Bedding additives reduce ammonia emission and improve crop N uptake after soil application of solid cattle manure

Ghulam Abbas Shah; Ghulam Mustafa Shah; Muhammad Imtiaz Rashid; Jeroen C J Groot; Bouba Traore; Egbert A Lantinga

doi:10.1016/j.jenvman.2017.12.035

Bedding additives reduce ammonia emission and improve crop N uptake after soil application of solid cattle manure

J Environ Manage. 2018 Mar 1:209:195-204. doi: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2017.12.035. Epub 2018 Jan 4.

Authors

Ghulam Abbas Shah¹, Ghulam Mustafa Shah², Muhammad Imtiaz Rashid³, Jeroen C J Groot⁴, Bouba Traore⁵, Egbert A Lantinga⁴

Affiliations

¹ Farming Systems Ecology Group, Wageningen University, Droevendaalsesteeg 1, 6708 PB, Wageningen, The Netherlands; Department of Agronomy, PMAS-Arid Agriculture University Rawalpindi, Pakistan.
² Farming Systems Ecology Group, Wageningen University, Droevendaalsesteeg 1, 6708 PB, Wageningen, The Netherlands; Department of Environmental Sciences, COMSATS Institute of Information Technology, Vehari, Pakistan.
³ Farming Systems Ecology Group, Wageningen University, Droevendaalsesteeg 1, 6708 PB, Wageningen, The Netherlands; Department of Environmental Sciences, COMSATS Institute of Information Technology, Vehari, Pakistan; Center of Excellence in Environmental Studies, King Abdulaziz University, P.O Box 80216, Jeddah 21589, Saudi Arabia. Electronic address: muhammadimtiazrashid@ciitvehari.edu.pk.
⁴ Farming Systems Ecology Group, Wageningen University, Droevendaalsesteeg 1, 6708 PB, Wageningen, The Netherlands.
⁵ International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid and Tropics (ICRISAT), Mali.

PMID: 29291489
DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2017.12.035

Abstract

This study examined the influences of three potential additives, i.e., lava meal, sandy soil top-layer and zeolite (used in animal bedding) amended solid cattle manures on (i) ammonia (NH₃), dinitrous oxide (N₂O), carbon dioxide (CO₂) and methane (CH₄) emissions and (ii) maize crop or grassland apparent N recovery (ANR). Diffusion samplers were installed at 20 cm height on grassland surface to measure the concentrations of NH₃ from the manures. A photoacoustic gas monitor was used to quantitate the fluxes of N₂O, CH₄ and CO₂ after manures' incorporation into the maize-field. Herbage ANR was calculated from dry matter yield and N uptake of three successive harvests, while maize crop ANR was determined at cusp of juvenile stage, outset of grain filling as well as physiological maturity stages. Use of additives decreased the NH₃ emission rates by about two-third from the manures applied on grassland surface than control untreated-manure. Total herbage ANR was more than doubled in treated manures and was 25% from manure amended with farm soil, 26% and 28% from zeolite and lava meal, respectively compared to 11% from control manure. In maize experiment, mean N₂O and CO₂ emission rates were the highest from the latter treatment but these rates were not differed from zero control in case of manures amended with farm soil or zeolite. However, mean CH₄ emissions was not differed among all treatments during the whole measuring period. The highest maize crop ANR was obtained at the beginning of grain filling stage (11-40%), however ample lower crop recoveries (8-14%) were achieved at the final physiological maturity stage. This phenomenon was occurred due to leaf senescence N losses from maize crop during the period of grains filling. The lowest losses were observed from control manure at this stage. Hence, all additives decreased the N losses from animal manure and enhanced crop N uptake thus improved the agro-environmental worth of animal manure.

Keywords: Bedding additives; Lava meal; Organic farming; Solid cattle manure; Waste recycling; Zeolite.

MeSH terms

Ammonia / analysis*
Animals
Cattle
Fertilizers
Manure*
Methane*
Nitrogen / analysis*
Nitrous Oxide
Soil

Substances

Fertilizers
Manure
Soil
Ammonia
Nitrous Oxide
Nitrogen
Methane