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ARS Home » Southeast Area » Auburn, Alabama » Soil Dynamics Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #414543
Research Project: Sustaining Productivity and Ecosystem Services of Agricultural and Horticultural Systems in the Southeastern United States

Location: Soil Dynamics Research

Title: Distribution of phosphorus forms in soil amended with poultry litter of different ages and application rates: Agronomic and environmental perspectives

Author
item CHAKRABORTY, D - Auburn University
item PRASAD, R - Auburn University
item Watts, Dexter
item Torbert, Henry - Allen

Submitted to: Soil Science Society of America Journal
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 9/20/2024
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary: There is a lack of information about phosphorus distribution and transformation of inorganic and organic forms in soils amended with poultry litter of varying age (based on litter clean-out frequency) and application rate. This study aimed to determine the effect of poultry litter age and application rate on soil P forms and their bioavailability. Soils were amended with 5 and 10 Mg ha-1 poultry litter using 6, 18, and 30-month old litter and incubated for six months. Soil P fractionation was performed following the Hedley protocol. Results indicated that a t Day 0, P was positively correlated to highly reactive P. However, from Day 30 to 150, soil test P was strongly correlated to both highly reactive P and moderately reactive P forms, indicating moderately reactive P contribution to soil P availability.

Technical Abstract: There is a lack of information about phosphorus distribution and transformation of inorganic and organic forms in soils amended with poultry litter of varying age (based on litter clean-out frequency) and application rate. This study aimed to determine the effect of poultry litter age and application rate on soil P forms and their bioavailability. Soils were amended with 5 and 10 Mg ha-1 poultry litter using 6, 18, and 30-month old litter and incubated for six months. Soil P fractionation was performed following the Hedley protocol. Soil P availability and soil P storage capacity were determined using Mehlich 3 extraction. Results indicated that P transformation from labile to stable P forms occurred over 150-day incubation. Litter age had no significant effect on the distribution of soil P forms. However, highly reactive P form was high for treatments with 10 Mg ha-1 PL on Day 0, indicating risk for P loss, as was also revealed by negative soil P storage capacity for those treatments. At Day 0, P was positively correlated to highly reactive P. However, from Day 30 to 150, soil test P was strongly correlated to both highly reactive P and moderately reactive P forms, indicating moderately reactive P contribution to soil P availability.