Submitted to: American Society of Agronomy Meetings
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: September 1, 2003
Publication Date: November 2, 2003
Citation: Shelton, D.R., Pachepsky, Y.A., Guber, A.K., Shein, E.V., Polyanskaya, L.M., Devin, B.A. 2003. Facilitated manure-borne bacteria transport in soil columns.[Abstract]. American Society of Agronomy Meetings. p.221
Technical Abstract:
The average velocity of the E. Coli transport in groundwater in sediments was shown to be up to ten times larger than water velocity. One of possible causes for that was association of bacteria with colloids. This may have relevance to transport of manure-borne bacteria in soils since they are released along with colloidal manure particles. We monitored effluent for chloride, turbidity, and fecal coliform contents in experiments with undisturbed Tyler silt loam soil in 20-cm long columns. One-pore volume pulses of 4% filtered bovine manure solution were passed through columns, preceded and followed by de-ionized water infiltration. Vertical distributions of bacteria in columns after the experiments were determined. Bacteria breakthrough occurred earlier than that of chloride, and coincided with the dramatic turbidity increase in the effluent. Maximum bacteria concentrations were observed earlier than maximum chloride concentration. Effluent chloride concentrations decreased faster than those of E.Coli. Effluent turbidity stabilized at low levels soon after concentrations reached peak. Bacteria content in soil varied within three orders of magnitude after the experiment and in total was less than 10% of the applied amount. Similarity in early breakthrough of manure particles and bacteria supports the hypothesis about facilitated bacteria transport in the structured soil.
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