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Dairy Manure Nitrogen Availability in Eroded and Noneroded Soil for Sugarbeet Followed by Small Grains
Author(s) -
Lentz Rodrick D.,
Lehrsch Gary A.,
Brown Bradford,
JohnsonMaynard Jodi,
Leytem April B.
Publication year - 2011
Publication title -
agronomy journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.752
H-Index - 131
eISSN - 1435-0645
pISSN - 0002-1962
DOI - 10.2134/agronj2010.0409
Subject(s) - manure , mineralization (soil science) , agronomy , hordeum vulgare , compost , soil water , environmental science , green manure , fertilizer , nitrogen cycle , zoology , chemistry , nitrogen , poaceae , biology , organic chemistry , soil science
Efficient recycling of abundant manure resources from regional dairy industries in the semiarid West requires a better understanding of N availability in manure‐amended soils. We measured net N mineralization using buried bags, and crop biomass, N uptake, and yields for sprinkler‐irrigated, whole (noneroded) and eroded Portneuf soils (coarse‐silty, mixed, superactive, mesic Durinodic Xeric Haplocalcid) subject to a one‐time manure application. Treatments included a control, fertilizer, two rates of composted dairy manure (28.4, 64.3 Mg ha −1 , dry wt.), and two rates of stockpiled dairy manure (23.3, 45.7 Mg ha −1 , dry wt.) applied in the fall before the Year 1 cropping season. Plots were planted to sugarbeet ( Beta vulgaris L. ), winter wheat ( Triticum aestivum L.), and spring barley ( Hordeum vulgare L.) during the 3‐yr study. Overall, net N mineralization rates were low to moderate during winter through spring, decreased in early summer due to N immobilization, then increased to a maximum in late summer, followed by a decrease in fall. The mean mineralization rate (as a percentage of the added organic N) for Years 1, 2, and 3 was −4.2 (N immobilization), 4.3, and 4.8% for compost and 17.4, 17.0, and 11.4% for manure, respectively. Relative to controls, compost and manure treatments as a group increased total 3‐yr net N mineralization more for eroded (1.77×) than for whole soils (1.55×). At higher rates, manure also increased immobilization and mineralization in 30‐ to 60‐cm soil depths (below the zone of incorporation). To optimize the use of N mineralized in southern Idaho's manure‐amended soils, one should consider the type manure employed and the erosion status of the soil receiving the amendment.