Soil microbial community responses to dairy manure or ammonium nitrate applications

Soil management practices that result in increased soil C also impact soil microbial biomass and community structure. In this study, the effects of dairy manure applications and inorganic N fertilizer on microbial biomass and microbial community composition were determined. Treatments examined were a control with no nutrient additions (CT), ammonium nitrate at 218 kg N ha⁻¹ (AN), and manure N rates of 252 kg manure-N ha⁻¹ (LM) and 504 kg manure-N ha⁻¹ (HM). All plots were no-till cropped to silage corn (Zea mays, L. Merr) followed by a Crimson clover (Trifolium incarnatum, L.)/annual ryegrass (Lolium multiflorum, Lam.) winter cover crop. Treatments were applied yearly, with two-thirds of the N applied in late April or early May, and the remainder applied in September. Soil samples (0–5, 5–10, and 10–15 cm) were taken in March 1996, prior to the spring nutrient application. Polar lipid fatty acid (PLFA) analysis was used to assess changes in microbial biomass and community structure. Significantly greater soil C, N and microbial biomass in the 0–5 cm depth were observed under both manure treatments than in the CT and AN treatments. There was also a definable shift in the microbial community composition of the surface soils (0–5cm). Typical Gram-negative bacteria PLFA biomarkers were 15 and 27% higher in the LM and HM treatments than in the control. The AN treatment resulted in a 15% decrease in these PLFA compared with the control. Factor analysis of the polar lipid fatty acid profiles from all treatments revealed that the two manure amendments were correlated and could be described by a single factor comprised of typical Gram-negative bacterial biomarkers. The AN treatments from all three depths were also correlated and were described by a second factor comprised of typical Gram-positive bacterial biomarkers. These results demonstrate that soil management practices, such as manuring, that result in accumulations of organic carbon will result in increased microbial biomass and changes in community structure.     

Phosphorus and potassium availability from cattle manure ash in relation to their extractability and grass tetany hazard

ABSTRACT

Due to a decrease in phosphorus (P) and potassium (K) mining, manure is incinerated to concentrate P and K in ash. To understand the alternative use of manure-derived ash as P and K sources, laboratory and greenhouse experiments were conducted to determine the relationship between extractability and P and K uptake in cattle manure ash (CMA) and that between CMA application and a grass tetany hazard. The results showed that more P was extracted with 2% citric acid (90% of the total P) than with 2% formic acid (72–84% of the total P). Ninety-one percent of the total K was soluble in water. A greenhouse pot experiment was conducted to test P and K availability to Guinea grass (Megathyrsus maximus). Cattle manure ash or calcium dihydrogen phosphate (CF) was incorporated into sandy soil at 10, 20, and 50 g P₂O₅ m^?2. Two combinations of CMA and CF were tested at 20 g P₂O₅ m^?2. Potassium rates followed K content in CMA applied at different rates of P equivalent to 19, 38, or 96 g K₂O m^?2. In four harvests, there was no significant difference in the total yields between CMA and CF treatments. The total P uptake was significantly lower in the CMA treatment than in the CF treatment, while it was not in the combined CMA and CF treatments. The P uptake in response to different extraction methods indicated that the extraction of P by 2% formic acid without sonication is recommended to predict P availability in CMA. The potassium uptake from CMA application was comparable to that from the KCl application, and excessive K occurred at 38 and 96 g K₂O m^?2. The grass tetany hazard ratio higher than 2.2 was observed at the beginning period at the lowest application rates of CMA and CF. In conclusion, the combination use of CMA and CF was better than the single use of CMA. Moreover, CMA would be an available K source, but the grass tetany hazard still needs to be considered in application rates and pretreatments.     

