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ARS Home » Southeast Area » Oxford, Mississippi » National Sedimentation Laboratory » Water Quality and Ecology Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #145872
Title: BROILER LITTER AS A SUBSTITUTE N SOURCE FOR COTTON IN MISSISSIPPI UPLANDS

Author
item JOHNSON, JOSEPH - MISSISSIPPI STATE UNIV
item SAUNDERS, J - Mississippi State University
item Cullum, Robert

Submitted to: 2003 Beltwide Cotton Conference
Publication Type: Proceedings
Publication Acceptance Date: 1/3/2003
Publication Date: 1/6/2003
Citation: JOHNSON, J.R., SAUNDERS, J.R., CULLUM, R.F. BROILER LITTER AS A SUBSTITUTE N SOURCE FOR COTTON IN MISSISSIPPI UPLANDS. 2003 BELTWIDE COTTON CONFERENCE. CD-ROM. 2003. p. 2115-2117.

Interpretive Summary: The problem of what to do with the by product of broiler litter becomes an important issue to solve as the broiler industry in Mississippi continues to grow. One possible solution is to use the fertilizer value of the by-product in cotton production. This study found that four tons/ acre of broiler litter would produce similar cotton yields as 90 lbs/acre of commercial nitrogen fertilizer. No negative environmental effects were found in runoff from applying this broiler litter at the four tons/acre rate. These results will be useful to extension personnel, action agencies involved in water quality planning, and to farmers who plan to land apply broiler litter to produce cotton.

Technical Abstract: Mississippi broiler industry produces about one million tons of broiler litter annually. Producers are responsible for disposing of the litter in an environmental safe manner. Most of the liter is disposed of through land application and must comply with federal, state, and local laws. The upland soils of Mississippi need annual applications of N, P, and K for cotton production. A study comparing litter with inorganic nitrogen was started in 2001 at the North Mississippi Branch Station. The soils were silty loam having less than one-percent organic matter. Nitrogen rates of 0, 30, 60, 90, and 120 lbs/ac and litter rates of 2, 4, 6 tons/ac were compared in a RCB with four replications. Results suggest broiler litter of four tons provided the needed nitrogen requirement for cotton production in the upland soils.