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ARS Home » Midwest Area » Bowling Green, Kentucky » Food Animal Environmental Systems Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #208081
Title: Availability of Nitrogen in Poultry litter: Influence of Bedding Material and Litter Age

Author
item Warren, Jason
item PHILLIPS, STEVEN - VIRGINIA TECH

Submitted to: Midwest Poultry Federation Proceedings
Publication Type: Proceedings
Publication Acceptance Date: 2/1/2007
Publication Date: 3/14/2007
Citation: Warren, J.G., Phillips, S.B. Availability of Nitrogen in Poultry litter: Influence of Bedding Material and Litter Age. Midwest Poultry Federation Proceedings.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Field experiments were conducted to evaluate the influence of bedding material on the availability of N in poultry to crop production. Experiments included two corn grain trials in which litter sources were applied at a rate of 125 lbs N acre-1 and inorganic fertilizer was applied at 0, 50, 100, 150 and 200 lbs of N acre-1 prior to planting. The remaining two experiments involved the top-dress application of poultry litter sources to wheat at GS 30 at a rate of 75 lbs N acre-1 and inorganic N was applied at rates of 0, 35, 55, 95, and 115 lbs of N acre-1. Only minor differences in corn grain yield resulted from the application of the various poultry litter sources. The average corn grain yields resulting from litter applications were 95 and 113 bushels acre-1 during the 2002 and 2003 growing season, respectively. When compared to inorganic N fertilizer response curves these yields were equivalent to inorganic N applications of 50 and 70 lbs acre-1 indicating that poultry litter N availability was 40 and 56 % of the total applied. Again, when applied to wheat no significant differences in yield were observed among the poultry litter sources. The average wheat yields were equivalent to inorganic N fertilizer applications of 15 and 25 lbs N acre-1 in 2003 and 2004. The data presented suggests that although bedding material and litter age may influence N availability; the environment, crop uptake pattern, and litter management are all additionally important to N availability.