Soil carbon and nitrogen response to 25 annual cattle manure applications

Improving manure management to benefit both agricultural production and the environment requires a thorough understanding of the long‐term effects of applied manure on soil properties. This paper examines the effect of 25 annual solid cattle manure applications on soil organic carbon (OC), total N (TN), and KCl‐extractable NO₃‐N and NH₄‐N under both non‐irrigated and irrigated conditions. After 25 annual manure applications, OC and TN contents increased significantly with the rate of manure application at the top two sampling depths (0–15 cm and 15–30 cm), and the increases were not affected by the irrigation treatment. The NO₃ content increased at all sampling depths with greater increases observed under non‐irrigated conditions, while NH₄ content was not affected by manure application rates or the irrigation treatment. The changes in OC and TN at the surface (0–15 cm) and 15–30 cm depth were dependent on the cumulative weight of manure added over the years. The relationships between cumulative manure OC added and soil OC content and between cumulative manure TN added and soil TN content were linear and not affected by the irrigation treatment. For every ton of manure OC added, soil OC increased by 0.181 g kg^–1 in the topsoil (0–15 cm). Similarly, for every ton of manure TN added, surface soil TN increased by 0.192 g kg^–1. The linear relationship between manure C added and soil C content suggests that the soil had a high capacity for short‐term C sequestration. However, the total amount of NO₃‐N in the soil profile (0–150 cm) was affected by both the manure application rates and the irrigation treatment. A large amount of NO₃ accumulated in the soil, especially under non‐irrigated conditions. The extremely high level of NO₃ in the soil increases the potential risk of surface and groundwater pollution and losses to atmosphere as N₂O.     

Corn response to six annual Cu-enriched pig manure applications to three soils

The increasing use of land application of organic wastes presents a potential pathway for metals to enter the environment and cause phytotoxicity. Studies to evaluate the response of corn (Zea mays L.) to annual applications of Cu-enriched pig manure or CUSO₄ were established as ongoing field experiments in 1978 on three soils. The soils varied in texture from fine sandy loam to clay loam and ranged in CEC from 5.0 to 12.3 cmol(+) kg^?1. Five treatments in each field experiment consisted of a control, low and high Cu-enriched pig manure levels, and low and high CuSO₄ levels. After 6 yr 638 Mg ha^?1 of wet Cu-enriched pig manure containing from 185 to 198 mg Cu kg^?1 had been applied for the high treatments on the three soils. The Cu-enriched pig manure, which contained 1290 mg Cu dry kg^?1, was produced by pigs fed diets with 242 mg Cu kg^?1. In the sixth year, leaf blade Cu concentrations were increased by ≤ 3.3 mg kg^?1 due to the high Cu treatments but remained in the middle of the Cu sufficiency range. Grain Cu was 73 to 84% lower than blade Cu and was unaffected by the treatments. The DTPA (diethylenetriaminepentaacetic acid) extractable Cu was not related to either leaf or grain Cu levels. However, the DTPA extractable Cu was linearly related, r = 0.92, to applied amounts of Cu in the three soils. Overall, this research indicated that application of up to 638 Mg kg^?1 of wet Cu-enriched pig manure did not cause an environmental hazard.     

Phosphorus availability and rice grain yield in a paddy soil in response to long-term fertilization

Rice (Oryza sativa L.) is one of the most important crops in the world, and its production is limited by soil phosphorus (P) deficiencies in many parts of the world. Impacts of long-term fertilization regimes on rice productivity and soil P availability is largely unknown. A long-term (26-year) field experiment in a paddy soil of southeastern China was carried out to study the response of rice grain yield and soil P pools to different fertilization regimes including control without fertilization (CK), nitrogen, P, and potassium (NPK) fertilizer (NPK), NPK fertilizer plus cattle manure (NPKM), and NPK fertilizer plus rice straw (NPKS). Application of fertilizers (NPK, NPKM, and NPKS) increased rice grain yield compared with the CK treatment (on average, by 75%, 97%, and 92%, respectively). Soil P was predominately present in the organic form (51–75% of total P) across different treatments. Most soil inorganic P fractions decreased with time due to continuous depletion by rice plants in the nonfertilized treatment (CK), while they generally increased with time in the fertilizer treatments (NPK, NPKM, and NPKS) due to continued supply of P to soil. On the other hand, soil organic P fractions increased continuously with time regardless of treatment, probably due to the retention of stubble and biological immobilization of inorganic P. Positive relationships between the rice grain yield and most inorganic P fractions in the CK treatment indicated the P limitation for rice production due to no P inputs and long-term conversion of inorganic P into organic P.     

