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Title: Applied manure research—looking forward to the benign roles of animal manure in agriculture and the environment

Author
item He, Zhongqi
item MINGXIN, GUO - Delaware State University
item Lovanh, Nanh
item Spokas, Kurt

Submitted to: Book Chapter
Publication Type: Book / Chapter
Publication Acceptance Date: 11/21/2011
Publication Date: 11/13/2012
Citation: He, Z., Mingxin, G., Lovanh, N., Spokas, K.A. 2012. Applied manure research—looking forward to the benign roles of animal manure in agriculture and the environment. In: He, Z., editor. Applied Research of Animal Manure: Challenges and Opportunities beyond the Adverse Environmental Concerns. New York, NY:Nova Science. p. 299-309.

Interpretive Summary: Since the beginning of human’s agricultural activities, animal manure has been an integrated part of sustainable crop production. However, in the last two decades or so, animal manure research has been focused on the basic knowledge of manure’s impacts on the environment and relevant technologies for the best management of animal manure due to the practice toward fewer but larger operations of animal production. With the global awareness on sustainable utilization of limited natural resources, research on beneficial use of animal manure as a renewable natural resource has increased recently. The Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008 (commonly known as the 2008 Farm Bill) directed the Department of Agriculture (USDA) to evaluate the role of animal manure as a source of fertilizer as well as other end uses. To reach this goal, manure researchers are facing both challenges and opportunities to promote more effective utilization of animal manure as benign resources with less environmental burdens. This chapter is the Concluding Remarks of a book that compiles the latest basic and applied manure research activities beyond the adverse environmental concerns. This chapter briefly reviews some activities and accomplishments that are not reviewed and discussed in the individual chapters in this volume. This chapter then outlooks some emerging researchable issues on applied manure research that may lead the future directions of manure research on benign roles of animal manure in agriculture and the environment.

Technical Abstract: By definition, animal manure is discarded animal excreta and bedding materials usually applied to soils as a fertilizer for agricultural production. However, the impact of manure generation and disposal is far more than the role of organic fertilizers, even though the fertilizer function of animal manure should not be ignored. In the last two decades or so, the objectives of the animal manure management research have been focused on the basic knowledge of manure’s impacts on the environment and relevant technologies for the best management of animal manure. With the global attention on sustainable utilization of limited natural resources, research on beneficial use of animal manure as a renewable natural resource has increased recently. This chapter briefly reviews some activities and accomplishments that are not reviewed and discussed in the individual chapters in this volume. This chapter also outlooks some emerging researchable issues on applied manure research that may stimulate new research ideas and direction in this area.