Joseph Burns, MS Student, Dept of Crop and Soil Sciences

Co-authors: Stephanie Kulesza (advisor), Rachel Vann, Alex Woodley
Moderator: Sarah Jordan, MSS Student in Soil Science

Effects of Poultry Litter and Inorganic Nitrogen Application on Soybean

The poultry industry in North Carolina has increased substantially over the past few decades, which has led to wide availability of poultry litter in the state. Poultry litter contains essential nutrients for crop production and can be applied as an inexpensive fertilizer. While many growers in the soybean industry utilize poultry litter in their fertilization programs, it is typically applied to the corn or wheat crops in the rotation, and there are questions regarding the benefits of poultry litter application directly on soybean. Even though soybeans do not require outside sources of nitrogen, literature suggests that soybeans can benefit from nitrogen application during early vegetative stages as well as during pod development. The goal of the project was to examine the effect of poultry litter and inorganic nitrogen fertilizer application on yield and quality of soybean. Three field sites were established across North Carolina, with four replicates of 11 treatments: four poultry litter (22.42, 44.83, 89.67and 134.50 Mg/hectare), six fertilizer (16.8, 33.6, 67.3, 134.5, 201.8, and 269.0 kg N/hectare), and an unamended control. Soil samples were collected throughout the growing season and analyzed for nitrate and ammonium using a Lachat Quikchem® Analyzer. Twice during the growing season, whole plants were dried, ground, and analyzed to determine biomass production and nutrient concentration. After harvest, grain samples were analyzed using a Perten DA 7250TM NIR for protein and oil content. Results of this study will be discussed during the upcoming seminar.

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