Ammonia Volatilization from Liquid Swine Manure Applied to Cropland

Abstract

Randomized complete block design field experiments were conducted to determine the effects of rates and methods of liquid swine manure application on volatile NH3‐N losses from cropland. In addition, a greenhouse study was conducted to determine the effect of wind on the rate of NH3‐N volatilization from soil and the accuracy of NH3‐N loss measurements under field conditions. A partially closed system was utilized to directly collect volatilized NH3‐N from microplots.The NH3‐N collection system did not accurately estimate volatile N losses when windy conditions existed as often encountered in the field. Using direct measurement of NH4+‐N in waste before and after exposure to the atmosphere to correct for the low estimates of NH3‐N loss under field conditions, an average of 48.1% of the volatilized N was collected under greenhouse conditions with relatively constant temperature and wind.The rate of NH3‐N loss from manure increased with increasing temperature and air movement. The proportions of the applied NH4+‐N lost as NH3‐N during a 3.5‐day sampling period in the spring from swine manure (pH 6.4) applied to soil (pH 6.4) and corrected for the effect of wind were: 14.0%, 12.2%, and 11.2% for the 90, 135 and 180 metric ton/ha, respectively, of surface applied liquid swine manure; 2.5% for both the 90 and 180 metric ton rates, respectively, of injected liquid swine manure; 14.7% for surface applied urea fertilizer (168 kg N/ha); and 65.8% of the applied NH4+‐N from swine manure surface applied (90 metric tons/ha) on a plastic liner. Fresh swine manure (pH 7.8) surface applied at the rate of 135 metric tons/ha on greenhouse loam soil (pH 7.0) lost 82.5% of the applied NH4+‐N in an 8‐day sampling period.

Ammonia volatilization and soil nitrogen dynamics following fall application of pig slurry on canola crop residues

“…3c). These values are in the mid-upper end of the range of reported reduction rates which vary from 22% (Hoff et al 1981) to nearly 100% (Frost 1994). Our results confirm that a large fraction of the NH 3 volatilization occurring when slurry is applied to crop residues can be avoided if the slurry and residues are immediately incorporated into the soil.…”

“…Rapid incorporation of slurry following application has been shown to reduce volatilization of ammonia . However, the efficiency of incorporation has been shown to vary with local soil, slurry and meteorological conditions, resulting in reductions varying from 22% (Hoff et al 1981) to 98% (Frost 1994) compared with slurry left on the soil surface. Our objective was to quantify the impacts of soil incorporation of pig slurry applied on canola crop residues on NH 3 volatilization and soil nitrogen dynamics.…”

Effect of rate, frequency and method of liquid swine manure application on soil nitrogen availability, cropperformance and N use efficiency in east-central Saskatchewan

“…Environmental concerns surrounding the use of swine manure are largely based on the escape of excess N from the soil through leaching, denitrification and volatilization (Evans et al 1977;Hoff et al 1981). Through proper manure management and application techniques, manure can be applied to meet crop N requirements (Chang and Entz 1996).…”

Case Study: On-Farm Evaluation of Liquid Dairy Manure Application Methods to Reduce Ammonia Losses

“…There was a 67% decrease in NH 3 concentration when liquid manure was applied by subsurface injection vs. surface or Aerway application, which did not differ. Hoff et al (1981) reported an 80% decrease in NH 3 losses by injecting liquid swine manure compared with surface application. Morken and Sakshaug (1998) reported a decrease of 62% in NH 3 losses when manure slurry was injected directly into the ground vs. surface applied.…”