Wednesday, 9 November 2005
6

Ammonia Volatilization from Broiler Litter Applied to Conservation-Tillage Corn in Georgia.

Miguel L. Cabrera, John Rema, and Gary Gascho. University of Georgia, 3111 Plant Sciences Building, Athens, GA 30602-7272

Expansion of the broiler industry into crop-growing areas in Georgia has made possible the use of broiler litter in corn production. When broiler litter is used to fertilize corn under conservation tillage, it is usually necessary to apply the litter on the soil surface, where it is exposed to N losses through ammonia volatilization. Understanding the magnitude of these losses is important for economic and environmental reasons. This work was carried out to measure ammonia volatilization from broiler litter applied to corn under conservation tillage in north and south Georgia. The study was conducted using the modified passive flux method in circular plots (40-m diameter) that received broiler litter at 250 to 320 kg N/ha in the spring. Cumulative ammonia losses averaged 6% of the N applied in south Georgia and 10% of the N applied in north Georgia.

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