Short-term N availability in response to dissolved-organic-carbon from poultry manure, alone or in combination with cellulose

 Short-term changes in N availability in a sandy soil in response to the dissolved organic carbon (DOC) from a poultry manure (application rate equivalent to approximately 250 kg N ha^–1) were evaluated in a 44-day aerobic incubation experiment. The treatments included poultry manure alone and two treatments in which an extra source of C, of low water solubility, was added with the poultry manure in the form of a low (1.05 g kg^–1) and a high (4.22 g kg^–1) amount of cellulose. All treatments were fertilised with the equivalent of 60 kg N ha^–1 of (¹⁵NH₄)₂SO₄ in solution. A control treatment consisted of sieved field-moist soil plus 60 kg N ha^–1 of (¹⁵NH₄)₂SO₄ in solution. Measurements were made of N₂O and CO₂ emissions, inorganic N, DOC, biomass N, biomass C and labelled N contained in the inorganic N and biomass N pools. The dynamics of N turnover in this study were driven mainly by processes of mineralisation–immobilisation with little significant loss of N by volatilisation or denitrification. The DOC supplied with the poultry manure played a more important role in N₂O emissions than differences in C/N ratio. Changes in DOC and cumulative CO₂-C production during the first 11 days were also highly correlated (R ²=0.88–0.66, P<0.01). An initial net immobilisation of N, with significant increases in biomass C and biomass N (P<0.05) for all treatments over the control at day 11, indicated a high availability of C from the DOC fraction. The presence of additional C from the applied cellulose did not enable a massive N immobilisation. Total inorganic N and unlabelled inorganic N concentrations were highest in soils treated with poultry manure alone (P<0.05), indicating that an active gross mineralisation of the added poultry manure and a possible positive priming effect were taking place during the incubation. Received: 29 May 1998     

Distribution and plant availability of soil copper fractions following copper sulphate and farmyard manure applications

The effects of copper (Cu) application on the Cu distribution in various pools were investigated in laboratory and pot culture experiments with two Alfisols. The total soil Cu was fractionated into water‐soluble plus exchangeable (CA‐Cu), inorganically‐bound (AAC‐Cu), organically‐bound (PYR‐Cu), oxide‐bound (OX‐Cu), and residual (RES‐Cu) forms. The relative contribution of these fractions to Cu uptake by wheat was calculated through path coefficient analysis, a statistical technique that differentiates between correlation and causation. Copper fertilizer was applied at rates of 0, 5, and 10 mg (kg soil)^—1 and FYM at rates of 0 and 10 t ha^—1. Results indicated that the amounts of Cu present in CA‐Cu were very small. The CA‐Cu, AAC‐Cu, PYR‐Cu, and OX‐Cu fractions were increased and RES‐Cu was not significantly affected by the Cu application. No significant variation (P ≤ 0.01) was observed between Cu application with and without FYM on the distribution of different fractions of soil Cu except PYR‐Cu in Patancheru soil. Among the levels, application of 10 mg Cu (kg soil)^—1 showed the maximum increase in different fractions of soil Cu. The per cent increase in Cu concentration in different fractions followed the order CA‐Cu > AAC‐Cu > PYR‐Cu > OX‐Cu > RES‐Cu. The path analysis showed that the PYR‐Cu and AAC‐Cu are the most important fractions for maintaining the available Cu pool in soils.     

