Project Number: 6420-12610-004-11
Project Type: Specific Cooperative Agreement

Start Date: Jun 01, 2010
End Date: Sep 30, 2012

Objective:
Develop and evaluate animal waste management strategies for reducing greenhouse gas emissions in conservation tillage systems in the Tennessee Valley region of North Alabama.

Approach:
Data collection and soil sampling will be imposed on an ongoing field plot experiment at the Winfred Thomas Agricultural Experiment Station, Hazel Green, Alabama. The Winfred Thomas Agricultural Experiment Station is owned and operated by the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences at Alabama A&M University. A total of 14 treatments are being used in the study consisting of two tillage systems: conventional and no-tillage; three fertilizer treatments: 0 kg N ha-1 (control), 100 kg N ha-1 in the form of poultry litter and 100 kg N ha-1 in the form of inorganic N fertilizer; and three fertilizer application methods: surface application, soil incorporation, and subsurface band application. In addition, an undisturbed grass fallow treatment to determine baseline or background soil properties will be studied. Soil CO2 emissions will be measured, Plants will be measured for yield and plant nutrient uptake ,and soil samples will be collected and analyzed for nutrient enrichment. The information generated from this study will be used to advance knowledge on environmental aspects of animal waste management in conservation tillage systems. The results from this study will provide science-based information to assess the impact of animal waste management strategies on soil C dynamics (emissions vs storage) and C sequestration in conservation tillage crop production systems in the Tennessee Valley region of North Alabama.