Location: Livestock Nutrient Management Research
Project Number: 3090-31630-006-047-S
Project Type: Non-Assistance Cooperative Agreement
Start Date: Sep 1, 2020
End Date: Aug 31, 2023
Objective:
Determine appropriate one-time, high-rate manure application rates to maximize long-term soil and agronomic benefits without compromising soil quality.
Approach:
Greenhouse research will be conducted in the West Texas A&M University greenhouse in Canyon, Texas. Small plot research will be conducted at the USDA-ARS CPRL in Bushland, Texas. In the greenhouse study, dairy manure will be applied to 90 pots, at nine application rates (treatments) ranging from 0 to 200 tons per acre. There will be five replications per treatment, and two crop types, winter wheat and forage sorghum. In the small plot study, dairy manure will be land-applied to forage sorghum grown in 36 small plots (of size 10 ft x 20 ft) at six manure application rates (treatments) ranging from 0 to 175 tons/acre. In both experiments, measurements will include: 1) above-ground biomass and nutrients; 2) soil nutrients, carbon, salinity, and other soil health parameters; and 3) emissions of N2O and CH4.