Soil carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus contents in maize plots after 14 years of pig slurry applications

Abstract

Excessive applications of liquid pig manure (LPM) could result in nutrient accumulation in the soil, thereby increasing the potential for plant nutrient losses through movement in groundwater. The objective of this work was to measure the concentrations of total carbon (Ct), total nitrogen (Nt), total phosphorus (Pt) and Mehlich-3 extractable-P (PM3) with depth in a Le Bras silty loam soil growing maize (Zea maize L.) under reduced tillage conditions. The soil was fertilized annually with various rates of LPM (0, 30, 60, 90 and 120 m3/ha) in four completely randomized blocks since 1979. In autumn 1992, twenty soil plots were sampled in increments of 20 cm to a depth of 1·0 m and analysed for total C, total N, total P and Mehlich-3 extractable-P. LPM application rate (R), soil depth (D) and the interaction R × D had highly significant (P<0·001) linear effects on Ct, Nt, Pt and PM3 concentrations throughout the 100-cm depth profiles. At all depths, Ct, Nt, Pt and PM3 contents increased with increasing rates of LPM application. The zone of maximum accumulation of Ct, Nt, Pt and PM3 concentrations occurred at the first 0–40 cm depth. A significant relationship was found between soil organic matter and Nt, Pt and PM3. Differences in N and P concentrations between manure rates are due to manure and maize. The increase in PM3 was generally greater for soil samples with high Pt content. Results from this study indicate that long-term application of a high rate of LPM leads to greater total C, N and P concentrations in the soil profile.

Nutrients in soil layers under no-tillage after successive pig slurry applications

“…According to Dormaar & Chang (1995), this can be explained by the constant input of high amounts of P in soil through successive manure applications. Furthermore, the increase in total P throughout the soil profile is associated with hydrolysis of organic compounds with subsequent adsorption of inorganic P, with the proper organic molecules, to soil colloids (Hountin et al, 1997).…”

Distribution of cadmium in a cultivated soil in Britanny, France

“…The P 2 O 5 concentration in SH was greater than in DH. The phosphate increasing into the surface horizon due to the organic and mineral fertilization in the top of the soils, associated to the low mobility of the phosphate applied, are reported by many authors (Hountin et al, 1997;Gomes et al, 1997;Berwanger et al, 2008 There was no difference in the Cd-res fraction between the horizons. This result indicates no anthropogenic contribution to the residual fraction.…”

Efecto del pastoreo de cerdos sobre las fracciones de nitrógeno, carbono y fósforo del suelo

“…Estos resultados difieren de aquellos obtenidos por otros investigadores quienes indican que las excretas añadidas modifican sustancialmente las concentraciones de algunos elementos en el suelo, especialmente el nitrógeno (Hountin et al 1997). …”

“…Los cerdos solo poseen la capacidad de asimilar entre 20 y 70% del N contenido en los alimentos lo que implica la liberación de 20 a 30% del nitrógeno en las excretas, depositándolo en el suelo en forma de urea por medio de la orina y de nitrógeno amoniacal en las heces. Al respecto Hountin et al (1997) indican que la aplicación de purines de cerdo provoca incrementos lineales de las concentraciones de nitrógeno en el suelo, las cuales pueden alcanzar hasta los 100 cm de profundidad. Se plantea que el nitrógeno, bajo formas amoniacales, en estos materiales es rápidamente nitrificado, esto presentaría dos hipótesis: la disponibilidad inmediata para las plantas o la pérdida del elemento por lixiviación en una función directa a las características del suelo (Maag y Vinther 1999).…”