Agronomy Journal Grow Your Career With ASA
HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS
QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced]


     

Published online 3 October 2006
Published in Agron J 98:1551-1558 (2006)
DOI: 10.2134/agronj2006.0045
© 2006 American Society of Agronomy
677 S. Segoe Rd., Madison, WI 53711 USA
This Article
Right arrow Abstract Freely available
Right arrow Figures Only
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrow reprints & permissions
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via HighWire
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Zhang, M.
Right arrow Articles by Sparrow, S.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow Articles by Zhang, M.
Right arrow Articles by Sparrow, S.
Agricola
Right arrow Articles by Zhang, M.
Right arrow Articles by Sparrow, S.
Related Collections
Right arrow Animal Waste
Right arrow Oat
Right arrow Other Forage Crops
Right arrow Nutrient Management

Production Papers

Solid and Liquid Cattle Manure Application in a Subarctic Soil

Bromegrass and Oat Production and Soil Properties

M. Zhanga,*, R. Gavlakb, A. Mitchellb and S. Sparrowa

a School of Natural Resources and Agric. Sciences, Univ. of Alaska Fairbanks, Fairbanks, AK, 99775
b School of Natural Resources and Agric. Sciences, Univ. of Alaska, Palmer Research Center, Palmer, AK 99645

* Corresponding author (ffmz{at}uaf.edu)

Received for publication February 10, 2006.

   ABSTRACT
TOP
 ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION
 MATERIALS AND METHODS
 RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
 CONCLUSIONS
 REFERENCES
 
An experiment was conducted in subarctic Alaska from 1999 to 2001 to determine the effect of liquid and solid cattle (Bos taurus) manure application rates on smooth bromegrass (Bromus inermis Leyss.) and oat (Avena sativa L.) biomass production, nutrient uptake, and soil properties. One-time manure application of 100 and 200 kg N ha–1 was made in May 1999 in comparison with annual fertilizer application of 50, 100, and 200 kg N ha–1. In the first year, liquid manure at 100 and 200 kg N ha–1 generated 3036 and 4292 kg ha–1 smooth bromegrass biomass, respectively, statistically (p ≥ 0.05) similar to that of fertilizer application (3654 kg ha–1) at 200 kg N ha–1 but greater (p ≤ 0.05) than control (1572 kg ha–1). Similar results were found with oat. The 200 kg N ha–1 liquid manure application continued to benefit crop growth in the second and third years. Solid manure did not influence biomass production of either crop in most crop/year combinations. Cumulatively, in 3 yr, smooth bromegrass recovered 59% of nitrogen from liquid manure, compared with 37% by oat. Soil Mehlich 3–P accumulation was found in some liquid and solid manure treatments for both crops. High soil exchangeable K was found in 1999 after liquid manure application but declined over time. Our results suggest that 100 kg N ha–1 liquid manure can replace nitrogen fertilizer at a similar rate. Liquid cattle manure was better than solid cattle manure in promoting bromegrass and oat production.

Abbreviations: DM, dry matter • ICP–AES, inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectroscopy • NUE, nitrogen uptake efficiency


   INTRODUCTION
TOP
 ABSTRACT
 INTRODUCTION
MATERIALS AND METHODS
 RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
 CONCLUSIONS
 REFERENCES
 
A BENEFICIAL EFFECT of livestock manure on crop yield has been reported (Culley et al., 1981; Sutton et al., 1986; Matsi et al., 2003). Because manure has high organic matter content, application of manure often helps restore depleted organic matter in arable land, especially land with heavy erosion (Dormaar et al., 1988; Larney and Janzen, 1996; Larney et al., 2000). However, manure application in excess of plant nutrient requirement causes N and P accumulation in soil, which can lead to surface and ground water contamination (Paul and Zebarth, 1997; Zebarth et al., 1996).

