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Swine Manure and Lagoon Effluent Applied to a Temperate Forage Mixture: II. Rainfall Runoff and Soil Chemical Properties¹

ABSTRACT

Rates of swine (Sus scrofa domesticus) waste used for crop production must be sufficient to supply adequate nutrients but must not pose a surface or groundwater pollution hazard. To determine acceptable rates, plots of predominantly tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea L. Schreb) on a Cecil soil (Typic Hapludults) received no treatment (C); commercial fertilizer (F) at 201-34-65 kg N-P-K ha^–1 yr^–1, swine manure slurry (M) supplying 670 kg N ha^–1 yr^–1, or swine lagoon effluent (E) applied by sprinkler irrigation to supply 600 (E₁) or 1200 (E₂) kg N ha^–1 yr^–1 for 4 yr. The waste treatments, chosen to evaluate acceptable maximum application rates when land is limited, resulted in much higher applications of N, P, K, and other nutrients than are normally used for temperate species. Runoff from E₂ had an annual mean concentration of 13 mg L^–1 NO₃-N but the low runoff volume resulted in mass transport of only about 10 kg NO₃-N ha^–1 yr^–1. Concentration of P was significantly higher with E₂ (9 mg L^–1) and M (6 mg L^–1) than with the other treatments. The runoff quality from E₁ was not significantly different than that from F. Soil NO₃-N concentrations to a depth of 200 cm showed significant differences in the order E₂ = M > E₁ > F = C. For E₂, 49% of the applied N could not be accounted for by crop removal, increased soil NO₃-N, or runoff. Mehlich 1 extractable P was greater with E₂ than with the other treatments. Extractable soil K and Na were increased by E₁ and E₂ but treatments had little or no effect on extractable Ca, Mg, Cu, Zn, Mn, or on total N, organic matter, or pH. Analysis of runoff and soil NO₃-N data indicate that M, E₂, and perhaps E₁ supplied excess N. Consequently, surface and groundwater pollution hazards may be created by applying manure and effluent at the rates studied. Pollution by runoff was more likely when rainfall occurred soon after manure or fertilizer application.

Key Words: nonpoint-source pollution • land application • wastewater irrigation • water quality • tall fescue • manure management

¹ Paper no. 9951 of the Journal Series of the North Carolina Agric. Res. Service, Raleigh, NC 27695-7601. This research was partially funded by a grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, R.S. Kerr Environmental Research Lab., Ada, OK. The use of trade names in this publication does not imply endorsement by the North Carolina Agric. Res. Service or USDA-ARS of the products named or criticism of similar ones not mentioned.

² Professor, Dep. of Agricultural and Biological Engineering; Associate Professor, Dep. of Soil Science; Professor, Dep. of Crop Science and Plant Physiologist, USDA-ARS; Professor, Dep. of Soil Science; and Professor, Dep. of Chemical Engineering, North Carolina State Univ., Raleigh, NC 27695-7601, respectively.

Received for publication June 29, 1986.