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Reuse of Stabilized Fowl Manure as Soil Amendment and Its Implication on Organic Agriculture Nutrition Management

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Abstract

A major input in intensive organic agriculture is nutrient-rich liquid fertilizers. Guano and other fowl manure are frequently digested in water extracts, and the supernatant is supplied as fertilizer. The resultant manure biowaste (MBW) is commonly disposed of to the environment, posing potential pollution and health risks. The study aims were to determine two types of fowl MBWs for their chemical properties before and after lime treatment and to test their reuse potential as soil amendment. Guano and layer manure were digested, and the residues’ chemical properties were analyzed before and after lime treatment. MBWs were then air-dried and used as a soil amendment in a parsley-growing experiment. The lime-treated MBW composition met the European standards for high-quality biowaste compost. Both digested and lime-treated MBWs had residual nitrogen, 3% and 1% in guano and layer manure, respectively. Parsley grown in soil amended with layer MBW had 100% survival, high yield, and good crop quality compared with controls. Plants grown with soil amended with guano biowaste exhibited lower yield and only 50% survival. These findings indicate that the current practice of disposing guano biowaste to the environment may pollute soil and water bodies, while the land spread of lime-treated layer MBW is safe and may improve soil fertility.

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Acknowledgments

This research was funded by the Israeli Ministry of Agriculture and the Rosenzweig-Coopersmith Foundation. We gratefully acknowledge Mevo’ot-HaNegev Agricultural High School teachers and technical staff, and in particular Nina Wintraub, the student in charge of plant growth and monitoring. Lastly, we would like to acknowledge Dr. Ludmila Katz, Natalia Bondarenko, Reuma Arusi, and Ofer Guy for their assistance with the laboratory analyses.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Environmental Hydrology and Microbiology, Zuckerberg Institute for Water Research, The Blaustein Institutes for Desert Research, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Sede Boqer Campus, Beersheba, 84990, Israel

    Roy Posmanik, Ali Nejidat & Amit Gross

  2. Mevo’ot-HaNegev Agricultural High School, Shoval, 85320, Israel

    Boaz Bar Sinay

  3. Arava Research & Development, Yair Experimental Station, 86825 MP, Arava, Israel

    Ramy Golan

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  1. Roy Posmanik
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  2. Boaz Bar Sinay
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  3. Ramy Golan
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  4. Ali Nejidat
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  5. Amit Gross
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Correspondence to Amit Gross.

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Posmanik, R., Sinay, B.B., Golan, R. et al. Reuse of Stabilized Fowl Manure as Soil Amendment and Its Implication on Organic Agriculture Nutrition Management. Water Air Soil Pollut 216, 537–545 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11270-010-0551-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11270-010-0551-5

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