Water Content Effect on Denitrification and Ammonia Volatilization in Poultry Litter

Abstract

Poultry litter is a mixture of excreta, bedding material, waste feed, and some soil that is removed from poultry houses and applied to soil as fertilizer. Because litter is commonly stockpiled outdoors before land application, losses of inorganic N may occur through denitrification and NH3 volatilization. This work was conducted to evaluate the effect of litter water content on denitrification and NH3 volatilization during storage. Litter samples from two broiler houses in northern Georgia were incubated (25°C) at four water contents for 13 d. Water contents used were 230 g H2O kg−1 in Litter A, 160 g H2O kg−1 in Litter B, and 800, 1200, and 2400 g H2O kg−1 in both litters. These water contents were equivalent to 8, 26, 40, and 79% water‐holding capacity (WHC) in Litter A and to 7, 33, 49, and 99% WHC in Litter B, respectively. Denitrification was evaluated by measuring N2O emission from samples incubated with 10 kPa C2H2, with and without additional NO−3 (15 mg Ng−1). Ammonia volatilization was evaluated by measuring NH3 evolved from samples incubated without C2H2. Denitrification was significant at the highest water content and increased with the addition of NO−3. Measured denitrification losses varied between 41 and 79% of the initial NO−3, although final NO−3 levels suggested that denitrification losses were larger (92–100%) and that part of the N2O produced remained entrapped in the litter. Ammonia volatilization losses ranged from 32 to 139% of the initial NH+4 and were increased by increasing water content. These results suggest that poultry litter should be stored under dry conditions to reduce N losses.

Seasonal temperatures have more influence than nitrogen fertilizer rates on cucumber yield and nitrogen uptake in a double cropping system

“…It was comparable with N fertilization in Valencian Community region areas with intensive agricultural production in Spain, in which nitrogen fertilization in pepper and tomato cropping system could reach to 1030 and 940 kg N ha À1 , respectively (Ramos et al, 2002). Fertilizer N use efficiency in intensively managed greenhouse vegetable systems can be less than 10% using conventional management practices (Zhu et al, 2005), consequently large amounts of unused nitrogen are released to the environment through nitrate leaching, denitrification and NH 3 volatilization (Cabrera et al, 1993;Cabrera and Chiang, 1994;Fox et al, 1996;Gollany et al, 2004;Ramos et al, 2002). For example, nitrate-N concentrations in shallow wells around greenhouses in Huimin, Shandong, ranged from 9 to 274 mg N L À1 , with 99% of surveyed wells exceeding the USEPA limit of 10 mg N L À1 , more than half of the samples (53%) exceeding 50 mg N L À1 , and 26% exceeding 100 mg N L À1 (Ju et al, 2006).…”

Influence of root zone nitrogen management and a summer catch crop on cucumber yield and soil mineral nitrogen dynamics in intensive production systems

“…Consequently, very high proportions of unused nutrients accumulate in the soil, and N is released into the environment through nitrate leaching, denitrification and NH 3 volatilization (Cabrera and Chiang 1994;Fox et al 1996;Gollany et al 2004;He et al 2007;Ramos et al 2002). Double cropping systems with two vegetable crops per year are widespread in northern China using unheated greenhouses constructed with a clay or brick wall with bamboo supports attached that are covered with polyethylene film.…”

Resource Conservation by Effective Composting of Municipal Solid Waste in Sri Lanka – Optimum Moisture Range for the Bio-oxidative Phase

“…De Bertoldi et al [31] suggested that the optimum pH values for composting are between 5.5 and 8.0. All piles except pile C were within the optimum range [33,34].…”