Publication | Closed Access
Effects of Poultry Litter Application Rate and Rainfall Intensity on Quality of Runoff from Fescuegrass Plots
244
Citations
0
References
1993
Year
Soil CharacterizationSurface RunoffEngineeringRunoffLitter ConstituentsAgricultural Water ManagementEnvironmental EngineeringSoil ScienceStormwater ManagementFescuegrass PlotsPoultry LitterLand ApplicationEnvironmental QualityWater QualityHydrologyAnimal Waste ManagementFactorial ExperimentRainfall Intensity
The study investigates how poultry litter application rate and rainfall intensity influence runoff quality from fescuegrass plots. A 4 × 2 factorial design with three replications applied poultry litter at 0, 218, 435, and 870 kg N ha⁻¹ to fescuegrass on silt loam, then simulated rainfall at 5 and 10 cm h⁻¹ for 0.5 h, with flow‑weighted composite runoff samples analyzed for TKN, NH₃‑N, NO₃‑N, TP, DP, COD, TSS, and EC. Runoff concentrations of all constituents rose with litter rate, while higher rainfall intensity lowered TKN, TP, DP, and COD concentrations due to dilution; masses of constituents transported increased with both rate and intensity, and constituent loss proportions were largely independent of rate except for total N at high rainfall.
Abstract A 4 × 2 factorial experiment with three replications was conducted to determine how quality of runoff from grassed areas treated with poultry ( Gallus gallus domesticus ) litter is impacted by litter application rate and rainfall intensity for storms occurring 1 d after application. Poultry litter was applied at 0, 218, 435, and 870 kg N ha −1 to plots established with fescuegrass ( Festuca arundinacea Schreb.) on a Captina silt loam soil (fine‐silty, mixed, mesic Typic Fragiudult). Simulated rainfall was applied 24 h after litter application at 5 and 10 cm h −1 until runoff had occurred for a duration of 0.5 h. Flow‐weighed composite samples were collected and analyzed for total Kjeldahl nitrogen (TKN), ammonia nitrogen (NH 3 ‐N), nitrate nitrogen (NO 3 ‐N), total phosphorus (TP), dissolved reactive phosphorus (DP), chemical oxygen demand (COD), total suspended solids, and electrical conductivity. Increasing the litter application rate significantly increased runoff concentrations of all litter constituents investigated. Concentrations of TKN, TP, DP, and COD significantly decreased with increasing rainfall intensity because of more runoff and the associated dilution. Masses of litter constituents transported off the plots via runoff significantly increased with both litter application rate and rainfall intensity. For a given rainfall intensity, the proportions of applied litter constituents lost in runoff were generally indendent of application rate with the exception of total N at the high rainfall intensity.