127-19 Determination of Poultry Litter's Nitrogen-Fertilizer Value for Winter Wheat Production.



Monday, October 17, 2011
Henry Gonzalez Convention Center, Hall C, Street Level

Brett L. Gordon, Nathan Slaton, Colin Massey and Russell DeLong, Crop, Soil, and Environmental Sciences, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR
The availability of N in poultry litter (PL) applied in the fall as a nutrient source for winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) production has not been adequately characterized.  Our research objective was to determine the grain-yield based, inorganic-N fertilizer equivalence of PL applied preplant or at-planting to winter wheat.  Six field experiments were established in 2009 and 2010 on silt loam soils in Arkansas.  Plots received 0, 84 and 168 kg N ha-1 as PL applied preplant and/or at-planting.  The inorganic-N fertilizer equivalency of PL-N was based on grain yield response of wheat fertilized with 22 to 191 kg N ha-1 applied in late winter as a urea and ammonium sulfate blend (UASB).  Wheat yield responses to UASB-N were characterized using either a linear or quadratic model.  Yields of wheat receiving no N ranged from 1722 to 3714 kg ha-1 and maximal yields of 3734 to 5854 kg ha-1 were produced with UASB-N.  Wheat yields responded to UASB-N rate in a quadratic manner at four site-years and linearly at two site-years.  Wheat receiving 84 kg PL-N ha-1, averaged across PL application times, produced yields that were 583 to 1049 kg ha-1 greater (p<0.10) than the no N control at five of six site-years.  Application of 168 kg PL-N ha-1 increased yields by 490 to 1224 kg ha-1 above that of 84 kg PL-N ha-1 at only three site-years.  Application time resulted in different wheat yields at only one site-year (at-planting > preplant).  Application of 84 to 168 kg PL-N ha-1 produced yields equivalent to 0 to 132 kg UASB-N.  Thus, the UASB-N equivalence of total PL-N ranged from 0 to 70% with an overall average of 35%.  Based on these results, on average, only 35% of the total PL-N should be credited towards the recommended N rate.

 

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