Nitrogen utilization from diluted and undiluted nitric acid treated cattle slurry following surface application to grassland

Abstract

Acidification of cattle slurry with nitric acid to pH 4.5 was studied on experimental dairy farms in the Netherlands as a measure to reduce ammonia losses. This paper presents the results of two field experiments, carried out to assess the utilization of nitrogen (N) from nitric acid treated cattle slurry following surface application to grassland. Three aspects were studied: (i) the utilization of N from nitric acid treated cattle slurry following a single surface application to grassland; (ii) the effects of multiple applications of nitric acid treated cattle slurry on N utilization, residual inorganic N in the soil and sward quality; and (iii) the residual effects of nitric acid treated slurry on DM and N yield. In these experiments undiluted acidified slurry (UAS) and diluted acidified slurry (DAS) were compared with calcium ammonium nitrate (CAN). Apparent N recoveries (ANR) and apparent N efficiencies (ANE) were calculated on the basis of inorganic N in applied fertilizer and slurries. Following single applications of UAS and CAN on the sward on the clay soil, the average ANR values of UAS and CAN were 0.74 and 0.75 kg kg^-1, respectively. The average ANE values of UAS and CAN were 30.3 and 29.5 kg DM per kg N, respectively. Single applications of DAS and CAN on the sandy soil resulted in average ANR values of 0.65 and 0.84 kg kg^-1 and average ANE values of 24.1 and 29.2 kg DM per kg N for DAS and CAN, respectively. On average, the direct ANR values after four successive applications of CAN, UAS or DAS were 0.82, 0.82 and 0.74 kg kg^-1, respectively and the direct ANE values were 28.4, 27.8 and 27.0 kg DM per kg N. On the sandy soil, the amount of residual inorganic N in the soil after the 4th cut increased with increasing rates of inorganic N application, with a slightly higher amount on plots treated with acidified slurry than on plots fertilized with CAN. On the clay soil, the amount of residual inorganic N was not affected by N application rate nor N source. On average, the residual ANR values, in the unfertilized 5th and 6th cuts, of CAN, UAS or DAS were 0.08, 0.10 and 0.09 kg kg^-1, respectively and the residual ANE values were 2.7, 3.3 and 3.0 kg DM per kg N. It was concluded that nitric acid treated cattle slurry is an effective N fertilizer on grassland and that the residual effect of nitric acid treated cattle slurry is only marginally higher than that of CAN. Repeated applications of nitric acid treated cattle slurry did not affect sward composition.