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Long‐term nitrogen supply from cattle slurry
Author(s) -
Schröder J.J.,
Jansen A.G.,
Hilhorst G.J.
Publication year - 2005
Publication title -
soil use and management
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.709
H-Index - 81
eISSN - 1475-2743
pISSN - 0266-0032
DOI - 10.1111/j.1475-2743.2005.tb00125.x
Subject(s) - slurry , manure , agronomy , nitrogen , environmental science , silage , zoology , fertilizer , organic matter , phosphorus , dry matter , potassium , chemistry , biology , environmental engineering , ecology , organic chemistry
. Manures can supply nitrogen (N) beyond the year of application, producing residual effects that are are not fully expressed in short‐term experiments. From 1997 to 2003 we conducted a field experiment on a sandy soil in the Netherlands to quantify the residual N effect. Treatments comprised different time series of cattle slurry applied at rates ranging from 0 to 220 kg total‐N ha −1 yr −1 , while compensating for differences in available potassium and phosphorus. Dry matter and N yields of silage maize responded positively ( P <0.05) to both current cattle slurry applications and applications in previous years. N yields could be satisfactorily predicted with a simple N model by adopting an annual relative decomposition rate (RDR) of the organic N in cattle slurry of 25–33%. Subsequent model calculations indicated that the relative N fertilizer value (RNFV) of cattle slurry rises from approximately 55–60% when manure is first applied to approximately 80% after 6 and 8 years for RDRs of 33% and 25%, respectively. Given the long manuring history of most agricultural systems, rethinking the fertilizer value of manure seems justified.