Warm-Season Grasses Used to Mitigate Poultry Emissions On the Delmarva Peninsula.

The Delmarva Peninsula is home to one of this country's highest concentration of poultry farms.  Poultry and egg production is the most valued commodity in Maryland and Delaware.  Poultry houses generate significant amounts of ammonia (NH³), dust (particulate matter (pm) 2.5 microns in size and pm 10(both regulated by the EPA)), and odors which are all expelled by the ventilation system.  These emissions pose serious health and environmental challenges ultimately contributing to the air and water quality degradation of the Chesapeake Bay.  Research at Penn State University showed a reduction of dust (67%) and odor (50%) by planting windbreaks opposite tunnel fans.  The types of plants currently used are very limited.  And it was observed that plants closest to the fans have a high rate of matted dust.  Warm-season grasses would allow the accumulation of dust (spring through summer) and then go dormant.  This study was initiated to test the survival and growth of warm-season grasses and their ability to tolerate the tunnel fan emissions and conditions.  Multi-row plantings of switchgrass, coastal panicgrass and miscanthus were established on six farms with broiler chicken houses on the Delmarva Peninsula.  In each planting, the five species of grasses were randomly planted across the width of the tunnel fans.  After three years of evaluations, ‘Northwind', ‘Thundercloud' and ‘Kanlow' switchgrass, ‘Atlantic' coastal switchgrass and giant miscanthus survived, grew and filtered poultry tunnel fan emissions.  This study shows that warm-season grass buffers assist with the mitigation of ammonia, dust and odors emitted by poultry farms.

Key words:  Air Quality, Poultry, Ammonia, Particulate Matter (pm), Odor