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ARS Home » Southeast Area » Mississippi State, Mississippi » Crop Science Research Laboratory » Genetics and Sustainable Agriculture Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #403270
Research Project: Closing the Yield Gap of Cotton, Corn, and Soybean in the Humid Southeast with More Sustainable Cropping Systems

Location: Genetics and Sustainable Agriculture Research

Title: Residual benefits of poultry litter applied by subsurface band vs surface broadcast to cotton

Author
item Tewolde, Haile
item Way, Thomas - Tom
item BUEHRING, NORMIE - Mississippi State University
item Jenkins, Johnie

Submitted to: Agronomy
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 3/6/2024
Publication Date: 3/14/2024
Citation: Tewolde, H., Way, T.R., Buehring, N., Jenkins, J.N. 2024. Residual benefits of poultry litter applied by subsurface band vs surface broadcast to cotton. Agronomy. 14(3):582. https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy14030582.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy14030582

Interpretive Summary: Poultry litter, a byproduct of the poultry production industry, is land-applied as a fertilizer to crops like cotton and corn. Previous research has shown that it benefits crop production not only in the same season it is applied but also in subsequent seasons after stopping applications. In this study, whether this advantage is greater if the litter is applied in narrow bands below the soil surface than spreading on the soil surface which is the conventional method was investigated. The results showed that, one year after the last application, corn produced more grain if the poultry litter was applied by subsurface banding than by surface broadcast. Regardless of the method of application, corn produced 40% more grain and cotton produced 29% more lint yield if planted in plots that were fertilized with poultry litter than with synthetic fertilizers. A key finding in this study is that, regardless of the application method, poultry litter-derived potassium, a key plant nutrient, persisted in the soil and benefited cotton yield up to four years after the last application. This suggests that farmers can reduce or eliminate fertilizing with potash fertilizers and associated costs if planting cotton in soils with a history of poultry litter applications.

Technical Abstract: Poultry litter (PL) is known to have residual effect on crop productivity long after stopping applications. Whether this advantage is greater if applied by subsurface vs. surface broadcast is not known. The objective of this study was to determine whether the residual benefit of PL to corn and cotton production is greater if applied in subsurface bands vs. surface broadcast up to 4 yr after the last application. The residual effect of synthetic N (sN) or PL applied by the two methods to supply seven plant-available N rates between 0-292 kg ha-1 yr-1 in 2014-2015 was tested on corn and cotton in 2016-2019. Corn was grown without applying PL or sN in 2016 and cotton was grown in 2017-2019 after applying 90 kg ha-1 yr-1 sN to all plots. Corn produced 40% greater grain and cotton produced 29% more lint yield due to residuals from PL than sN. Residuals from PL distinctly increased cotton leaf K over sN regardless of the method of application. Corn yield benefits 1 yr after stopping PL application was greater if applied by subsurface banding vs. surface broadcast. This benefit diminished in subsequent years with cotton. The results overall show PL components, regardless of the application method, persist in the soil for up to 4 yr and affect corn or cotton production. This study identified K as the key PL nutrient that persisted in the soil and benefited cotton yield 4 yr after the last application.