Long‐term Annual Manure Applications Increase Soil Organic Matter and Nitrogen, and Decrease Carbon to Nitrogen Ratio

Abstract

The effects of long‐term annual applications of cattle (Bos taurus) feedlot manure on the accumulation, decomposition (amounts and rates), and movement of organic matter (OM) and Kjeldahl‐determined N (total N) in soil were determined. Manure was applied annually since 1973 at three different levels to nonirrigated and irrigated Dark Brown Chernozemic (Typic Haploborolls) clay loam soil. Significant increases in soil OM and total N content in the first 8 and 6 yr, respectively, as affected by the level of manure application, were limited to the surface 30 cm of soil of the nonirrigated and irrigated land. Tillage did not affect the amount of OM and total N accumulated in the soil, but it did affect their distribution within the 0 to 30‐cm depth, which is attributed to placement during incorporation. The accumulation of OM and total N were similar under nonirrigated and irrigated conditions. Manure (C/N ratio of ca. 10.2) lowered the C/N ratio of the soil (ca. 8.2) by small amounts. The accumulation of OM and total N was described by a Michaelis‐Menten type of function. A response surface was generated for the accumulation of OM and total N with increasing levels and years of manure application, from which the rates of accumulation and decomposition were derived. The rates of accumulation decrease with years of application such that after two or three decades increases will be small. The model can be used to develop general guidelines for use and disposal of feedlot manure under similar conditions.

Emissions of carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide from short- and long-term organic farming Andosols in central Japan

“…Therefore, conservation, reduced tillage, and no tillage can be effective means of mitigating CO 2 emissions from cultivated lands (Paustian et al 1997;Robertson et al 2000). Crop residue incorporation can also beneficially affect soil C accumulation through redistribution of atmospheric CO 2 to the soil (Sommerfeldt et al 1988;Lal 1997). For TOC accumulation at M39-OF, rye incorporation may play a more important role than no till, as the annual TOC accumulation was negative in M1F-OF, even though M1F-OF was also under no-till.…”

Effect of rate, frequency and incorporation of feedlot cattle manure on soil nitrogen availability, crop performance and nitrogen use efficiency in east-central Saskatchewan

“…Also reported in the same study were increased OM content and decreased bulk density (Sommerfeldt and Chang 1985;Sommerfeldt et al 1988), no effect on infiltration rate and saturated hydraulic conductivity (Sommerfeldt and Chang 1986), increased acidity (Chang et al 1990), and an increase in available P (Chang et al 1991).…”

Short-term residual effects of various amendments on organic C and N, and available nutrients in soil under organic crop production

“…Previous research in the Canadian Prairies has shown positive effects on crop yield and soil quality from manure application, and manure was found to be the best amendment to restore deteriorated/eroded soils containing low organic matter and poor crop yields [27,[34][35][36][37][38]. Similarly, the highest increase in TOC and TON from compost than other amendments in our study was due to its dual effect by directly contributing to organic C and N, plus additional indirect contri ution of C from increased b crop residue (roots, stubble, straw, chaff/fallen leaves) returned to the land/soil, as evidenced by greatest increase in straw yield in this treatment [39].…”