Location: Poultry Production and Product Safety Research
Project Number: 6022-63000-006-041-I
Project Type: Interagency Reimbursable Agreement
Start Date: Jan 1, 2024
End Date: Sep 30, 2025
Objective:
1. Analyze fertilizer sources used in this study (commercial fertilizers, poultry litter, and organomineral fertilizers). Fertilizers will be analyzed will be analyzed for the following: pH, electrical conductivity, total C, N, and metals (Al, As, B, Cd, Ca, Cr, Co, Cu, Fe, P, Pb, Mg, Mn, Mo, Ni, K, Se, Na, Ti, and Zn), water soluble metals, water soluble ammonium, P, and nitrate, and KCl-extractable ammonium.
Approach:
Four broad research themes emerged from deliberations amongst the partners after a preliminary workshop and discussion within the steering committee. Over the course of several months, the four teams that had never worked together prior to this initiative, developed and refined proposals that could be used for a proposal targeting a million dollars split amongst the three partners. Later, the proposals were adjusted to start work with approximately $300,000 per group that was available for disbursal. Dr. Moore is the ARS Lead Scientist for Group 3, whose goal is to develop organomineral fertilizers by mixing poultry litter with commercial fertilizers and other additives. This project was intended to be a five year project, however, funding was only made available for year 1. During year 1 Dr. Moore is responsible for analyzing fertilizer sources to be used in this research (commercial fertilizers, poultry litter, and organomineral fertilizers). Fertilizers will be analyzed will be analyzed for the following: pH, electrical conductivity, total C, N, and metals (Al, As, B, Cd, Ca, Cr, Co, Cu, Fe, P, Pb, Mg, Mn, Mo, Ni, K, Se, Na, Ti, and Zn), water soluble metals, water soluble ammonium, P, and nitrate, and KCl-extractable ammonium. Dr. Moore will travel to Brazil for four weeks during which time he will visit the Embrapa Poultry and Swine Unit in Concordia, BR and the Soils Unit at Rio de Janeiro to help develop and manufacture organomineral fertilizers, in addition to other Embrapa locations.