on organic dairy farms, minimizing environmentally harmful nutrient flows. 1b.Approach (from AD-416) Predictions of nutrient availability will be developed through identification of phosphorus-containing compounds and measurement of available nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) in soil after addition of a wide range of organic dairy manures. Agronomic field experiments and whole farm nutrient budgets will be used to improve crop nutrient utilization and farm profitability. Knowledge gained from these studies will be transferred to growers through multiple avenues. The research and technology transfer endeavors proposed in this project are expected to improve agricultural viability and rural economic vitality in the Northeast. 3.Progress Report Organic agricultural production is increasing rapidly across the U.S., now totaling more than $10 billion annually. The rapid expansion of organic dairy production in the Northeast U.S. illustrates this trend. These organic dairy farms have significant differences from their conventional counterparts, including fewer imports of protein and energy feeds, a higher proportion of forage crops in the ration, and increased reliance on non-fertilizer nutrient sources, especially manure and compost. These differences may significantly impact availability, utilization, and cycling of manure nutrients; however, little information is available to aid organic dairy farmers in making nutrient and manure management decisions. Research is being conducted to. 1)develop predictions of nutrient availability in manures from organic and conventional dairy farms in the Northeast, including the development and improvement of analytical methods for predicting nutrient availability, and. 2)develop and transfer production and management practices that improve the efficiency of manure nutrient utilization and farm profitability on organic dairy farms, minimizing environmentally harmful nutrient flows. During FY 2009, we developed and evaluated laboratory methods to identify and characterize the organic matter in soils and manure. We combined spectroscopic methods to enhance chemical characterization of organic matter in eight soils from across the U.S. Using ten soils from six states, we also found that a technique called Fourier Transform Infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy provides a fast and simple method for measuring certain components of soil organic matter. Our research also showed that soil enzymes are impacted by the previous crop. This means nutrient turnover and availability from soil organic matter may differ from year to year partly due to the previous crop. 1915-12630-001-03R – Reimbursable Cooperative Agreement with the University of Maine The subordinate project is making good progress toward meeting its research goals and objectives. Progress is monitored through an annual meeting of project collaborators, quarterly meetings of collaborators at USDA-ARS and University of Maine, frequent conference calls and other forms of electronic communication. For a complete report on the progress of this subordinate project, please see the corresponding annual report. 4.Accomplishments 1. Enhanced Characterization of Organic Matter in Soils Across the U.S. Despite its importance in nutrient cycling, pesticide degradation, water availability, and other factors, much of soil organic matter has not yet been identified or fully characterized. We combined two different techniques, called excitation-emission matrix (EEM) fluorescence spectroscopy and solid state C-13 nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy, to analyze various organic matter components from eight soils sampled from across the U.S. We found that combining information obtained from both techniques provided a more complete characterization of soil organic matter than has previously be achieved using either technique alone. This will enhance our understanding of the role organic matter plays in such critical areas as plant growth and environmental services. 2. Developed New Method to quantify the Components of Soil Organic Matter. Understanding the composition of soil organic matter will improve our ability to manage and use this important resource in food production and in remediating global change. We extracted mobile humic acid (MHA) and recalcitrant calcium humate (CaHA) from the organic matter in 10 soils collected from six states and analyzed them with a technique called Fourier Transform Infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy. Absorption bands of the original and ash-corrected FT-IR spectra were quantified using absorption height and area. Results showed that both band height and area measurements are acceptable for evaluating FT-IR spectra. This work demonstrated that FT-IR measurements provide a simple and fast method for quantifying these two important components of soil organic matter. 3. Crop Rotation Affects Soil Nutrient Availability. Soil enzymes can play an important role in nutrient availability to plants. Consequently, soil enzyme measurements can provide useful information on soil fertility for crop production. We measured two types of enzymes in soils collected from different types of crop rotations. Compared to soils with continuous production of the same crop, rotation with other crops increased levels of both types of enzymes. This study showed that using different rotation crops does alter soil enzymes, thereby influencing nutrient availability to the following crop. 5.Significant Activities that Support Special Target Populations Research accomplishments from this project will benefit small farms, because approximately 26,560 farms in the New England Region (94%) are classified as small farms (2002 Census of Agriculture). 6.Technology Transfer None Review Publications He, Z., Tazisong, I.A., Senwo, Z.N., Honeycutt, C.W., Zhang, D. 2009. Nitrogen and Phosphorus Accumulation in Pasture Soil from Repeated Poultry Litter Application. Communications in Soil Science and Plant Analysis. 40:587-599. He, Z., Waldrip, H., Erich, M., Honeycutt, C.W., Senwo, Z.N. 2009. Enzymatic Quantification of Phytate in Animal Manure. Communications in Soil Science and Plant Analysis. 40:566-575. Zhang, R., Wu, F., He, Z., Zheng, J. 2009. Phosphorus Composition in Lake Sediments From the Middle and Lower Reaches of Yangtze River Region and Southwestern China Plateau, China: a 31P NMR Study. Journal of Environmental Quality. 38:353-359. He, Z., Olk, D.C., Honeycutt, C.W., Fortuna, A. 2009. Enzymatically- and Ultraviolet-labile Phosphorus in Humic Acid Fractions From Rice Soils. Soil Science. 174(2):81-87. Waldrip-Dail, H., He, Z., Erich, M., Honeycutt, C.W. 2009. Soil Phosphorus Dynamics in Response to Poultry Manure Amendment. Soil Science. 174:195-201. Tazisong, I.A., Senwo, Z.N., Taylor, R.W., He, Z. 2008. Hydrolysis of organic phosphates by commercially available phytases: Biocatalytic potentials and ion on their enzymatic activities. Journal of Food Agriculture and Environment. 6:500-505. He, Z., Honeycutt, C.W., Cade-Menun, B.J., Senwo, Z.N., Tazisong, I.A. 2008. Sequentially-Extracted Phosphorus from Poultry Litter and Soil: Enzymatic and 31P NMR Characterization. Soil Science Society of America Journal. 72:1425-1433. He, Z., Honeycutt, C.W., Ohno, T., Wu, F., Zhang, R. 2009. Characterization of Phosphorus Associated With Natural Organic Matter. In Wu, F., Xing, B., editors. Natural Organic Matter and its Significace in the Environment. Beijing, China: Science Press. p.265-279.