Poultry Manure Effects on Soil Minerals in a Flood Irrigated Sandy-Loam Pastureland

Abstract

Interest in the use of poultry manure as a soil amendment has grown along with increased concern of sustainable resource use and recycling on Arizona farms, particularly in organic production systems. According to Mpanga et al.(2020a), manure application in Arizona increased by 30%from 2012 to 2017. Application of poultry manure to soil has numerous benefits such as increasing soil fertility, improving soil texture and structure, and increasing soil water infiltration, organic matter content, and microbial activity (Koelsch K., 2018). However, poultry manure application could also have negative consequences including increased soil salt content, the potential for zoonotic disease transmission in vegetable production, and objectionable odors. This bulletin reports on an evaluation of the effects of poultry manure application on soil minerals on a Northern Arizonan sandy loam soil with flood irrigated pasture.