No abstract

Currently, several state and federal agencies are proposing upper limits on soil test phosphorus (P), above which animal manures cannot be applied, based on the assumption that high P concentrations in runoff are due to high soil test P. Recent studies show that other factors are more indicative of P concentrations in runoff from areas where manure is being applied. The original P index was developed as an alternative P management tool incorporating factors affecting both the source and transport of P. The objective of this research was to evaluate the effects of multiple variables on P concentrations in runoff water and to construct a P source component of a P index for pastures that incorporates these effects. The evaluated variables were: (i) soil test P, (ii) soluble P in poultry litter, (iii) P in poultry diets, (iv) fertilizer type, and (v) poultry litter application rate. Field studies with simulated rainfall showed that P runoff was affected by the amount of soluble P applied in the fertilizer source. Before manure applications, soil test P was directly related to soluble P concentrations in runoff water. However, soil test P had little effect on P runoff after animal manure was applied. Unlike most other P indices, weighting factors of the P source components in the P index for pastures are based on results from runoff studies conducted under various management scenarios. As a result, weighting factors for the P source potential variables are well justified. A modification of the P index using scientific data should strengthen the ability of the P index concept to evaluate locations and management alternatives for P losses.

Research has shown that aluminum sulfate (alum) and phosphoric acid greatly reduce ammonia (NH3) volatilization from poultry litter; however, no studies have yet reported the effects of these amendments on field-scale composting of poultry litter. The objectives of this study were to (i) evaluate NH3 volatilization from composting litter by measuring both NH3 volatilization and changes in total nitrogen (N) in the litter and (ii) evaluate potential methods of reducing NH3 losses from composting poultry litter. Poultry litter was composted for 68 d the first year and 92 d the second year. Eleven treatments were screened in Year 1, which included an unamended control, a microbial mixture, a microbial mixture with 5% alum incorporated into the litter, 5 and 10% alum rates either surface-applied or incorporated, and 1 and 2% phosphoric acid rates either surface-applied or incorporated. Treatments in Year 2 included an unamended control, a microbial mixture, alum (7% by fresh wt.), and phosphoric acid (1.5% by fresh wt.). Alum and phosphoric acid reduced NH3 volatilization from composting poultry litter by as much as 76 and 54%, respectively. The highest NH3 emission rates were from microbial treatments each year. Compost treated with chemical amendments retained more initial N than all other treatments. Due to the cost and N loss associated with composting poultry litter, composting is not economical from an agronomic perspective compared with the use of fresh poultry litter.

A phosphorus (P) index for pastures was developed to write nutrient management plans that determine how much P can be applied to a given field. The objectives of this study were to (i) evaluate and compare the P index for pastures, particularly the P source component, and an environmental threshold soil test P level by conducting rainfall simulations on contrasting soils under various management scenarios; and (ii) evaluate the P index for pastures on field-scale watersheds. Poultry litter was applied to 12 small plots on each of six farms based on either an environmental threshold soil test P level or on the P index for pastures, and P runoff was evaluated using rainfall simulators. The P index was also evaluated from two small (0.405 ha) watersheds that had been fertilized annually with poultry litter since 1995. Results from the small plot study showed that soil test P alone was a poor predictor of P concentrations in runoff water following poultry litter applications. The relationship between P in runoff and the amount of soluble P applied was highly significant. Furthermore, P concentrations in runoff from plots with and without litter applications were significantly correlated to P index values. Studies on pastures receiving natural rainfall and annual poultry litter applications indicated that the P index for pastures predicted P loss accurately without calibration (y = 1.16x - 0.23, r(2) = 0.83). These data indicate that the P index for pastures can accurately assess the risk of P loss from fields receiving poultry litter applications in Arkansas and provide a more realistic risk assessment than threshold soil test P levels.

Core Ideas Soil organic C was two times greater with a no‐tillage rye cover crop system compared with conventional tillage (winter fallow) 17 yr after imposing treatments. A greater rate of C gain was observed with a no‐tillage mixed species cover crop system than with a rye cover crop in a 3‐yr period. Cotton lint yield and gross margins were less with a no‐tillage rye cover crop system than conventional tillage. Differences of lint yield and gross margins did not exist between the conventional tillage and no‐tillage mixed species cover crop treatments. Conservation tillage coupled with winter cover crops may reduce wind erosion in the North America Great Plains. Although farmers recognize the benefits of conservation practices, their decision to use cover crops is often based on the farm’s operating budget. In semiarid ecoregions dependent on irrigation for cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) production and limited groundwater resources, cover crops using stored soil moisture is a major concern. The objective of this research was to quantify the long‐term impacts of conservation tillage and cover crop use on C storage, cotton lint yield, and economic returns in monoculture cotton production. Conservation tillage and rye cover were implemented in 1998 and a mixed species cover of rye (Secale cereale L.), hairy vetch (Vicia villosa Roth), radish (Raphanus sativus L.), and winter pea (Pisum sativum L.) was seeded in 2014 into half of the rye cover crop plots. Soil organic C in the top 15‐cm soil depth was increased by combining conservation tillage with winter cover crops. Cotton lint yield was less with no‐tillage and the rye cover when compared with conventional tillage in 2 of 3 yr. As a result, cotton lint revenue and gross margins of conservation tillage were on average less than conventional tillage.