Nitrogen use efficiency and manure management practices in contrasting dairy production systems

Gourley, C. J. P.; Aarons, Sharon R.; Powell, J. M.

doi:10.1016/j.agee.2011.05.011

Cited by 89 publications

(58 citation statements)

References 40 publications

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“…Zoonoses (diseases transmissible between animals and man) and diseases recently emerged from animals (mostly human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-acquired immunodeficiency syndrome) make up 25% of the infectious disease burden in the least developed countries (Gilbert et al, 2010). Many other important human diseases, such as HIV, measles and smallpox, were originally diseases of animals but jumped species when people changed ways of farming and keeping animals.…”

Section: Livestock and Infectious Diseasementioning

confidence: 99%

The roles of livestock in developing countries

Herrero

Grace

Njuki

et al. 2013

Animal

433

255

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Livestock play a significant role in rural livelihoods and the economies of developing countries. They are providers of income and employment for producers and others working in, sometimes complex, value chains. They are a crucial asset and safety net for the poor, especially for women and pastoralist groups, and they provide an important source of nourishment for billions of rural and urban households. These socio-economic roles and others are increasing in importance as the sector grows because of increasing human populations, incomes and urbanisation rates. To provide these benefits, the sector uses a significant amount of land, water, biomass and other resources and emits a considerable quantity of greenhouse gases. There is concern on how to manage the sector's growth, so that these benefits can be attained at a lower environmental cost. Livestock and environment interactions in developing countries can be both positive and negative. On the one hand, manures from ruminant systems can be a valuable source of nutrients for smallholder crops, whereas in more industrial systems, or where there are large concentrations of animals, they can pollute water sources. On the other hand, ruminant systems in developing countries can be considered relatively resource-use inefficient. Because of the high yield gaps in most of these production systems, increasing the efficiency of the livestock sector through sustainable intensification practices presents a real opportunity where research and development can contribute to provide more sustainable solutions. In order to achieve this, it is necessary that production systems become market-orientated, better regulated in cases, and socially acceptable so that the right mix of incentives exists for the systems to intensify. Managing the required intensification and the shifts to new value chains is also essential to avoid a potential increase in zoonotic, food-borne and other diseases. New diversification options and improved safety nets will also be essential when intensification is not the primary avenue for developing the livestock sector. These processes will need to be supported by agile and effective public and private institutions.

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Section: Livestock and Infectious Diseasementioning

confidence: 99%

The roles of livestock in developing countries

Herrero

Grace

Njuki

et al. 2013

Animal

433

255

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…In general, it is agreed that improved farm and fertiliser management practices that increase the overall utilisation of N will be the most effective method of reducing gaseous and non-gaseous N losses without simple pollution swapping (Jarvis et al 2011). Consequently whole-farm N surpluses and N-use efficiency provide a simple way to quantify and differentiate the utilisation of N, and when combined with information on key components of N cycling on dairy farms can greatly assist in targeting improvements in management (Powell et al 2010;Gourley et al 2012).…”

Section: Environmental and Management Implicationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…As a result of the common practice of year-round grazing, a much smaller proportion of dairy manure is usually collected in Australia than from housing systems overseas (Gourley et al 2012) and generally from concreted areas such as the dairy parlour, holding yards and feed pads. Collected manure in grazing-based systems is more frequently applied to readily accessible paddocks adjacent to the holding dams (Gourley et al 2007) and as cow numbers and reliance on manual feeding systems increase, continued poor redistribution of collected manure has the potential to result in greater nutrient losses in the future.…”

Section: Environmental and Management Implicationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Farm-scale nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium and sulfur balances and use efficiencies on Australian dairy farms

et al. 2012

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Abstract. Efficient and effective nutrient management decisions are critical to profitable and sustainable milk production on modern Australian dairy farms. Whole-farm nutrient balances are commonly used as nutrient management tools and also for regulatory assessment on dairy farms internationally, but are rarely used in Australia. In this study, nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), potassium (K), and sulfur (S) imports and exports were measured during a standardised production year on 41 contrasting Australian dairy farms, representing a broad range of geographic locations, milk production, herd and farm size, reliance on irrigation, and soil types. The quantity of nutrients imported varied markedly -with feed and fertiliser generally the most substantial imports -and were principally determined by stocking rate and type of imported feed. Milk exports were the largest source of nutrient exports. Nitrogen balance ranged from 47 to 601 kg N/ha.year. Nitrogen-use efficiency ranged from 14 to 50%, with a median value of 26%. Phosphorus balance ranged from -7 to 133 kg P/ha.year, with a median value of 28 kg P/ha. Phosphorus-use efficiencies ranged from 6 to 158%, with a median value of 35%. Potassium balances ranged from 13 to 452 kg K/ha, with a median value of 74 kg K/ha; K-use efficiency ranged from 9 to 48%, with a median value of 20%. Sulfur balances ranged from -1 to 184 kg S/ha, with a median value of 27 kg S/ha; S-use efficiency ranged from 6 to 110%, with a median value of 21%. Nitrogen, P, K and S balances were all positively correlated (P < 0.001) with stocking rate and milk production per ha. Poor relationship between P, K and S fertiliser inputs and milk production from home-grown pasture reflected the already high soil fertility levels measured on many of these farms. The results from this study demonstrate that increasing milk production per ha will be associated with greater nutrient surpluses at the farm scale, with the potential for greater environmental impacts. We suggest that simplified and standardised nutrient balance methodologies should be used on dairy farms in Australia to help identify opportunities for improvements in nutrient management decisions and to develop appropriate industry benchmarks and targets.

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“…The over-application generally decreases nitrogen use efficiency and is related to a higher risk of losses compared to mineral fertilizers (Liu et al, 2008;Spiess, 2011). This is partially explained by difficulties of manure collection, storage, transportation and application (Gourley et al, 2012). Crop type and N removal by crop is further crucial, and differences among ALUs and NUE can also be explained by the mix of crops.…”

Section: Spatialisation In Agro-environmental Land Unitsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Spatialised agricultural nitrogen balance of Veneto region, Northern Italy: sources identification, assessment and policy relevance

2014

Global NEST Journal

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The aim of this study is to deepening knowledge on the agricultural nitrogen cycle within the Veneto region (Northern Italy) by computing the Gross Nitrogen Balance (GNB) with highly geographical resolution. Spatialised maps of nitrogen input and output, created using the most detailed information available, are important tools for assessing environmental sustainability. ). The GIS-based analysis highlights interdependencies between farmer's choices of land uses and the environmental pressures of agricultural activities at the sub-regional level. The results of the study can be used to inform policy makers about the effects caused by environmental management actions that should take into account the interlinkages between landscapes, habitats, biodiversity and ecological integrity.

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Nitrogen use efficiency and manure management practices in contrasting dairy production systems

Cited by 89 publications

References 40 publications

The roles of livestock in developing countries

The roles of livestock in developing countries

Farm-scale nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium and sulfur balances and use efficiencies on Australian dairy farms

Spatialised agricultural nitrogen balance of Veneto region, Northern Italy: sources identification, assessment and policy relevance

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