ARS | Publication request: The Role of Organic Phosphorus in Alum ability to Reduce Phosphorus Solubility in Poultry Litter and Litter Amended Soils

Submitted to: ASA-CSSA-SSSA Annual Meeting Abstracts
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: August 16, 2006
Publication Date: November 13, 2006
Citation: Warren, J.G., Mcgrath, J., Penn, C.J. 2006. The Role of Organic Phosphorus in Alum ability to Reduce Phosphorus Solubility in Poultry Litter and Litter Amended Soils. ASA-CSSA-SSSA Annual Meeting Abstracts.

Technical Abstract: Alum (Al2[SO4]3) addition to litter in poultry houses is an effective strategy for reducing phosphorus (P) solubility in the litter and litter-amended soils, thereby reducing the potential for soluble P losses in runoff. Although there has been much research on the subject, there is still uncertainty concerning how alum affects P speciation in treated litters. Moreover, less is known about the fate of these P species after incorporation into soils. In addition, most research has focused on inorganic P forms; however, recent advances now permit more accurate determination of organic P species. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to evaluate the functional distribution of P species within alum-treated poultry litter and litter amended soils. A laboratory incubation was conducted in which alum-treated and untreated poultry litter were incubated for 30 days at 30% moisture. Following the poultry litter incubation, each litter source and KH2PO4 was incorporated into a Hartsells fine sandy loam (Fine-loamy, siliceous, subactive, thermic Typic Hapludults) and incubated for an additional 30 day period. Phosphorus species were then determined in litter and the amended-soils using an operationally defined sequential chemical fractionation (deionized H2O, 0.5 M NaHCO3, 0.1 M NaOH, 1.0 M HCl, concentrated HCl, and H2SO4-H2O2). In addition, liquid-state P31 NMR was used to further characterize P forms extracted from soils and litters. This research is expected to demonstrate that alum addition to poultry litter affects organic as well as inorganic P species and that these changes in P speciation have a significant effect on P solubility in litter and litter-amended soils. This information will allow for better understanding of the long-term implications of alum use in poultry houses.