Responses of grassland soil nematodes and protozoa to multi-year and single-year applications of dairy manure slurry and fertilizer

In order to improve understanding of how long-term use of manure affects nitrogen cycling processes, the effects of multiple years of manure applications on abundance of protozoa and nematode community structure were assessed. Plots of a grass sward in the Fraser Valley of British Columbia were either left untreated or were treated with dairy manure slurry or fertilizer, each at 50 or 100 kg NH₄-N ha⁻¹, two to four times per year for six consecutive years. Nematode community structure and protozoan abundance were determined at 19 sample dates during the fourth (1997), fifth (1998) and sixth (1999) years of application. Protozoa, bacterivorous nematodes and fungivorous nematodes were consistently more abundant in soil treated with manure at both rates than in fertilized and untreated soil, indicating that microbial turnover and flux of nutrients through the soil food web was enhanced in manured soil relative to fertilized or untreated soil. The Maturity Index (MI) and the MI2-5 were both reduced by fertilization and manure, relative to the control. The MI for the manure treatment was lower than for the fertilizer treatment as a result of greater relative abundance of enrichment opportunist nematodes in manure-treated soil. Accordingly, the MI2-5 did not differ between the manure and fertilizer treatments, suggesting that with the exception of enrichment opportunists fertilizer and manure have similar effects on structural complexity of the soil food web.Populations of micro-fauna were also assessed through 1998 and 1999 in subplots that had been treated with manure or fertilizer for four years and stopped receiving manure or fertilizer in 1998, and in subplots given manure in 1998 that had previously either been fertilized or left untreated. Protozoa and bacterivorous and fungivorous nematodes remained more abundant through 1998 and 1999 in previously manure-treated plots than in previously fertilized plots, indicating that the cumulative effects of manure application on enhancement of microbial production can be detected through at least two growing seasons after applications cease. Application of manure for one year to previously non-treated or fertilized soil raised the abundance of protozoa and bacterivorous and fungivorous nematodes to levels comparable to continuously manured soil.     

Responses of the bacterial and fungal biomass in a grassland soil to multi-year applications of dairy manure slurry and fertilizer

Plots of a tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea) sward in the south coastal region of BC, Canada, were treated with dairy manure slurry or fertilizer at 50 or 100 kg NH₄-N ha⁻¹ up to four times per year for six consecutive years; control plots received no manure or fertilizer. The length of fungal hyphae and abundance of bacterial cells were determined by direct counting at 19 sample dates during the fourth (1997), fifth (1998) and sixth (1999) application years. Bacterial abundance was significantly greater in manured soil than in fertilized and untreated soils. In contrast, hyphal length was significantly greater in untreated soil than in manured and fertilized soils. In subplots that ceased to receive manure in 1998, bacterial abundance remained greater through 1998 and 1999 than in previously fertilized plots, indicating that the 4 year cumulative effect of manure was detectable for at least two growing seasons after applications cease. The apparently negative effect of manure and fertilizer on fungal hyphae also appeared to persist through 2 years after applications ceased. Bacterial abundance increased after an initial application of manure for 1 year to previously untreated plots, but not to levels comparable to plots treated with manure continuously from 1994 to 1998.Increases in bacterial abundance, during the one to three week intervals immediately following individual applications of manure, were inconsistent and other factors, such as soil moisture, temperature and perhaps crop phenology appear to have had strong effects on the timing of these microbial responses. Annual means for bacterial abundance and total microbial biomass in the continuous manure treatment were similar for all 3 years. This suggested that the manure-induced increase in microbial biomass probably reached a plateau between one and 3 years after applications commenced. The large bacterial populations along with abundant carbon substrates in manured soil, relative to fertilized soil, were probably capable of immobilizing influxes of mineral N, explaining the observations that less leaching occured from manured than from fertilized soils.     

