Manure Application under Winter Conditions
Open Access
- Author:
- Williams, Mark Robert
- Graduate Program:
- Agricultural and Biological Engineering
- Degree:
- Master of Science
- Document Type:
- Master Thesis
- Date of Defense:
- March 24, 2010
- Committee Members:
- Robert David Shannon, Thesis Advisor/Co-Advisor
Robert David Shannon, Thesis Advisor/Co-Advisor - Keywords:
- manure
lysimeter
winter
water quality
frozen soil - Abstract:
- Eutrophication is a major water resource concern, and controlling agricultural runoff and erosion are of prime importance in order to reduce nutrient losses to surface water bodies. Nutrient transport during the winter is a complex process and depends on the infiltration, runoff, and erosion processes that are sensitive to whether the air temperature is above or below freezing. A simple and inexpensive soil thermal cycling system was developed, which was able to reproduce a soil temperature profile representative of field conditions. The system was used to examine the effects of winter manure application on nutrient losses via surface runoff and subsurface leachate. Specifically, the placement of manure with respect to snow and the soil temperature at the time of manure application were addressed in this research. The findings of this research show that nitrogen and phosphorus losses vary depending on both the manure’s location with respect to snow and the soil temperature at the time of application. The use of the soil thermal cycling system provided a way to study processes that occur throughout the soil profile in a laboratory setting. Removing the soil from its natural environment, however, likely changed or altered processes that are typically observed in the field. The results of this research should therefore be used in combination with other plot- and field-scale experiments to develop empirical models. These models are useful first steps in developing a more detailed understanding of manure management and associated nutrient loss under winter conditions. Results from this research also could be used to suggest further guidelines for the winter application of manure, identify practices that could result in a higher capture of manure nutrients for the subsequent crop, and develop best management practices for manure management.