By Blake Jackson
A six-year study conducted at the University of Missouri’s Graves-Chapple Extension and Education Center in northwestern Missouri investigated the impact of poultry litter on soybean crops.
Led by MU Extension agronomy specialist Wayne Flanary, the research aimed to understand the benefits of using poultry litter as a fertilizer.
“Poultry litter is increasingly being applied to row crops in northwest Missouri,” Flanary noted. “Manures such as litter are valuable because they add organic matter and essential nutrients like nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium.”
In the spring of 2018, ten tons of poultry litter were applied to each plot. The site had some areas where topsoil was removed to level the land. The chicken litter was lightly incorporated with a disk due to the sloped terrain. There were four replications of treated plots and control plots that were left untreated. In the spring of 2023, phosphorus fertilizer was applied across all plots.
An analysis revealed that the poultry litter contained 60 pounds of nitrogen, 50 pounds of phosphate, and 27 pounds of potash per ton.
In 2023, treated plots showed higher yields, but the differences were not statistically significant. Flanary explained that the site had considerable variability because the topsoil removal was not consistent. Yields were categorized into areas with little to no topsoil removal and those that were severely scalped.
The results showed 55.5 bushels per acre on the litter site and 51.6 bushels per acre on the litter scalped site. The untreated sites had yields of 49.1 and 35.3 bushels per acre, respectively.
“Manure is a good management strategy to increase crop yields, especially in eroded soils and terrace channel cuts,” Flanary concluded. This study demonstrates that poultry litter can be a valuable resource for enhancing soybean production, particularly in challenging soil conditions.
Photo Credit: gettyimages-zoran-zeremski
Categories: Missouri, Crops, Soybeans, Education