Nutrient losses from manure and fertilizer applications as impacted by time to first runoff event

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Abstract

Nutrient losses to surface waters following fertilization contribute to eutrophication. This study was conducted to compare the impacts of fertilization with inorganic fertilizer, swine (Sus scrofa domesticus) manure or poultry (Gallus domesticus) litter on runoff water quality, and how the duration between application and the first runoff event affects resulting water quality. Fertilizers were applied at 35 kg P ha−1, and the duration between application and the first runoff event varied between 1 and 29 days. Swine manure was the greatest risk to water quality 1 day after fertilization due to elevated phosphorus (8.4 mg P L−1) and ammonium (10.3 mg NH4-N L−1) concentrations; however, this risk decreased rapidly. Phosphorus concentrations were 2.6 mg L−1 29 days after fertilization with inorganic fertilizer. This research demonstrates that manures might be more environmentally sustainable than inorganic fertilizers, provided runoff events do not occur soon after application.

Introduction

Phosphorus (P) and nitrogen (N) losses to surface waters from agricultural sources have been identified as a contributor to surface water quality degradation (Carpenter et al., 1998). For agriculture to remain sustainable, nutrient losses to surface water must be reduced. Recently, a national research effort was conducted in the United States to develop regional P indices to assist producers in making environmentally sound decisions with regard to manure application (Lemunyon and Gilbert, 1993, Sharpley et al., 1999). Application of manures to pasture or cropland in some areas within the United States has become a contentious topic. This is especially true in portions of the country where the catchment for a drinking water reservoir of a large city contains a large number of confined animal feeding operations (DeLaune et al., 2006).

Several factors have been shown to be important in controlling P losses from fields. Soil test P levels have been shown to be a factor controlling P losses if no fertilizers have been recently applied (DeLaune et al., 2004b, Schroeder et al., 2004b). Following the surface application of fertilizer or manure, the amount of soluble P applied can be the most important factor controlling P concentrations in runoff (DeLaune et al., 2004a, Smith et al., 2004a, Smith et al., 2004b). Greater crop residue levels have also been shown to reduce P runoff concentrations (Torbert et al., 1999, Grande et al., 2005). Application of a fertilizer to drier soils has also been shown to aid in reducing P and N losses in runoff (Torbert et al., 1999).

The duration between fertilizer application and the first rainfall–runoff event has also been shown to be an important factor in controlling P losses. When an irrigation event occurred immediately after fertilizer application, the P concentrations in runoff were two times greater than when the first irrigation occurred as the water deficit reached 50 mm (Bush and Austin, 2001). Schroeder et al. (2004a) observed that as the time between poultry (Gallus domesticus) litter application and the first rainfall event increased, P concentrations in runoff decreased. Increasing the time between poultry litter application and the first runoff event was observed to decrease concentrations of soluble P, NH4-N, and total N; however, no effect of rainfall timing was observed for NO3-N (Sharpley, 1997). When rainfall simulations occurred in the Spring, dairy cattle (Bos taurus) manure applied in Spring produced greater P concentrations in runoff than manure applied in the Fall or no manure applications (Grande et al., 2005). However, contrary to most results, Edwards et al. (2000) found little effect of rainfall timing on P or N losses from plots fertilized with cattle manure, however manure was applied to pasture at fairly low rates, and there was 4 weeks between manure application and the first rainfall–runoff simulation.

Many studies have compared the impacts of fertilizer or manures on P or N in runoff (Sharpley, 1997; Torbert, 1999; Edwards et al., 2000, Bush and Austin, 2001, DeLaune et al., 2004a, Schroeder et al., 2004a, Smith et al., 2004a, Smith et al., 2004b, Vadas et al., 2004, Grande et al., 2005). Relatively fewer studies have compared the impact of fertilizers on water quality with that of manures from different species (Gaudreau et al., 2002, Kleinmann et al., 2002, Daverede et al., 2004, DeLaune et al., 2004b; Tarkalson and Mikkelsen, 2004), or how the duration between application of different fertilizer sources and a runoff event will affect the concentrations of nutrients in runoff (DeLaune et al., 2004b, van Es et al., 2006). The objectives of this study were to identify the impact of the duration between fertilizer or manure application and first rainfall–runoff event on P and N concentrations in runoff, and to compare the effects of the fertilizer source on nutrient losses.

Section snippets

Materials and methods

Fifteen main plots were built on an Octagon silt-loam soil (fine-loamy, mixed, mesic, Mollic Hapludalf) at the Throckmorton Purdue Agricultural Research Center, near Lafayette, IN (40° 18′ 00″ N, 86° 53′ 41″ W, 212 m asl). The area used for this study was cropped to tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea Shreb.), and would represent an area that would be used for hay production. Each plot consisted of four sub-plots measuring 0.75 m wide and 2 m long. Plots and sub-plots were hydrologically isolated

Results and discussion

Selected properties of the fertilizer and manure used in this study are presented in Table 1. Soluble and total P values for swine manure are similar to those observed in other studies (Smith et al., 2004a, Smith et al., 2004b, Vadas et al., 2004). Total P and N concentrations were greatest for the inorganic fertilizer, which was expected. The N:P ratios were greatest in the swine manure (4.7) and lowest in the inorganic fertilizer (2.4), resulting in more N being applied to plots from the

Conclusions

When surface applied at the same rate to pastures, swine manure demonstrated the greatest risk to water quality 1 day after application relative to inorganic fertilizer and poultry litter. As the duration between swine manure application and the first runoff event increased, the risk of P and N losses to runoff water decreased. Inorganic fertilizer maintained a slightly elevated risk to water quality throughout the study period, particularly with respect to soluble P losses. The poultry litter

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