scholarly journals Repeated application of anaerobic digestate, undigested cattle slurry and inorganic fertilizer N: Impacts on pasture yield and quality

2018 ◽  
Vol 73 (3) ◽  
pp. 758-763 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. J. Walsh ◽  
D. L. Jones ◽  
D. R. Chadwick ◽  
A. P. Williams
1990 ◽  
Vol 115 (1) ◽  
pp. 49-56 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. P. Frost ◽  
R. J. Stevens ◽  
R. J. Laughlin

SUMMARYDuring the growing season of 1988 at the Agricultural Research Institute, Hillsborough, cattle slurry was kept whole or was separated through screens with mesh sizes of 5 mm, 3 mm, 0·25 mm and 0·015 mm. The resulting slurry liquids were either left unacidified or were acidified to pH 5.5 with 5M-H2SO4 prior to application at 75 kg NH+4-N/ha to perennial ryegrass in the field. Volatilization of ammonia was measured using ventilated enclosures. Plots treated with a range of rates of inorganic fertilizer N were used to construct response curves to assess the efficiency of N in slurry for herbage production compared with equinitrogenous inorganic fertilizer.On average over the season, acidification of cattle slurry decreased ammonia volatilization to < 15% of that from unacidified whole slurry. Compared with inorganic fertilizer N, the overall efficiency of NH+4-N was 96% in acidified slurries and 36% in unacidified whole slurry. Ammonia volatilization from separated slurries decreased with decreasing mesh size to 39% of that from whole slurry for a 0·015 mm mesh. The overall efficiency of NH4+-N in slurry separated through a 0·015 mm mesh was 76%. A highly significant linear relationship was found between NH3-N volatilized from all slurry treatments and N offtake in herbage at all three harvests.


1997 ◽  
Vol 129 (3) ◽  
pp. 335-342 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. J. STEVENS ◽  
R. J. LAUGHLIN ◽  
C. J. O'BRIC ◽  
O. T. CARTON ◽  
J. J. LENEHAN

Field trials were conducted at six sites throughout Ireland in 1992, 1993 and 1994, to assess the efficiency of utilization of N in cattle slurry treated with nitric acid. Slurries were left untreated or were acidified to pH 5·5 with 12 m nitric acid immediately prior to spreading. Slurries were either band-spread or splashplate-spread using an automated tanker system. The efficiency of N (NH+4-N+NO−3-N) in slurry for grass production (Eff-N%) was measured by comparing N offtake values with those from a range of rates of inorganic fertilizer N (ammonium nitrate/calcium carbonate) treatments. Slurry was applied at rates (13–28 m3/ha) which supplied N (NH+4-N+NO−3-N) below the highest inorganic fertilizer treatment. In all experiments, untreated cattle slurry was compared with nitric acid-treated cattle slurry at the same rate of application. The Eff-N% values for unacidified or acidified slurries were highly variable by both spreading methods. The effect of spreading method depended on whether or not the slurry was acidified. On average the Eff-N% value of the band-spread unacidified slurry (59%) was significantly higher than the Eff-N% value of the splashplate-spread slurry (37%). For acidified slurry, the average Eff-N% value of the band-spread slurry (85%) was not significantly different from the Eff-N% value of the splashplate-spread slurry (81%). The overall average Eff-N% value of the acidified slurry was 83% which was significantly less than 100%. Cattle slurry acidified with nitric acid to pH 5·5 was more variable and less efficient than inorganic fertilizer N under the soil and climatic conditions tested.


2017 ◽  
Vol 2 (02) ◽  
pp. 225-227
Author(s):  
Mahesh Kumar ◽  
Santosh Kumar ◽  
Rajeshwari Sharma ◽  
V. K. Dwivedi

The experiment was laid out in randomised block design (RBD)during the crop season of 2004 -05 and 2005-06 at the research farm of J.V.P.G. College, Baraut, Baghpat (U.P.) comprising 10 treatments with 3 replications. DEBPCFYM, combinations of DEBPC+FYM and inorganic fertilizer significantly increased seed yield. Biological yield and quality content of Indian mustard. Among the various treatments, application of FYM 5t/ha + DEBPC 3t/ ha recorded highest seed yield, biological yield and all the quality contents in both the years.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yang Bo ◽  
Zhang Tao ◽  
Zhang Man ◽  
Bo Li

