Surface application of liquid swine manure: Chemical variability

Abstract

The determination of manure loading rates for crop production is complicated by the temporal variability in manure nutrient concentrations and the difficulty in obtaining representative samples on which to base application rates. The variation in nutrient concentrations in liquid swine manure obtained from an agitated anaerobic lagoon was examined during application to experimental plots. Grab samples were collected from a lagoon approximately two to four weeks prior to application and analyzed for nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and potassium (K). Based on the preliminary P analyses, swine manure application rates were computed. Manure from the lagoon was surface-applied to corn plots to provide P rates of 15, 30, and 60 kg P/ha. During application, each tankload of manure was sampled to determine P rates for each plot. The solids content of each manure load was highly variable as were the total concentrations of manure N and P. Potassium content of the manure was also related to the solids content, although not to the same extent as N and P. Manure application resulted in P rates of 17, 32, and 49 kg P/ha in 1992, while the 1993 rates were 5, 11, and 22 kg P/ha. The inability to achieve target P rates resulted from changes in nutrient concentrations between the time of initial manure chemical characterization and manure application. Variability in the solids content was identified as the major factor influencing nutrient concentrations among spreader tankloads.

Fate and Transport of Antibiotic Residues and Antibiotic Resistance Genes following Land Application of Manure Waste

“…Fresh swine waste contains approximately 10% solids, while deep pit and lagoon effluents are 4 to 8% solids and <0.5 to 1%, respectively (Fulhage and Post, 2005). O'Dell et al (1995) found the solids content ranged from 4 to 10 g/L in 18 separate tank loads of swine effluent that had been agitated for 24 h before application, suggesting effluent application rates can be highly variable. The practice of stockpiling fresh manure and applying directly to fields is also used in the beef cattle industry, however, little is known about the effects on the nutrient properties (Dolliver and Gupta, 2008; Larney et al, 2006).…”

Effect of repeated manure application on potassium, calcium and magnesium in soil and cereal crops in Saskatchewan

“…It is not toxic and does not cause eutrophication in aquatic systems. The plant requirement for N is the primary consideration for land application of livestock manure (Gburek et al 2000), and P has recently become a consideration, especially for manures rich in P (O'Dell et al 1995). When only two elements are the primary consideration for manure application, it is quite possible that insufficient supply of some elements or accumulation of certain other elements in soils will occur, resulting in unbalanced utilization of nutrient ions by plants.…”

Evaluating a Rapid On-Farm Nutrient Determination Model for Use in Implementing Nutrient Management Plans

“…Total solids increased in these loads from 8.20 to 10.28% (Table I), representing an increase of 25.4%, which is comparable to the change in TP (25.4 versus 26%). The relationship between TP and TS has been established by previous research (Picccini and Bortone, 1991;O'Dell et al, 1995;Rieck-Hinz et al, 1996;Scotford et al, 1998;Ndegwa et al, 2002). These data indicated that N based application rates are easy to achieve using manures from the same storage facility.…”