Beef cattle manure survey and assessment of crop availability of phosphorus by soil testing

Knowing beef cattle (Bos taurus) manure P crop availability is essential to improve the utilization of this nonrenewable resource. This study surveyed cattle manure properties and evaluated its P crop-availability by soil testing. Manure samples were collected from 107 confined operations and classified into the types with bedding (BEDDED), concrete floor (CONCRETE), dirt floor (DIRT), no feeding of corn (Zea mays L.) coproducts (NoCCP), and liquid (PIT). Total P (TP) and the percentage water-soluble P of TP (MWSP%) were higher for BEDDED, CONCRETE, and PIT (10, 11, 15 g TP kg and 59, 57, and 55% MWSP) than for DIRT and NoCCP (5 and 7 g TP kg, and 21 and 42% MWSP). Eleven representative samples from each manure type and di-ammonium phosphate (DAP) were incubated (1, 2, 5, 9, 14, and 23 wk) with soils Adair (fine, smectitic, mesic Aquertic Argiudolls), Harps (fine-loamy, mixed, superactive, mesic Typic Calciaquolls), and Nicollet (fine-loamy, mixed, superactive, mesic Aquic Hapludolls) by applying P equivalent to 87 kg TP ha-1. After 1 wk of incubation, there were not significant or small and inconsistent soil P increases as measured by Bray-P1 (BP), Mehlich-3 (M3P), Olsen (OP), and water-extractable P (WEP). Manure P efficiency relative to DAP differed among P methods (80, 79, 77, and 74% for OP, M3P, BP, and WEP) and soils (84, 76, and 73% for Harps, Nicollet, and Adair). On average, manure P efficiency relative to DAP was 84 and 85% for BEDDED and CONCRETE manure, 77 and 74% for PIT and DIRT manure, and 69% for NoCCP manure. © Soil Science Society of America.