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Title: IN-SITU NITROGEN MINERALIZATION OF MANURE AMENDED SOIL

Author
item JACUBOWSKI, B - CSU, GRADUATE STUDENT
item Vigil, Merle
item DAVIS, J - COLORADO STATE UNIV
item EGHBALL, B - UNIV NEBRASKA LINCOLN

Submitted to: Proceedings Great Plains Soil Fertility Conference
Publication Type: Proceedings
Publication Acceptance Date: 3/3/2000
Publication Date: 3/1/2000
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary: Concentrated animal production units containing 50,000 head or greater are now common. Animal waste disposal and potential water contamination are problems associated with these facilities. A reasonable solution is to recycle animal wastes through application to crop-land. Accurate application rates require knowledge of nutrient content and the rate of nutrient release through microbial decomposition. The objectives of this research are to quantify the amount and rate of N release of several manures under field conditions. Using the in-situ resin-core method different animal manures are being evaluated in an irrigated corn field. Fifteen tubes of each manure treatment are removed at 3, 6, 12 and 40 weeks after establishment. The nitrate and ammonium concentrations in the soil core and resin bag at the bottom of the core are analyzed and compared with tubes of unamended soil to obtain estimates of net N mineralization. Initial results showed a correlation between the amount of N mineralized and the amount of fiber in the sample but not with C/N ratio. The amount of N mineralized calculated as percent of the N mineralized followed this pattern: hog>chicken>turkey>beef.

Technical Abstract: Beef feedlots and other confined animal feeding operations in Colorado produce large amounts of manure that is recycled through cropland application. Knowledge of the rate and amount of N mineralization is required in order to develop application rates that are both agronomically reasonable and environmentally sound. The objectives of this research were eto quantify the amount and rate of N mineralization of several manures under field and laboratory conditions. Using the in-situ resin-core method different animal manures are being evaluated in an irrigated corn field. Fifteen tubes of each manure treatment are removed at 3, 6, 12 and 40 weeks after establishment. The nitrate and ammonium concentrations in the soil core and resin bag at the bottom of the core are analyzed and compared with tubes of unamended soil to obtain estimates of net N mineralization. Initial results showed a correlation between the amount of N mineralized and the amount of neutral detergent fiber in the sample but not with C/N ratio. The amount of N mineralized calculated as a percent of the N mineralized followed this pattern: hog>chicken>turkey>beef.