ARS | Publication request: NITROGEN MINERALIZATION AND PHOSPHORUS AVAILABILITY OF COMPOSTED AND UNCOMPOSTED POULTRY LITTER

Submitted to: Proceedings of the Soil Science Society of America
Publication Type: Proceedings
Publication Acceptance Date: November 5, 1999
Publication Date: November 8, 1999
Citation: Preusch, P.L., Adler, P.R., Sikora, L.J., Takeda, F., Ferrier, D., Tworkoski, T. 1999. Nitrogen mineralization and phosphorus availability of composted and uncomposted poultry litter. [abstract]. Proceedings of the Soil Science Society of America Annual Meeting; Salt Lake City, UT, November 1999. Div S-8, p. 314.

Technical Abstract: Large amounts of poultry manure and bedding (litter) are generated and applied to farm land in the eastern U.S. Repeated applications of manure and resulting nutrients in soil runoff can cause hypoxia and undesireable changes in aquatic communities. This experiment was designed to determine N and P mineralization from fresh and composted poultry litter mixed with sand, silt, and clay loam. Results indicate that N and P mineralization were similar from the two sources of poultry litter and that composting re- duced the rate of N mineralization. Composted poultry litter was also evaluated as a mulch in a peach orchard. Nitrate and ammonium mineraliza- tion were similar from compost applied as mulch at 12 and 3 kg/m2, but weeds were suppressed better at the high rate for more than one season.