U of A will hold workshop on soils, poultry manure, biosolids
Feb. 17, 2009Contact Information:
Dr. Morteza Mozaffari, Director, Soil Testing and Research Laboratory, Marianna
870-295-2851 / mmozaff@uark.edu
Linda Smith, Soil Testing and Research Laboratory
870-295-2851 / lssmith@uark.edu
By Fred Miller, University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture
479-575-5647 / fmiller@uark.edu
Editors: A workshop description and agenda is available on this PDF.
MARIANNA, Ark. — The University of Arkansas System’s Division of Agriculture will hold a workshop Feb. 26 on the use of poultry manure and biosolids to improve soils for Arkansas crops.
The workshop at the Lon Mann Cotton Research Station at Marianna is free, but preregistration is required. Lunch is included. Call Linda Smith, 870-295-2851, by Feb. 24.
Morteza Mozaffari, assistant professor of soil fertility and director of the division’s Soil Testing and Research Laboratory in Marianna, said the workshop will feature presentations and demonstrations to familiarize participants with how soil properties influence soil productivity. It will include information on how to use biosolids — a byproduct of wastewater treatment — and poultry litter, and a review of last year’s research on corn, cotton and wheat.
Mozaffari said most crops require considerably more nitrogen than phosphorus or potassium. Biosolids and poultry litter can provide phosphorus or potassium for a crop and at the same time provide some of the nitrogen requirement of a crop.
“The goal of our research is to determine how much nitrogen becomes available from poultry litter or biosolids,” Mozaffari said. “This information will help us to determine the amount of additional synthetic nitrogen fertilizer needed for producing optimum crop yields, when biosolids or poultry litter are used as source of phosphorus or potassium in Arkansas.”
Poultry litter and biosolids are also good sources of organic matter, Mozaffari said.
“Arkansas soils are generally low in organic matter as compared to soils in the upper Midwest,” Mozaffari said.
Organic matter contributes to soil productivity, but is lost through cultivation practices and exposure to sunlight, Mozaffari said. The consistent, long-term use of poultry litter and biosolids, based on sound agronomic principles, can add or at least slow the loss of soil organic matter, he said.
The Lon Mann Cotton Research Station is located 3 miles south of Marianna on the east side of Arkansas Hwy. 1.