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Title: Ammonia Losses from Surface-Applied Poultry Liter and Swine Manure

Author
item JONES, LEANDRA - SAVANNAH STATE UNIVERSITY
item WILSON, TAKELA - SAVANNAH STATE UNIVERSITY
item PARAMASIVAM, S - SAVANNAH STATE UNIVERSITY
item Alva, Ashok
item JAYARAMAN, K - SAVANNAH STATE UNIVERSITY
item LUMA, KELSON - SAVANNAH STATE UNIVERSITY

Submitted to: American Society of Agronomy Meetings
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 9/10/2007
Publication Date: 11/5/2007
Citation: Jones, L., Wilson, T., Paramasivam, S., Alva, A.K., Jayaraman, K., Luma, K. 2007. Ammonia Losses from Surface-Applied Poultry Liter and Swine Manure. American Society of Agronomy Meetings 2007.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Use of animal manures such as poultry litter and swine manures as soil amendments could be beneficial in improving soil fertility and supplying various nutrients to agricultural crops. Land application of these amendments could also result in N losses through NH3 volatilization. Understanding the magnitude of these losses under different conditions is important for proper nutrient management. Losses of ammonia gas from soils were monitored for about 20 days in Candler fine sand (pH=6.8) and in Ogeechee loamy sand (pH=5.2) amended with either with poultry litter or swine manure with application rates of 0, 2.2, 5.6, 11.2, and 22.4 Mg ha-1 and incubated in static (1 L Mason Jars) chambers at their respective field capacity moisture of 7 and 14 %. The amount of NH3 emitted from variously treated soils was captured by placing 1” diameter acidified sponges inside the static chambers at various predetermined time intervals. Captured NH3 in sponges at various time intervals were extracted with 40 mL 2 M KCl and stored in scintillation vials until the determination of NH3 by flow injection analyzer. Results of this study indicated that volatilization losses were approximately 10 times grater in soils amended with swine manure compared to that of from poultry litter. Volatilization losses increased with increasing rates of manures and substantially greater losses of NH3 was noticed at the highest rate of manure application irrespective of type of manure. This study will present detail analysis of role of soil type, types and rates of manure application on the emission of NH3 gas and the diurnal variation of NH3 emission.