A majority of nutrients added through manure application is in organic form. They become available to plants over a longer period of time than with application of inorganic fertilizer (Klausner et al., 1994; DeLuca and DeLuca, 1997). In summarizing published results from the literature, DeLuca and DeLuca (1997) estimated that annual N mineralization from feedlot cattle manure compost was 20% in the first 2 yr, 10% in the third year, and 5% per year in subsequent 13 yr. They also indicated that reported N mineralization for composted cattle manure varied from 5% to 34% per year. Klausner et al. (1994) used a decay series to estimate N release from land applied manure over 5 yr and estimated N mineralization rates of 21, 9, 3, 3, and 2% for the first 5 yr after manure application.

Land-applied manure can be in solid or liquid form. Sutton et al. (1986) reported that N immediately available to crops is higher in liquid manure than in solid manure. Injected liquid cattle manure is as good as an equivalent rate of chemical fertilizer N for winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L. cv. Yecora) production (Matsi et al., 2003). Nitrogen release from solid manure is dependent on its C to N ratio (Qian and Shoenau, 2002). Research results show that corn (Zea mays L.) yield is reduced from the application of fresh solid swine manure as compared with composted manure (Loecke et al., 2004) due to N immobilization. Crop N recovery from manure varies with crops. Grasses have been reported to recover more N from manure than annual cereal crops. Nitrogen recovery by corn from dairy manure is 14 to 16% in the first year after application (Powell et al., 2005). In comparison, tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea Schreb.) can recover 45% of manure mineral N and 23% of total manure N (Bittman et al., 1999). Crop P recovery from land-applied manure is also important because manure application can cause P accumulation in soil with a potential risk of runoff to surface waters (Mozaffari and Sims, 1994; Sharpley and Rekolainen, 1997). Brink et al. (2001) found that annual ryegrass (Secale cereale L.) and crimson clover (T. incarnatum L.) have a significant high P uptake among the 12 legumes and four forage grass species.

Alaska is characterized by long and cold winter and short summer growing seasons. In the Palmer area of Alaska (61.6° N lat), the average annual temperature is about 2°C, and the average growing season is 115 d (Matanuska AES Station National Data Climate Center, 2004). Among the major forage crops grown in the area are smooth bromegrass (Bromus inermis Leyss.) and oat (Avena sativa L.) hay. The dairy industry in Alaska is small yet vital to the local economy. As the population increases in Alaska, especially in the Anchorage-Palmer area, there is a potential for the expansion of dairy industry, and manure handling may be an issue in the foreseeable future. The objectives of this research were to determine (i) the proper rate of solid and liquid dairy manure application on perennial smooth bromegrass and annual oat hay yield, (ii) crop nutrient recovery from manure application over a 3-yr period, and (iii) changes of soil properties due to manure application.


   MATERIALS AND METHODS
TOP
 ABSTRACT
 INTRODUCTION
 MATERIALS AND METHODS
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
 CONCLUSIONS
 REFERENCES
 
