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Title: THE EFFECTS OF MANURE HANDLING AND STORAGE CONDITIONS ON NITROGEN AND CARBON MINERALIZATION.

Author
item Van Kessel, Jo Ann
item Reeves Iii, James
item Meisinger, John

Submitted to: BARC Poster Day
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 3/30/1998
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Manure has traditionally been regarded as waste. With increased environmental pressures and higher production costs, many producers now manage manure as a fertilizer. In order to apply manure at a rate that matches crop requirements, an accurate, timely assessment of its nutrient value is required. The long term goal of this research is to develop rapid, on-farm methods of manure C and N analysis. The first step is to determine the availability of organic manure N. An assay was set up to assess the rate and extent of C and N mineralization. Manure amended soil is incubated at 25C and the appearance of ammonium plus nitrate and the production of carbon dioxide are monitored over a 16 wk period. It has become apparent that all manure samples cannot be processed at the time of collection and that samples must be stored prior to analysis. An experiment was designed to determine the appropriate method of manure handling and storage prior to running mineralization assays. Two types of manure (fresh and stored slurry)and seven manure treatments (fresh, frozen for 4 wks, refrigerated for 1 d, 1 wk, and 4 wks, freeze dried and ground, and oven dried and ground) will be studied. Rates and extents of N and C mineralization will be compared among treatments to determine the most appropriate methods for handling and storing manure samples.