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Effect of dairy manure slurry application in a no-till system on phosphorus runoff

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Abstract

Incorporation of manure slurry under reduced tillage conditions remains a challenge in the northeastern US. New technologies to directly incorporate slurry are available but their agronomic and environmental benefits have generally not been quantified. This study evaluated the effects of five manure slurry application methods on phosphorus (P) loss in runoff (broadcasting with and without incorporation by tillage, shallow disk injection, banded application and aeration, and pressurized injection) and a control (no manure). Research was conducted over a 2 year period in central Pennsylvania on a well-drained Hagerstown silt loam (fine, mixed, semiactive, mesic Typic Hapludalf) under corn (Zea mays L.) production. Approximately 72 h after dairy (Bos Taurus) slurry application (56,000 l ha−1) to 10 × 13 m plots, a single rainfall simulation (68 mm h−1) was conducted in triplicate on 10 × 2 m areas within the plots. Trends in total P losses in runoff (kg ha−1) from plots varied between years and treatments. Aeration yielded lower losses than all other treatments in 2006 and was amongst the lowest in 2007 with losses statistically similar to shallow disk and pressure injection. Remarkably, few differences were apparent in losses of dissolved reactive P between treatments, reflecting high variability in runoff depths. Indeed, variability in runoff depths resulted in some unexpected trends, including high loads from the unamended control and modest loads from the tillage treatment. Results highlight tradeoffs in alternative manure slurry application practices but point to the potential to significantly lower runoff P losses from reduced tillage systems receiving manure slurry.

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Notes

  1. Mention of trade names does not imply endorsement by the USDA.

  2. Mention of trade names does not imply recommendation or endorsement by USDA-ARS.

Abbreviations

DRP:

Dissolved reactive phosphorus

TP:

Total phosphorus

WEP:

Water extractable phosphorus

EDI:

Effective depth of interaction

TS:

Total solids

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Acknowledgments

The authors express deepest appreciation to staff at the USDA-ARS Pasture Systems and Watershed Management Laboratory and Agricultural Analytical Laboratory and at the Pennsylvania State Crop and Soil Science Department for their contributions to the study. Randy Bowersox, Justin Dillon, Corey Dillon and Scott Harkcom oversaw field management and manure slurry application. Bart Moyer, Michael Reiner, Todd Strohecker, Sarah Marshall, Heather Barnett, Joi Mckenzie and Ana Maria Garcia all helped with rainfall simulations and sample processing. MaryKay Lupton, Tyson Myers, Allison Senycz and Joan Weaver oversaw laboratory analyses at ARS. John Schmidt consulted with statistical analyses.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Crop and Soil Sciences, Agricultural Sciences and Industry Building, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, 16802, USA

    Keisha N. Johnson & Douglas B. Beegle

  2. Pasture Systems and Watershed Management Research Unit, USDA-ARS, 3702 Curtin Road, University Park, PA, 16802, USA

    Peter J. A. Kleinman & Lou S. Saporito

  3. Department of Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering, Agricultural Engineering Building, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, 16802, USA

    Herschel A. Elliott

Authors
  1. Keisha N. Johnson
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  2. Peter J. A. Kleinman
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  3. Douglas B. Beegle
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  4. Herschel A. Elliott
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  5. Lou S. Saporito
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Correspondence to Keisha N. Johnson.

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Johnson, K.N., Kleinman, P.J.A., Beegle, D.B. et al. Effect of dairy manure slurry application in a no-till system on phosphorus runoff. Nutr Cycl Agroecosyst 90, 201–212 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10705-011-9422-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10705-011-9422-8

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