Two field experiments (one for smooth bromegrass and one for oat) were established on a Knik silt loam (coarse-silty over sandy skeletal, mixed, nonacid Typic Eutrocryept) on the Matanuska Experiment Farm (61.6° N lat) near Palmer, Alaska, in May 1999 and terminated in the fall of 2001. There were 10 treatments for each experiment: (i) control, (ii) water at low rate (Water1), (iii) water at high rate (Water2), (iv) fertilizer at 50 kg N ha–1 (F50), (v) fertilizer at 100 kg N ha–1 (F100), (vi) fertilizer at 200 kg N ha–1 (F200), (vii) liquid manure at 100 kg N ha–1 (L100), (viii) liquid manure at 200 kg N ha–1 (L200), (ix) solid manure at 100 kg N ha–1 (S100), and (x) solid manure at 200 kg N ha–1 (S200). Manure used in the experiment was collected from a local dairy farm. The liquid manure was stored in a lagoon for 1 d before use in the experiment and had a total N concentration of 1.2 g kg–1, a total P of 0.6 g kg–1, a total K of 2.3 g kg–1, and a total C of 14.5 g kg–1 (all were in wet basis). The solid manure was collected from a manure pile stored for about 2 yr and had a total N concentration of 18.5 g kg–1, a total P of 4.3 g kg–1, a total K of 14.2 g kg–1, and a total C of 252 g kg–1 (all were in dry basis). The rate of manure application was based on N content, and the amount of liquid or solid manure equivalent to 100 or 200 kg N ha–1 was applied once at the beginning of the experiment to the manure treatments of the two experiments. For the fertilizer treatments, fertilizer N, as urea, was applied annually at 50, 100, and 200 kg N ha–1. Because there was a large quantity of water applied along with liquid manure (i.e., 3.7 x 103 L ha–1 and 7.4 x 103 L ha–1), additional control treatments with these two rates of water application were added. In the smooth bromegrass plots, solid manure, liquid manure, and urea were surface applied. In the oat experiment, solid manure, liquid manure, or urea were surface applied and tilled into 10 cm depth. In the perennial hay field, smooth bromegrass had been grown for 9 yr, and average hay yield was 2880 kg ha–1. The smooth bromegrass field contained a significant amount (about 20%) of quackgrass (Agropyron repens L.). Oat plants (cv. Toral) were planted in May annually with a density of 250 plant m–2. The experimental design was a CRBD with four replications. The plot dimensions for smooth bromegrass and oat was 3.0 by 15.2 m with a 15.2-m alley to separate each block.

Forage grass samples were taken by hand-cutting two small squares 1 by 1 m from each treatment in July and September each year. For oats, plant samples were taken by cutting the whole plot of each treatment in late July before maturity. Plant samples were dried at 65°C until no mass losses over time and weighed to determine the dry matter (DM) yield from each treatment. A subsample was taken from each treatment and ground (<0.84 mm) to determine N, P, and K concentration. The N concentration of plant tissue samples was determined using a LECO CHN 1000 analyzer (St. Joseph, MI), and P concentration was determined by digesting samples in concentrated nitric perchloric acid (Jones and Case, 1990) followed by analysis using inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectroscopy (ICP–AES) (PerkinElmer Optima 300XL). Nitrogen uptake efficiency (NUE) was calculated as:

Formula 1[1]
Similar calculations were made for P and K.

Benchmark soil samples at 0- to 15-cm and 15- to 30-cm depth were taken from both sites before beginning the experiments (Table 1). Soil samples of 0- to 15-cm depth from each treatment were taken in July 1999, September 2000, May 2001, and September 2001 for bromegrass field and in July 1999, May 2000, September 2000, May 2001, and September 2001 for oat field (composite sample of seven cores for each treatment). Soil samples were air-dried and ground (<2 mm), and nutrient content in the samples was determined. Ammonium and nitrate in soil samples were extracted by 2 M KCl followed by determination in a Technicon II Autoanalyzer (Technicon AutoAnalyzer; Technical Industrial System, 1973a, 1973b). Soil pH was determined in deionized water with a soil/water ratio of 1:1 (McLean, 1982). Total N and C in soil samples and manure samples were determined in a LECO CHN 1000 analyzer. Soil CEC was determined by the ammonium acetate autoextraction method at pH 7.0 (USDA-SCS, 1982). Extractable P in soil samples was by Mehlich 3 (1.5 M NH4F + 0.1 M EDTA) (Mehlich, 1984) followed by determination using ICP–AES.


View this table:
[in this window]
[in a new window]
  		Table 1. Soil characteristics from the two experimental fields in 1999 at Palmer, Alaska.

 
Samples of solid manure from dairy cattle (Bos taurus) were oven dried (65°C) for at least 24 h and passed through a 2-mm sieve, and total N in the samples was determined using a LECO CHN 1000 analyzer. The dried samples were digested in concentrated nitric-perchloric acids (Olsen and Sommers, 1982), and total P and K concentrations were determined by ICP–AES. Subsample of solid manure dried at 65°C was further dried at 105°C for 24 h for calculation of percentage of DM content, which was used to adjust dry basis application rate. Samples of liquid dairy manure were centrifuged (2000 rpm), filtered through a 0.45-µm filter, and analyzed for NO3–N and NH4–N concentrations in a Technicon II Autoanalyzer (Technicon AutoAnalyzer; Technicon Industrial System, 1973a, 1973b). The solid portion of liquid manure was dried, total N concentration was determined by LECO CHN 1000 analyzer, and total P and K were determined by digestion in concentrated nitric-perchloric acid followed by determination with ICP–AES.

