An implement which applies poultry litter in shallow bands and covers it with soil to prevent runoff and nutrient leaching, is being developed by scientists at the Agricultural Research Institute at the National Soils Laboratory at Auburn, Alabama in the US.
Poultry litter, usually a combination of poultry manure and bedding material such as shavings, is a natural fertiliser. Conventionally it’s broadcast in the field, using a fertiliser or manure spreader, but if left on top of the soil, is vulnerable to runoff in heavy rain. It’s also likely a substantial percentage of the nutrients, especially phosphorus and nitrogen, will leach out, drastically reducing the material’s value as fertiliser.
A new implement, developed by Agricultural Research Institute (ARS) agricultural engineer Thomas Way and his colleagues, offers a solution. It makes shallow trenches about 50mm to 75mm deep, fills them with the litter and covers it with soil. This significantly reduces the risk of runoff. The implement is tractor-mounted and can make four trenches at once. In collaboration with engineers and scientists in six states, it’s achieved positive results.
Trials across the US
In one project, Way worked with Dan Pote, a soil scientist at the ARS Dale Bumpers Small Farms Research Centre in Booneville, Arkansas. They applied the litter to Bermuda grass forage plots watered with a rainfall simulator. The runoff of phosphorus and nitrogen was 80% to 95% lower when the litter was applied with the new implement as opposed to conventional application. To examine the implement’s effectiveness with different crops, trials have been conducted in maize fields in Alabama, Kentucky and Maryland, cotton fields in Mississippi and Georgia and stands of tall fescue in Alabama. Results show the new application system could considerably reduce pollution of waterways and streams. The ARS intends to patent the implement and is seeking companies to manufacture and market it. |fw
At the Nampo Harvest Day in 2006, local company Bio-Till demonstrated a similar concept to the litter applicator. This machine featured in the Farmer’s Weekly equipment column (7 July 2008, pg 57). Ronnie Stuiver, inventor of the Bio-Till system, tells us he is currently manufacturing and marketing his machine, though in relatively small numbers. The Bio-Till implement is a six-in-one unit that opens a furrow before applying manure or compost, lime, fertiliser and microbial material. The rear roller then closes the furrow and compacts the soil. This is all achieved in one pass.- Joe Spencer
