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ARS Home » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #87823
Title: SUBSURFACE DRAIN WATER QUALITY AS AFFECTED BY MANURE APPLICATION

Author
item KANWAR, R
item Karlen, Douglas
item Cambardella, Cynthia
item Colvin, Thomas
item PEDERSON, C

Submitted to: American Society of Agricultural Engineers Meetings Papers
Publication Type: Other
Publication Acceptance Date: 8/14/1997
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Swine manure applied as a source of nutrients for corn production has been implicated as a potential source of groundwater contaminants. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of manure application and innovative N management practices on groundwater quality. The field studies were initiated in the fall of 1993. The tillage and management treatments included the use of the late-spring nitrate-nitrogen (NO3-N) test and a reduced N fertilizer application rate of 112 kg ha**-1 applied to corn rotated with soybeans under either no-till or chisel plow tillage management. In a separate treatment, swine manure was used as the N source for corn grown in rotation with soybeans. Alternative crop management strategies included continuous corn fertilized with either swine manure or 135 kg ha**-1 of UAN, a narrow-strip cropping configuration that included corn, soybeans, and oats followed by a N-fixing berseem clover, and alfalfa. The results of this study indicate that the use of swine manure as a source of nutrients for corn-soybean production has the potential to reduce negative water quality impacts with proper manure management.