Relationship of Soil Nutrient Content From Poultry Litter and Dairy Manure On Microbial Survival in Fescue Soils.

This field experiment was designed to measure survival rates of select bacterial groups after addition of three nutrient sources to tall fescue fields.  The nutrient sources were inorganic fertilizer (I), poultry littler (PL) and dairy manure (DM) along with a control treatment (C). Phosphorus and K concentrations were similar in all fertility treatments except C (p<=0.05). Zinc concentrations were higher in no-till compared to tilled fields (p<=0.05).  Dairy Manure and PL had the highest Zn levels (p<=0.05). Dairy Manure and C treatments did not change Enterococci populations over time with similar populations as recorded to day 0 (p<0.05).  Enterococci populations spiked day 1 through 15 in the PL treatment, with day 4 being highest numbers (p<0.05).