集约化奶牛养殖场不同粪尿处理阶段氮素分布及氨排放特征

为促进奶牛养殖场的大气氨排放控制,形成奶牛养殖场粪便中氨排放的阻控体系,该文在冬季和夏季对内蒙古呼和浩特地区奶牛养殖场A和奶牛养殖场B的大气、牛粪和牛尿进行了采样试验分析,研究了2种奶牛养殖场不同处理工艺的氨排放特征。静态试验结果表明,奶牛养殖场A和奶牛养殖场B氨气排放浓度最高的是氧化塘处理工艺、预处理工艺,分别为冬季0.862,3.169 mg/m3,夏季2.785,2.130 mg/m3。动态试验结果表明,牛粪的氨排放系数要高于牛尿1.85倍,奶牛养殖场A和奶牛养殖场B平均排放系数分别为29.23%、49.36%。奶牛养殖场A和奶牛养殖场B总大气氨排放量分别为冬季172.69,1 101.00 kg/d,夏季284.70、1 395.32 kg/d。2种处理工艺冬季和夏季大气氨含量均满足畜禽场环境质量标准,但超过人居空气质量标准。     

Phosphorus availability to corn from wood ash-amended soils

Wood ash is a residual material produced during biomass burning. In the northeastern United States up to 80 % of the ash is spread on agricultural lands as a liming amendment with the remainder being disposed of in landfills. As well as raising soil pH, wood ash also adds plant nutrients to soil. This study is an examination of the plant availability of the P in 8 different soils amended with one wood ash. Plant availability was assessed by measuring the biomass and P concentration of corn (Zea mays) L.) plants grown in the greenhouse for 28 d in soil amended with either CaCO₃ (control), wood ash to supply 200 mg kg^?1 total P, or monocalcium phosphate (MCP) to supply 200 mg kg^?1 total P and CaCO₃. Both corn growth and P uptake were highest in the MCP treatments, intermediate in the wood ash treatments, and lowest in the controls for all soil types. The soil property which seemed to have the greatest influence on P availability was pH buffer capacity. The soils with the greatest capacity to buffer OH additions also tended to exhibit the greatest absolute P uptake from wood ash-amended soils and the greatest P uptake relative to that from MCP-amended soils. The ability of soil test extractants to predict uptake of P in the three soil treatments was examined. A buffered ammonium acetate extradant overestimated P availability in the ash-amended soils relative to the MCP-amended soils. An unbuffered, acid, fluoride-containing extract provided a measure of P levels that was consistent with P uptake from all soil treatments. In this study the predictive relationship was as follows: P uptake = 0.017× (Bray P, mg kg^?1) + 1.19; r = 0.81.     

重庆市畜禽粪污的区域分布及其水环境响应特征分析

为解决常见畜禽养殖排污量估算方法存在的缺陷和核实重庆市畜禽养殖目前污染状况,在调研当地畜禽养殖业及其排放状况的基础上,提出计算规模化养殖场排污量的校正方法,核算在现有治污模式下的典型畜禽排污量;以重庆市五大功能区为研究对象,基于不同水环境功能区划,采用等标污染负荷比法,研究了化学需氧量(CODCr)、总氮(TN)、总磷(TP)等标排放量的功能区分布及其潜在水环境响应特征,进而确定了畜禽养殖业主要污染区域和主要污染物,为重庆市不同功能区的产业发展和环境保护提供决策依据。结果表明,重庆市2013年畜禽养殖量为411.81万猪当量,粪便、尿、CODCr、TN、TP实物排放量分别为2.27×106 t、1.66×106 t、3.03×104 t、0.72×104 t和1.87×104 t。CODCr、TN、TP等标排放量分别为1.44×109 m3、7.94×109 m3和1.02×1011 m3。主要污染区域为城市发展新区和渝东北生态涵养发展区,主要污染物为TP,且重庆市畜禽养殖业的发展与功能区划有着显著相关关系。因畜禽养殖污染引起的全市水环境水质综合指数在0.22~4.12。城市发展新区和渝东北生态涵养发展区的水质超过标准,其余功能区均未超标。     

