Manure Incorporation Equipment Effects on Odor, Residue Cover, and Crop Yield

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2000-07-01
Authors
Lorimor, Jeffery
Mickelson, Steven
Melvin, Stewart
Erbach, Donald
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Hanna, H. Mark
Extension Agricultural Engineer
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Mickelson, Steven
Professor and Special Advisor for Student Information Systems
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Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering

Since 1905, the Department of Agricultural Engineering, now the Department of Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering (ABE), has been a leader in providing engineering solutions to agricultural problems in the United States and the world. The department’s original mission was to mechanize agriculture. That mission has evolved to encompass a global view of the entire food production system–the wise management of natural resources in the production, processing, storage, handling, and use of food fiber and other biological products.

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In 1905 Agricultural Engineering was recognized as a subdivision of the Department of Agronomy, and in 1907 it was recognized as a unique department. It was renamed the Department of Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering in 1990. The department merged with the Department of Industrial Education and Technology in 2004.

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1905–present

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  • Department of Agricultural Engineering (1907–1990)

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Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering
Abstract

Land application of manure may produce unacceptable odors. Field experiments in undisturbed (no-till) soybean and corn residue were conducted to evaluate six liquid swine manure application/incorporation methods. The methods were injection with a commercial (1) chisel or (2) sweep, (3) incorporation with tandem disk harrow after broadcast application, (4) broadcast application with no incorporation, (5) injection with a narrow-profile knife, and (6) surface application behind row cleaners. The row cleaner and all injection treatments used spoke-covering wheels. Air samples over the soil surface were obtained immediately following and one day after manure application, and odor level was measured by olfactometry (i.e., the amount of air dilutions to reach odor threshold). Residue cover and yield were also measured. Incorporation techniques typically reduced odor level by a factor of three to ten as compared with a broadcast application. One day after application, odor was greatly reduced and often indistinguishable from that of untreated soil (no manure application). Residue cover differences among application methods were more pronounced in soybean residue. Application by the narrow-profile knife, row cleaner, and chisel maintained soybean residue cover better than other incorporation methods yet limited odor similar to these methods. Although cover was reduced over winter, greater soybean residue cover remained after planting with fall than with spring manure applications. Differences in odor level and residue cover among methods were less in corn than soybean residue. All incorporation techniques reduced odor levels, and chisel incorporation maintained corn residue cover after planting similar to broadcast application. For both crops, broadcast application maintained the greatest residue cover but had the highest odor level. Incorporation of manure generally reduced odor, reduced residue cover, increased corn yield, and did not affect soybean yield.

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This article is from Applied Engineering in Agriculture, 16, no. 6 (2000): 621–627.

This is Journal Paper No. J-18694 of the Iowa Agriculture and Home Economics Experiment Station, Ames, Iowa. Project 3263. Trade and company names are included in this article for the benefit of the reader and do not infer endorsement or preferential treatment of the product named by Iowa State University or the USDA Agricultural Research Service.

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Sat Jan 01 00:00:00 UTC 2000
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