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Swine Manure and Lagoon Effluent Applied to a Temperate Forage Mixture: II. Rainfall Runoff and Soil Chemical Properties
Author(s) -
Westerman P. W.,
King Larry D.,
Burns J. C.,
Cummings G. A.,
Overcash M. R.
Publication year - 1987
Publication title -
journal of environmental quality
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.888
H-Index - 171
eISSN - 1537-2537
pISSN - 0047-2425
DOI - 10.2134/jeq1987.00472425001600020003x
Subject(s) - surface runoff , manure , environmental science , festuca arundinacea , effluent , agronomy , nutrient , temperate climate , zoology , irrigation , fertilizer , forage , poaceae , environmental engineering , biology , ecology
Rates of swine ( Sus scrofa domesticus ) waste used for crop production must be sufficient to supply adequate nutrients but must not pose a surface or groundwater pollution hazard. To determine acceptable rates, plots of predominantly tall fescue ( Festuca arundinacea L. Schreb) on a Cecil soil (Typic Hapludults) received no treatment (C); commercial fertilizer (F) at 201‐34‐65 kg N‐P‐K ha −1 yr −1 , swine manure slurry (M) supplying 670 kg N ha −1 yr −1 , or swine lagoon effluent (E) applied by sprinkler irrigation to supply 600 (E 1 ) or 1200 (E 2 ) kg N ha −1 yr −1 for 4 yr. The waste treatments, chosen to evaluate acceptable maximum application rates when land is limited, resulted in much higher applications of N, P, K, and other nutrients than are normally used for temperate species. Runoff from E 2 had an annual mean concentration of 13 mg L −1 NO 3 ‐N but the low runoff volume resulted in mass transport of only about 10 kg NO 3 ‐N ha −1 yr −1 . Concentration of P was significantly higher with E 2 (9 mg L −1 ) and M (6 mg L −1 ) than with the other treatments. The runoff quality from E 1 was not significantly different than that from F. Soil NO 3 ‐N concentrations to a depth of 200 cm showed significant differences in the order E 2 = M > E 1 > F = C. For E 2 , 49% of the applied N could not be accounted for by crop removal, increased soil NO 3 ‐N, or runoff. Mehlich 1 extractable P was greater with E 2 than with the other treatments. Extractable soil K and Na were increased by E 1 and E 2 but treatments had little or no effect on extractable Ca, Mg, Cu, Zn, Mn, or on total N, organic matter, or pH. Analysis of runoff and soil NO 3 ‐N data indicate that M, E 2 , and perhaps E 1 supplied excess N. Consequently, surface and groundwater pollution hazards may be created by applying manure and effluent at the rates studied. Pollution by runoff was more likely when rainfall occurred soon after manure or fertilizer application.