Statistix 8.0 (Analytical Software, 2003) was used for statistical analysis. Analysis of variance was done for each crop for biomass yield, N, P, and K uptake, followed by mean comparison for each year by LSD at a probability level of ≤5%. For soil parameters, ANOVA was used to determine the probability of F test among sampling times across treatments and among treatments across different sampling times, and mean comparison was made for sampling times and treatments using LSD at a probability level of ≤5%.


   RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
TOP
 ABSTRACT
 INTRODUCTION
 MATERIALS AND METHODS
 RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
CONCLUSIONS
 REFERENCES
 
Soil and Weather
The soil in the experimental site was developed from silt loess mantled over gravelly glacial outwash deposit containing less than 5% volcanic ash and was in its early stage of development (i.e., Typic Cryochrept). Soil depth in the smooth bromegrass field was shallower as compared with that of the oat field, which made soil sampling below the 15-cm depth impossible (Table 1). Due to the history of cultivation, soil samples at 0- to 15-cm depth from the smooth bromegrass field were apparently higher in total N, C, and Melhich 3 P than that from the oat field, but mineral N and exchangeable K from both soil samples were similar (Table 1). The average temperatures over the growing season of the 3 yr were similar (Table 2). However, the cumulative precipitation was less in 2001 in comparison with 1999 and 2000.


View this table:
[in this window]
[in a new window]
  		Table 2. Monthly cumulative precipitation and average air temperature from May to September in 1999, 2000, and 2001 at Palmer, Alaska.

 
Biomass Production of Bromegrass and Oat Hay
Manure and fertilizer treatments strongly influenced the crop biomass yield for smooth bromegrass and oats. For the two cuttings in 1999, the first year after manure application, the smooth bromegrass biomass from both rates of liquid manure application (L100, L200) was statistically similar (p ≥ 0.05) to urea applied at the same rates (F100, F200) but greater (p ≤ 0.05) than that from both rates of solid manure application (S100, S200) (Fig. 1a , 1b). A similar trend was found for the bromegrass total biomass from two harvests (Fig. 1c). In the subsequent years, the liquid manure at 200 kg N ha–1 produced biomass yield similar to inorganic N fertilizer at 50 or 100 kg N ha–1 but less than inorganic N at 200 kg ha–1. Solid manure did not significantly increase smooth bromegrass biomass yield as compared with the Control (Fig. 1). Liquid manure at 100 and 200 kg N ha–1 produced oat hay yield statistically similar (p ≥ 0.05) to the 100 and 200 kg N ha–1 fertilizer rates in the first year after application but not in the second year and the third year (Fig. 2 ). Solid manure did not affect oat hay yield as compared with the Control in all 3 yr except 200 kg N ha–1 in the second year (Fig. 2). In a 4-yr experiment with winter wheat, Matsi et al. (2003) reported that grain yields for winter wheat under liquid cattle manure applied at 40 Mg ha–1 yr–1 (120 kg N and 26 kg P ha–1 yr–1) were similar to 120 kg inorganic N and 26 kg P ha–1 yr–1. Cherney et al. (2002) showed that application of semisolid dairy cattle manure at 67.2 Mg ha–1 (112 kg N ha–1) generates orchardgrass (Dactylis glomerata) and tall fescue biomass equivalent to 140 kg inorganic N ha–1. Solid cattle manure has been shown to increase crop yield in Ontario, Canada and in Michigan (Ma et al., 1999; Loecke et al., 2004). Fresh solid cattle manure was reported not to increase corn yield when applied in spring (Loecke et al., 2004). The lack of beneficial effect on smooth bromegrass and oat yield from solid cattle manure application in Palmer, Alaska may be due to relatively cool temperatures during the growing season, low precipitation in May and June, and the relatively short growing season (about 115 d), which limited decomposition and nutrient release from solid cattle manure. The lack of beneficial effect of solid manure may also be caused by the losses of readily available nutrients during storage time (about 2 yr) before the experiments.