堆肥反应器中硫磺对牛粪好氧堆肥的保氮效果研究

利用堆肥反应器严格控制堆肥条件,以牛粪和蘑菇渣为原料进行好氧堆肥,在堆肥过程中添加硫磺粉,研究硫磺对堆肥温度、pH、氮素转化、硫素转化和保氮效果的影响。结果表明,堆肥中添加0.5%硫磺粉（T1）对堆肥温度没有显著影响,高温期（≥50℃）维持5.5 d; 而添加1.0%硫磺粉(T2)能快速升温,但堆肥高温期维持时间4.6 d。添加不同量的硫磺粉均能显著降低堆肥pH,与CK比较差异显著。添加硫磺粉能大幅度增加铵态氮含量,至堆肥结束时,T1和T2处理铵态氮含量分别是CK处理的15倍和24倍,差异极显著; 还增加了堆肥有效硫含量,至堆肥结束T1和T2有效硫含量分别较堆肥初始增加35.7%和77.1%。整个堆肥过程总氮（TN）含量呈增加的趋势,堆肥结束时CK、T1和T2处理的TN含量分别达15.8、16.5和16.9 g/kg,T1和T2分别比CK处理增加4.4%和7.0%。说明在牛粪好氧堆肥中添加0.5%或1.0%硫磺粉,均可起到一定的保氮作用,可大幅度提高堆肥铵态氮和有效硫的含量,改善了堆肥养分品质; 而且添加1.0%硫磺粉效果好于0.5%硫磺粉。但是添加1.0%硫磺粉缩短了堆肥高温期,降低了种子发芽指数,不利于堆肥的无害化进程。     

Phosphorus compounds and their solubility in swine manure compost

In the Japanese warm areas, as a result of intensive and repeated potato cropping, common scab, a soil-borne disease has become a serious problem. The soil moisture level has been shown to be an important factor affecting the incidence of common scab. That is, a high level of soil moisture reduces the severity of common scab. However, in this investigation, although during the spring cropping precipitation was abundant, a large number of tubers showing scab lesions were produced. The results indicate that the soil moisture level may not be an important factor affecting the incidence of potato scab in the humid region.

To identify other factors which may affect scab severity, the relation between sugar content in the peel of potato tuber and the incidence of common scab was investigated. Generally, the amount of reducing sugar in the tuber peel increased gradually with the growth of the tubers, then reached a maximum level two weeks after the start of tuber formation, and thereafter declined. The period corresponding to the highest sugar content in peels coincided with the most susceptible period for scab infection. The content of reducing sugar in the peel of susceptible cultivars was higher than that of the resistant cultivars, throughout the tuber growth, and the critical value of the content was 2.0 mg per 100 g fresh peel. These results suggest that the content of reducing sugar in tuber peel may be an important factor affecting the incidence of common scab.     

猪粪氮素有效性与替代化肥氮当量研究

采用温室盆栽试验,初步研究了猪粪氮素的有效性和替代氮肥的替代当量,并结合田间试验对等有效氮条件下有机无机配施与单施化肥的效果进行了比较。盆栽试验表明,随着猪粪用量的增加,氮素回收率逐渐降低,回收率为22.5%～38.3%,平均30.6%。当猪粪用量为N 120 mg/kg时,其氮素相对于化肥的相对有效性为27%。不同用量下猪粪的替代氮肥当量也具有一定差异,相对替代当量为24.0%～40.8%,平均32.9%。田间试验表明,利用猪粪中的有效氮替代30%的化肥氮对春玉米干物质和籽粒产量以及氮素吸收量没有影响,与100%化肥氮处理相当。     

Reduction in phosphorus availability in poultry and diary manure by mineral amendments