Abstract Evaluating the sustainability of vegetable production is crucial to secure future food supply. A two-year field study of four different vegetable crops was performed to investigate the effects of inorganic fertilizer and human feces slurry at different ratios on vegetable yields, reactive gaseous nitrogen emissions (GNrEs), reactive nitrogen (Nr) footprint and net ecosystem-economic income (NEEI) by using life-cycle analysis. Four fertilization strategies were studied, including: CK (no fertilization); CF (inorganic fertilization); CHF1 (human feces slurry/inorganic fertilizer, N ratio=1:7); and CHF2 (human slurry/inorganic fertilizer, N ratio=1:3). Results showed that compared with CF treatment, both CHF1 and CHF2 treatments increased the N2O+NO emissions by 11.8 % and 32.4 % on average, while decreased the vegetable yields by 6.7 % and 7.4 %, respectively. Moreover, the addition of human feces slurry increased the proportions of Nr footprint by 6.6 % (CHF1) and 2.9 % (CHF2) in comparison with CF treatment group. However, although CHF2 treatment significantly increased the values of GNrEs and reactive gaseous nitrogen intensity (GNrI) by 8.4 % and 12.5 %, respectively, in relation to those in CF treatment group, it still increased farmers’ income by 16,404 CNY ha−1. These findings suggest that although human feces slurry incorporation could not mitigate Nr releases, the appropriate ratio of inorganic fertilizer and human feces slurry (CHF2) is able to improve net economic income (NEI) and NEEI during intensive vegetable production. Nevertheless, the relationship between combinatorial treatment of inorganic fertilizer and human feces slurry and mitigation of Nr release should be explored further.


2018 ◽  
Vol 40 (6) ◽  
Author(s):  
Leonardo Tullio ◽  
Heverly Morais ◽  
Renato Yagi

Abstract Plastic cover and organic fertilization for grapevine can bring synergistic benefits in yields and fruit quality. The objective was to characterize and measure the effects of fertilization with cattle slurry in systems without and with plastic cover on plant nutrition, yield and quality of ‘Niagara Rosada’ fruits. Two experiments were carried out and evaluated in contiguous areas, without and with plastic cover, each one using a randomized complete block design with 4 treatments represented by cattle slurry rates of 0, 20, 40 and 60 m3 ha-1, with four replicates. The nutritional status of grapevines was not affected by cattle slurry application without plastic cover in plants growing on fertile sandy soil. Plastic cover provides better nutrition ofprimary macronutrients and higher yield and fruit quality, even without the use of manure. Without plastic cover, cattle slurry rates above 20 m3 ha-1 and below 60 m3 ha-1 were able to balance phosphate and potassium nutrition in these systems, increasing fruit yield by 31% up to 32 m3 ha-1, respectively. However, this increment represented 64% of the average yield of fruits obtained with plastic cover without organic fertilization. Thus, the use of plastic cover on grapevine represents a conservationist soil fertility management, adding sustainability and increasing fruit yield and quality.


2000 ◽  
Vol 134 (2) ◽  
pp. 147-158 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. DOMBURG ◽  
A. C. EDWARDS ◽  
A. H. SINCLAIR

Use of fertilizers and manures during 1994 were studied at the farm and catchment scale in the largely agricultural Ythan catchment, north-east Scotland, using farm level census data supplemented by questionnaire data. Grassland accounted for 40% of the agricultural land, and seven farm types represented 87% of the total land, having an average size of 90 ha. The average livestock density of 1·2 livestock units/ha was high compared to Scotland as a whole (0·5). Rates of inorganic fertilizer applied to individual crops in the area corresponded with the national average and current advisory recommendations. At the catchment scale, most fertilizer N was applied to grassland (47%), whereas spring crops received the greatest proportion of the fertilizer P (35%). The annual manure production equated to an average over the catchment of 63 and 16 kg/ha of N and P, respectively. When calculated for farm types these figures ranged from 27 and 6 kg/ha on ‘cereal’ farms to 384 and 163 kg/ha on ‘pig’ farms. The ratio of applied fertilizer N and P varied from 4[ratio ]1 for ‘general cropping’ to 10[ratio ]1 for ‘cattle and sheep (lowground)’ farms. There was no significant compensatory reduction in inorganic fertilizer applications on crops, which also had received manures.


2000 ◽  
Vol 80 (3) ◽  
pp. 513-519 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. D. Popp ◽  
W. P. McCaughey ◽  
R. D. H. Cohen ◽  
T. A. McAllister ◽  
W. Majak

Alfalfa has been recognized for its superior yield and quality in seeded pastures. However, when grazing immature alfalfa there is a risk of animal losses due to frothy bloat in some ruminant livestock. Inclusion of at least 50% grass in the pasture mixture is commonly recommended to reduce the risk of bloat. Two decades of plant breeding have resulted in the release of AC Grazeland, an alfalfa cultivar that reduces the incidence of bloat. Other bloat control agents such as pluronic detergents and ionophores can also be of value. Development of grazing-tolerant alfalfa varieties is solving some of the problems associated with lack of persistence of alfalfa in mixed stands; however, they are not bloat-safe. Animal productivity commonly increases when alfalfa is included in pasture mixtures. Improvements in cattle rate of gain are observed when alfalfa contributes as little as 35% to the sward. Grazing management is the principal method for controlling pasture yield and quality as well as animal performance and bloat incidence. When grazing management is used to optimize pasture production and nutrient intake, yearling steers can gain as much as 1.5 kg head−1 d−1 and liveweight production ranging from 107 kg ha−1 (on dryland) to 1946 kg ha−1 (under irrigation) can be expected. Limiting utilization of alfalfa-based pasture to ≤70% may be more important for maximizing gain per head than managing herbage quality. Key words: Alfalfa, beef production, forage, grazing


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