Figure 1
View larger version (42K):
[in this window]
[in a new window]
  		Fig. 1. Biomass production of smooth bromegrass in first cut (a), second cut (b), and total (c) from 1999 to 2001 after manure application in May 1999 at Palmer, Alaska. Values with the same letter were not significantly different with LSD ≤ 5%. Control = no fertilizer or manure (average of Control, Water1, and Water2); F50 = 50 kg N ha–1 as fertilizer; F100 = 100 kg N ha–1 as fertilizer; F200 = 200 kg N ha–1 as fertilizer; L100 = 100 kg N ha–1 as liquid cattle manure; L200 = 200 kg N ha–1 as liquid cattle manure; S100 = 100 kg N ha–1 as solid cattle manure; and S200 = 200 kg N ha–1 as solid cattle manure.

 

Figure 2
View larger version (25K):
[in this window]
[in a new window]
  		Fig. 2. Biomass production of oat from 1999 to 2001 after manure application in May 1999 at Palmer, Alaska. Values with the same letter were not significantly different with LSD ≤ 5%. Control = no fertilizer or manure (average of Control, Water1, and Water2); F50 = 50 kg N ha–1 as fertilizer; F100 = 100 kg N ha–1 as fertilizer; F200 = 200 kg N ha–1 as fertilizer; L100 = 100 kg N ha–1 as liquid cattle manure; L200 = 200 kg N ha–1 as liquid cattle manure; S100 = 100 kg N ha–1 as solid cattle manure; and S200 = 200 kg N ha–1 as solid cattle manure.

 
Nutrient Removal and Residual Effect of Nitrogen from Manure
The apparent average cumulative N recovery by the smooth bromegrass in 3 yr for two rates of liquid manure application was 59% in comparison with 11% with the solid manure applications (Table 3). In the oat experiment, the apparent average cumulative N recovery by oats for the two rates was 37% for liquid and 11% for solid manure (Table 3). Compared among 3 yr, most N uptake was in the first year after application for smooth bromegrass and oats in liquid manure treatments (Table 3). In the first year, N recovery was also greater with liquid manure than with N fertilizer (Table 3). Zemenchik and Albrecht (2002) reported an average of 44% N recovery for smooth bromegrass from N fertilizer applications (56–336 kg N ha–1). In our experiment, average N uptake by smooth bromegrass from three fertilizer treatments was 26 to 30% in 3 yr, lower than 44% reported by Zemenchik and Albrecht (2002). However, N recovery of the first year from liquid manure application in our experiment was 45%, similar to 44% recovery from N fertilizer reported by Zemenchik and Albrecht (2002). Several studies in the USA show that perennial grasses recover more N from manure than do cereal crops (Klausner and Guest, 1981; Kanneganti and Klausner, 1994; Cherney et al., 2002). Even at a high latitude with a short growing season and cool climate, our experiments illustrated a similar trend. Our study showed that crops recovered more N from liquid dairy than that from solid dairy manure, similar to those reported in other studies (Evans et al., 1977; Sutton et al., 1986).


View this table:
[in this window]
[in a new window]
  		Table 3. N uptake and percentage recovery by smooth bromegrass and oats from fertilizer or cattle manure (solid or liquid) application from 1999 to 2001 in Palmer, Alaska.

 
Cumulatively, smooth bromegrass recovered 11% P from liquid manure and 4% from solid manure application (Table 4). Oat recovered 10% P from liquid manure and 9% from solid manure. Similar to N, most P recovered by smooth bromegrass from liquid and solid manure was in the first year after manure application (Table 4). A similar trend was found in oats with liquid manure (Table 4). However, it seemed that oats recovered most P from solid manure in the second year instead of first year (Table 4). That might be associated with the slow-P release characteristics of solid manure in combination with the short growing season and the cool temperatures in the subarctic environment.