Abstract

Phosphorus (P) loading of soils from the repeated application of manure and the associated loss of P to water systems is a serious and increasing problem in today's agricultural landscape. The hypothesis of this study was that the application of mineral amendments to manure might reduce P availability in manure and soil without affecting crop productivity. An incubation experiment was conducted to evaluate the ability of aluminum sulfate, ferric chloride or calcium hydroxide at 100 and 200 g kg^?1 of manure to reduce phytoavailable (Mehlich-3 extractable) P in liquid dairy, laying hen and broiler chicken manure. Mehlich-3 extractable P was reduced from 59 to 97% in all manure treated with aluminum sulfate and ferric chloride. The calcium hydroxide treatment resulted in a Mehlich-3 extractable P reduction ranging from ?17 to 51%. A container experiment was then carried out to examine the effect of soil with pre-treated manure on timothy (Phelum pretense L.) growth and soil P levels. Timothy yields in all dairy manure treatments were 45–57% lower compared to an N–P–K control, but were not lower compared to the untreated manure control. Dairy manure + aluminum sulfate (200 g kg^?1) reduced water-extractable P by 82% relative to the N–P–K control. All other manure and amendment treatment combinations were not statistically different from the N–P–K or the untreated soil controls in terms of water-extractable P, Mehlich-3 extractable P or grass yield. Significant reductions in Mehlich-3 extractable P were observed with the aluminum sulfate or ferric chloride amendments, while varied results were observed with the calcium hydroxide amendment. Results suggest that the use of manure amended with aluminum sulfate or ferric chloride has little effect on growth or P accumulation by timothy. Overall, this study demonstrated that mineral pre-treatment of manure can reduce the extractable P content of the manure and soil without negative effects on plant growth.     

Optimizing the application of dairy farm effluent and manure to mitigate gas emission

Journal of Soils and Sediments - The impact of dairy farm effluent and manure applications upon gas emissions from soil is of concern for agronomic, ecological, and environmental reasons. Yet it...     

Phosphorus availability and environmental risks in potato fields in North Florida

Soil phosphorus (P) availability was compared with Mehlich‐1 soil testing and P fractionation at a research farm (RF) and 32 private farms (PFs) in north Florida. The environmental risks caused by P release were evaluated using the P saturation ratio (PSR). Soil Mehlich‐1 P at the RF and the PFs was 41.9 ± 4.1 and 278 ± 13 mg/kg, respectively. The dominant inorganic P fraction for all farms was NaOH‐Pi (Al/Fe‐bound P) followed by HCl‐Pi (Ca/Mg‐bound P) at most of the PFs but by NaOH‐Po for the RF. Furthermore, the high PSR at the PFs indicated high risks of P loss from soil. To improve P use efficiency and enhance ecological sustainability, better P nutrient management should be implemented for Florida crop production.     

Denitrifying enzyme activity and carbon availability for denitrification following manure application

Abstract

A field experiment was established which permitted the comparison of several methods to estimate carbon (C) availability for denitrifiers. Treatments consisted of a control (CONT), NH₄NO₃ (FERT), liquid dairy cattle manure (LCM), and solid (bedded) beef cattle manure (SBM) applied in early May and incorporated at rates of 255 kg N ha^‐1 as total N (FERT) or ammoniacal N (LCM, SBM). Denitrification (dN) and N₂O production rates were measured for soil cores taken from the 2.5–7.5 cm layer during a 49‐d period following application. Gas production was related to denitrifying enzyme activity (DEA) and available C content. Available C content was estimated by several methods: water‐soluble C (Csol), 0.5 M K₂SO₄‐extractable C (Cext), aerobically respired C (Cresp), water‐soluble phenolic acids (Cphen), and potentially available C (Cpot). All five indices of available C and DEA were strongly correlated with dN; Cresp, Cext, Cphen, and DEA were more strongly correlated with N₂O production then were Cpot and Csol. The temporal patterns of dN and N₂O production as well as C availability differed with the two manure treatments. These variables were relatively high early in the 49‐d period with the LCM treatment but remained at relatively high levels for the SBM treatment throughout the period. These observations indicated a large quantity of readily available C applied in LCM, but a more sustained release of available C during the decomposition of bedding straw in SBM. Indices of available C were more useful than DEA in predicting the short‐term temporal pattern of dN rate. At this scale DEA was largely determined by available C supply. None of the methods used was superior for estimating C availability to denitrifiers. It is recommended that the easiest method be used for this purpose.