Comparison of solid vs. liquid dairy manure applications on corn yield and soil composition

Journal Article · · J. Environ. Qual.; (United States)

OSTI ID:6799976

Sutton, A L; Nelson, D W; Kelly, D T; Hill, D L

A 6-yr field experiment was conducted to determine the effects of liquid and solid dairy (Bos taurus) manure applications on a Crosby silt loam soil cropped to corn (Zen mays L.). Liquid manure at rates of 112, 224, and 336 Mg ha/sup -1/ and solid manure at rates of 34, 67, and 101 Mg ha/sup -1/ were spread annually for 5 yr. No manure was applied the 6th yr, but the soil was cropped to determine residual nutrient effects. Check and inorganic fertilizer treatments were also included in the study. Manure addition increased corn yields when compared to no fertilizer. Corn yields were as great or greater from plots supplied with manure and manure slurries as those supplied with commercial fertilizer. Over the 5 yr of manure application, the 224 Mg ha/sup -1/ rate of liquid manure and the 67 Mg ha/sup -1/ rate of solid manure results in maximum corn yields that were 1% higher than commercial fertilizer. Accumulations of nutrients in the soil from high liquid manure application rates (224 and 336 Mg ha/sup -1/) increased corn yields during the residual cropping year. Corn leaf N and P concentrations tended to reflect N and P rates applied with the manures and the fertilizer treatment compared to the check, but not consistently each year. Source of manure had little affect on corn leaf composition. Soil P, K, and Na increased with each additional year of manure application and tended to increase with higher application rates. Extractable P accumulated in the upper profile of soil, whereas exchangeable K and Na increased at lower depths in the soil profile, especially with the highest manure application rates.

• Research Organization: Purdue Univ., West Lafayette, IN
• OSTI ID: 6799976
• Journal Information: J. Environ. Qual.; (United States), Journal Name: J. Environ. Qual.; (United States) Vol. 15:4; ISSN JEVQA
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

510200* -- Environment
Terrestrial-- Chemicals Monitoring & Transport-- (-1989)
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
560300 -- Chemicals Metabolism & Toxicology
63 RADIATION, THERMAL, AND OTHER ENVIRON. POLLUTANT EFFECTS ON LIVING ORGS. AND BIOL. MAT.
AGRICULTURAL WASTES
ALKALI METALS
CEREALS
CHEMICAL COMPOSITION
ECOLOGICAL CONCENTRATION
ELEMENTS
FERTILIZERS
GRASS
MAIZE
MANURES
METALS
NITRATES
NITROGEN COMPOUNDS
NONMETALS
NUTRIENTS
ORGANIC WASTES
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
PHOSPHORUS
PLANTS
POTASSIUM
PRODUCTIVITY
SODIUM
SOILS
USES
WASTES