View this table:
[in this window]
[in a new window]
  		Table 4. Phosphorus uptake and percentage recovery by smooth bromegrass and oats from fertilizer or cattle manure (solid or liquid) application from 1999 to 2001 in Palmer, Alaska.

 
Cumulatively, smooth bromegrass took up 34% K from liquid manure and 11% from solid manure application (Table 5). Oat plants recovered 30% K from liquid manure and 23% from solid manure applications (Table 5).


View this table:
[in this window]
[in a new window]
  		Table 5. K uptake and percentage recovery by smooth bromegrass and oats from fertilizer or cattle manure (solid or liquid) application from 1999 to 2001 in Palmer, Alaska.

 
In 3 yr, the ratio of N–P–K recovery from liquid manure was 100–19–57 for smooth bromegrass and 100–28–86 for oat, and the ratio of NPK recovery for solid manure was 100–36–100 for smooth bromegrass and 100–82–209 for oat. It seemed that crop P and K recovery for every 100 U N was higher in solid manure than in liquid manure. However, because crops recovered smaller amount of N, P, and K from solid than liquid manure in our 3-yr-long experiments in the subarctic area of Alaska (Tables 3Go–5), the time required for plants to recover similar quantities of N, P, and K was much longer for solid than liquid manure. For the two crops, apparently, for every 100 U N-based manure application, oat removed more P and K from the applied manure as compared with perennial smooth bromegrass in liquid and solid manure. In other words, with a similar amount of manure application (N-based), oat might result in less P accumulation in soil as compared with smooth bromegrass. In comparing P uptake from broiler litter application by 12 temperate legume and four temperate grass species, Brink et al. (2001) found that only annual ryegrass and crimson clover have a significant higher (p ≤ 0.05) P uptake than the rest of species. Therefore, in considering P loading in soil and consequently P runoff for N rate–based manure application, differential application rates for cereals and perennial grasses might be a choice for manure management in the subarctic area of Alaska.

Soil Nutrient Status
Across all treatments, values of the tested soil parameters were greatly (p < 0.01) dependent on the sampling times after manure application for bromegrass and oat field. Across all sampling times, soil parameters were affected (p < 0.05) by different treatments for bromegrass and oat field except the soil mineral N from the oat fields. Significance of interaction between sampling times and treatments was found only in the mineral N, exchangeable K, and EC in the bromegrass experiment and EC in the oat experiment.

Only the 200 kg N ha–1 liquid manure application on smooth bromegrass significantly increased soil mineral N concentration compared with the Control (Table 6). Mineral N concentration among treatments in the oat field, however, was not statistically different (Table 7). Soil mineral N declined over time after manure application in the smooth bromegrass field but varied between the time of soil sampling (i.e., spring vs. fall) in the oat field with a general trend of declining (Tables 6 and 7). This was similar to studies by several researchers (DeLuca and DeLuca, 1997; Klausner et al., 1994; Eghball et al., 2004), in which a decrease of mineral N concentrations in soil over time was found after an initial manure application.


View this table:
[in this window]
[in a new window]
  		Table 6. The effect of solid or liquid cattle manure and fertilizer application on soil mineral N (NH4–N + NO3–N), Mehlich 3–extractable P, exchangeable K, pH, electrical conductivity, total N, and total C from May 1999 to September 2001 for the bromegrass experiment in Palmer, Alaska.

 

View this table:
[in this window]
[in a new window]
  		Table 7. The effect of solid or cattle manure and fertilizer application on soil mineral N (NH4–N + NO3–N), Mehlich 3–extractable P, exchangeable K, pH, electrical conductivity, total N, and total C from May 1999 to September 2001 for the oat experiment in Palmer, Alaska.

