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ARS Home » Plains Area » Temple, Texas » Grassland Soil and Water Research Laboratory » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #392207
Research Project: Contributions of Climate, Soils, Species Diversity, and Management to Sustainable Crop, Grassland, and Livestock Production Systems

Location: Grassland Soil and Water Research Laboratory

Title: Impact of swine manure on soil health properties: A systematic review

Author
item Krecker-Yost, Jenifer
item SCHMIDT, AMY - University Of Nebraska
item KOELSCH, RICK - University Of Nebraska
item KRUGER, KEVIN - University Of Idaho
item SCHOTT, LINDA - University Of Idaho

Submitted to: Waste to Worth Conference
Publication Type: Proceedings
Publication Acceptance Date: 2/27/2022
Publication Date: 3/7/2022
Citation: Yost, J.L., Schmidt, A., Koelsch, R., Kruger, K., Schott, L.R. 2022. Impact of swine manure on soil health properties: A systematic review. In: Waste to Worth Conference, April 18-22, 2022, Oregon, OH. 138180.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: A comprehensive review of research data on the impacts of swine manure on soil health properties that is applicable to agricultural producers is lacking. The objectives of this review were to: synthesize literature describing impacts of swine manure on soil properties that affect “soil health,” and identify knowledge gaps and research needs to further our understanding of this topic. We reviewed papers from two databases and extracted soil property and swine manure data from those papers based on a set of criteria. For a paper to be included, the studies needed to be replicated field experiments, manure was the only differing factor between or among treatments, and data means of swine manure amended treatments and controls were included. In total, 41 papers met the criteria and were used in this literature review. Based on this review, swine manure has the potential to add significant amounts of organic carbon to the soil and to improve soil health metrics. Soil organic matter, soil organic carbon, and microbial biomass carbon increase when swine manure is applied to crop fields. Bulk density tended to decrease when swine manure was applied to crop fields due to the increase in organic matter. A few studies have also shown that swine manure has the potential to increase available water holding capacity depending on soil type. To conclude, previous literature reviews failed to account for differences in methodologies between individual research studies and whether research is applicable to producers utilizing swine manure as amendments to improve soil health.