Plant uptake of nitrogen from the organic nitrogen fraction of animal manures: a laboratory experiment

Twenty slurries, 20 farmyard manures (FYM) and 10 poultry manures were chem ically analysed to characterize their nitrogen (N) fractions and to assess their potential organic N supply. The organic N fraction varied between I m anure types and represented from 14% to 99% of the total N content. The rea dily mineralizable N fraction, measured by refluxing with KCl, was largest in the pig FYMs and broiler litters, but on average only represented 7-8% o f the total N content. A pot experiment was undertaken to measure N mineral ization from the organic N fraction of 17 of these manures. The ammonium-N content of the manures was removed and the remaining organic N mixed with a low mineral N status sandy soil, which was sown with perennial ryegrass (L olium perenne L.). N offtake was used as a measure of mineralization throug hout the 199 day experiment. The greatest N mineralization was measured fro m a layer manure and a Dig slurry, where N offtake represented 56% and 37% of the organic N added, respectively. Lowest (%) N mineralization was measu red from a dairy cow slurry (< 2%) and a beef FYM (6%). The mineralization rate was negatively related to the C:organic N ratio of the ammonium-N stri pped manures (P < 0.01, r = -0.63).