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The Impact of Using Mature Compost on Nitrous Oxide Emission and the Denitrifier Community in the Cattle Manure Composting Process

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Abstract

The diversity and dynamics of the denitrifying genes (nirS, nirK, and nosZ) encoding nitrite reductase and nitrous oxide (N2O) reductase in the dairy cattle manure composting process were investigated. A mixture of dried grass with a cattle manure compost pile and a mature compost-added pile were used, and denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis was used for denitrifier community analysis. The diversity of nirK and nosZ genes significantly changed in the initial stage of composting. These variations might have been induced by the high temperature. The diversity of nirK was constant after the initial variation. On the other hand, the diversity of nosZ changed in the latter half of the process, a change which might have been induced by the accumulation of nitrate and nitrite. The nirS gene fragments could not be detected. The use of mature compost that contains nitrate and nitrite promoted the N2O emission and significantly affected the variation of nosZ diversity in the initial stage of composting, but did not affect the variation of nirK diversity. Many Pseudomonas-like nirK and nosZ gene fragments were detected in the stage in which N2O was actively emitted.

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Abbreviations

DGGE:

Denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis

VFAs:

Volatile fatty acids

TKN:

Total Kjeldahl nitrogen

TS:

Total solids

VS:

Volatile solids

NH3 :

Ammonia

N2O:

Nitrous oxide

IPD:

Infrared photoacoustic detector

PCA:

Principal component analysis

MCAP:

Mature compost-added pile

NP:

Normal pile

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Acknowledgments

We would like to thank Ms. Atsuko Kobayashi and Kazuha Azumaya for providing laboratory-based technical assistance, Mr. Haruo Morishita for the chamber construction and management, and Dr. Keiichi Nakajima, Dr. Hiromasa Enoki, and Mr. Eiryu Okamoto for providing advice about the molecular analysis of the compost samples.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Hokkaido Research Subteam for Waste Recycling System, National Agricultural Research Center for Hokkaido Region, National Agricultural and Food Research Organization, 1 Hitsujigaoka, Sapporo, 062-8555, Japan

    Koki Maeda, Riki Morioka & Dai Hanajima

  2. Livestock Research Team on Global Warming, National Institute of Livestock and Grassland Science, National Agricultural and Food Research Organization, 2 Ikenodai, Tsukuba, 305-0901, Japan

    Takashi Osada

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  1. Koki Maeda
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  2. Riki Morioka
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Correspondence to Koki Maeda.

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Maeda, K., Morioka, R., Hanajima, D. et al. The Impact of Using Mature Compost on Nitrous Oxide Emission and the Denitrifier Community in the Cattle Manure Composting Process. Microb Ecol 59, 25–36 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00248-009-9547-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00248-009-9547-3

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