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ARS Home » Plains Area » Clay Center, Nebraska » U.S. Meat Animal Research Center » Nutrition, Growth and Physiology » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #291775
Title: Diet, tillage and soil moisture effects on odorous emissions following land application of beef manure

Author
item Woodbury, Bryan
item Gilley, John
item PARKER, DAVID - West Texas A & M University
item MARX, DAVID - University Of Nebraska
item Eigenberg, Roger

Submitted to: Meeting Proceedings
Publication Type: Proceedings
Publication Acceptance Date: 3/10/2013
Publication Date: 3/26/2013
Citation: Woodbury, B.L., Gilley, J.E., Parker, D.B., Marx, D.B., Eigenberg, R.A. 2013. Diet, tillage and soil moisture effects on odorous emissions following land application of beef manure. In: Waste to Worth: Spreading Science and Solutions, April 1-5, 2013, Denver, Colorado. Available: http://www.extension.org/pages/67640/diet-tillage-and-soil-moisture-effects-on-odorous-emissions-following-land-application-of-beef-manure.

Interpretive Summary: Beef manure from animals that were fed diets containing different amounts of feed was applied to soil as a fertilizer. The applied manure and soil were either tilled or not tilled. The amount of odors that were released from the manure was measured for 24 hours. Following this time period, an application of water was applied to the soil to represent rain. The odors that were released were measured again. It was found that more odors were released when the soil was not tilled and before the application of water. It was determined that tilling and adding water held the odors in the soil and did not release them to the air.

Technical Abstract: Beef manure from animals fed diets containing different amounts of wet distillers grain with solubles (WDGS) was applied to soil as a fertilizer to plot located across the slope. The applied manure and soil were either tilled or not tilled. The odor emissions were measured for 24 hours. Then a single application of water was applied to the soil until runoff began to represent rain. Isovaleric acid, butyric acid, and 4-methylphenol accounted for 28.9%, 18.0%, and 17.7%, respectively of the total odor activity. Dimethyl disulfide and dimethal trisulfide emissions were significantly increased by the 30% WDGS diet. The flux increase for DMDS was over 4 times greater for the 30% WDGS diets. Tillage did not significantly affect any of the measured VOC compounds. The largest propionic, isobutric, butyric, isovaleric, and valeric acid measurements occurred with no-tillage under dry conditions. Generally, measured values for these constituents were significantly greater at the 0, 1, 2, and 6 hour sampling intervals than at the 23 hour interval. The larger emissions for no-till, dry conditions may be due to the drying effect resulting when the manure was broadcast on the surface. As the manure begins to dry, the water soluble odorous compounds are released from solution. The tilled and wet conditions reduced the release of odorous compounds due to the increased moisture conditions.