 
Because only a small amount of P was removed by plants (Table 4), a slightly increased P concentration in soils in smooth bromegrass field and relatively stable P concentrations in the soil of oat experiment over time was observed (Tables 6 and 7). With no history of manure application at our experimental sites, N-based manure application led to P accumulation in soils of some manure treatments (i.e., L100 in bromegrass field and L200 and S100 in oat field) with a single application (Tables 6 and 7). Single liquid manure application led to soil exchangeable K increase in both experiments. Soil exchangeable K for the smooth bromegrass and oat experiments declined over time after manure application (Tables 6 and 7). Several studies illustrated high crop K uptake after manure application (Pederson et al., 2002; Evers, 2002; McLaughlin et al., 2004) and consequently low K concentration in soil (Franzluebbers et al., 2004).

The impact of manure application on soil pH varied with crops. In the first soil sample taken after manure application (July 1999), soil pH in the bromegrass field was similar to that at the beginning of the experiment, but soil pH in the oat field was higher than that before manure application (Tables 1, 6, and 7). Soil pH declined over time in bromegrass field, but no trend was found in the oat field. Only liquid manure application (L100 and L200) slightly increased soil pH as compared with the Control for the smooth bromegrass and the oat experiment over the 3 yr (Tables 6 and 7). According to the research by Eghball (1999), manure or compost manure provides a short-term liming effect on soil, and a declining soil pH over time was reported after manure application (Eghball et al., 2004). In our experiment, that short-term liming effect was observed only in the liquid manure treatments.

There was no discernible trend for soil electrical conductivity or total soil organic C and N. Both sites received only a single manure application, and change of those soil properties due to manure application is usually a result of multiple manure application over a relatively long period (Culley et al., 1981; Chang et al., 1991; Matsi et al., 2003).


   CONCLUSIONS
TOP
 ABSTRACT
 INTRODUCTION
 MATERIALS AND METHODS
 RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
 CONCLUSIONS
REFERENCES
 
Liquid cattle manure applied at 100 and 200 kg N ha–1 generated a biomass of smooth bromegrass and oat equivalent to 200 kg N ha–1 fertilizer application in the year of application at Palmer, Alaska. In general, solid cattle manure did not increase smooth bromegrass or oat yield 3 yr after application. For every 100 kg N ha–1 liquid manure application, smooth bromegrass removed 19 kg P ha–1 and 57 kg K ha–1, in comparison with 36 kg P ha–1 and 91 kg K ha–1 by oat. Concerning biomass production and P accumulation in soils, a differential rate for application for smooth bromegrass and oat should be considered.


   ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
 
Field and laboratory assistance was provided by Ms. Beth Fall and Ms. Laurie Wilson of Agriculture and Forest Experimental Station at Palmer, University of Alaska Fairbanks. The research project was funded by USDA-CSREES Special Grant Dairy Research at Northern Latitude (USDA 98-34390-6939).


   REFERENCES
TOP
 ABSTRACT
 INTRODUCTION
 MATERIALS AND METHODS
 RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
 CONCLUSIONS
 REFERENCES
 




This article has been cited by other articles:


Home page
 Agron. J.Home page
A. S. Lithourgidis, T. Matsi, N. Barbayiannis, and C. A. Dordas
Effect of Liquid Cattle Manure on Corn Yield, Composition, and Soil Properties
Agron. J., June 5, 2007; 99(4): 1041 - 1047.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

This Article
Right arrow Abstract Freely available
Right arrow Figures Only
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrow reprints & permissions
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via HighWire
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Zhang, M.
Right arrow Articles by Sparrow, S.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow Articles by Zhang, M.
Right arrow Articles by Sparrow, S.
Agricola
Right arrow Articles by Zhang, M.
Right arrow Articles by Sparrow, S.
Related Collections
Right arrow Animal Waste
Right arrow Oat
Right arrow Other Forage Crops
Right arrow Nutrient Management

HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS
The SCI Journals Crop Science Vadose Zone Journal
Journal of Plant Registrations Soil Science Society of America Journal
Journal of Natural Resources
and Life Sciences Education		 Journal of
Environmental Quality