Keywords:Poultry manure Multi-Species Soil System Enzymatic activities This paper reports the effects produced on the organisms of the soil (plants, invertebrates and microorganisms), after the application of two types of poultry manure (sawdust and straw bed) on an agricultural land. The test was made using a terrestrial microcosm, Multi-Species Soil System (MS3) developed in INIA. There was no difference in the germination for any of the three species of plants considered in the study. The biomass was increased in the wheat (Triticum aestivum) coming from ground treated with both kinds of poultry manure. Oilseed rape (Brasica rapa) was not affected and regarding vetch (Vida sativa) only straw poultry manure showed significant difference. For length only Vicia sativa was affected showing a reduction when straw was exposed to poultry manure. When the effect on invertebrates was studied, we observed a reduction in the number of worms during the test, especially from the ground control (13.7%), higher than in the ground with sawdust poultry manure (6.7%), whereas in the ground with straw poultry manure, there was no reduction. The biomass was affected and at the end of the test it was observed that while the reduction of worms in the ground control was about 48%, the number of those that were in the ground with sawdust poultry manure or straw poultry manure decreased by 41% and 22% respectively. Finally, the effects on microorganisms showed that the enzymatic activities: dehydrogenase (DH) and phosphatase and basal respiration rate increased at the beginning of the test, and the differences were statistically significant compared with the values of the control group. During the test, all these parameters decreased (except DH activities) but they were always higher than in the ground control. This is why it is possible to deduce that the contribution of poultry manure caused an improvement in the conditions of fertilization and also for the soil.

Colombian oil palm plantations have started a large-scale replanting phase. The replanting process has an effect on the disposal of biomass, plant health management, and agro-ecological conditions due to the disturbance that is generated. This document addresses soil respiration (CO2 flux) as a response variable of crop replanting. Seven renovation methods used in Colombia were tested. The measurements were taken over time after the disturbance and planting of the new crop. This study was carried out in the municipality of Tumaco between August of 2009 and June of 2011 using 7 methods of renovation and 4 stages of crop development. The CO2 flow was measured at 12 points in each plot. There were no significant differences for the CO2 emission among the replanting methods. The average value for respiration was 929 mg CO2 m-2 h-1 (± 270.3); however, significant differences were found over time. This response was not related to fluctuations of soil temperature and moisture; therefore, there should be an associated response to biotic factors (microbial organisms) not established in this study. The values suggested that the soil of the plots under a replanting process emitted considerable quantities of carbon into the atmosphere, but the emissions declined over time and, in turn, were offset by the photosynthesis of the new crop (14 μ CO2 m-2s-1 ± 1.4, data not shown), creating an overall positive carbon balance.

The main aim of this study was to evaluate the toxicity of different poultry manure landfill leachates, using a well-known toxicity test system (MS3). The bioassay was made using a battery of toxicity tests including acute toxicity with crustacean (Daphnia magna), algae (Chlorella vulgaris) and the in vitro toxicity test with the fish cell line RTG-2. On D. magna was high mortality for zero time and almost 100 % and 70 %-80 % mortality for sawdust and straw poultry manure respectively. No effects on C. vulgaris, was observed after the leachate exposure. None of the parameters considered: protein, EROD activity, β-gal activity and neutral red, showed differences between control test and the leachate collected from exposure to poultry manure.