Articles
Evaluation of soil amendments to replace the use of raw poultry manure in processing tomatoes
Article number
1351_11
Pages
71 – 74
Language
English
Abstract
In Argentina it is a common practice to apply raw chicken manure as a soil amendment in processing tomato fields.
Many past studies have shown the effectiveness of using manure at raising yields and helping to sustain soil fertility through time.
Under new good agricultural practices laws coming into effect starting in the year 2021 this will be prohibited in Argentina.
Composted manure, however, will be permitted when applied 120 days before harvest; although certifying and registering the composting process, among other restrictions, has proved to be unviable for most farms.
It is important to find a replacement for raw manure that can provide its benefits without causing legal problems for the canning factories buying the tomatoes.
Several products made from processed manure or other waste exist on the market that meet the standards of good agricultural practices, but their performance compared to raw manure has not been evaluated in processing tomatoes until the past few seasons detailed in this paper.
Trials were conducted in La Consulta, INTA Experimental Station in Mendoza, Argentina during the 2015-2019 seasons.
The products used were two pelletized enriched manure Leben (2-2-1) and Organutsa (4-2-4), and compost made of canning factory waste (2.7-0.6-1.5). Chemical fertilization consisting of 150 U of N and 50 U of P was applied equally in all treatments through fertigation distributed in the first nine weeks of the crop cycle.
The used cultivars were HM 7883 (HM Clause) in the 2015-2016 and 2016-2017 season, HM 1892 (HM clause) in the 2017-2018 season, and H 1307 (Heinz) and BOS 7224702 (Orsetti seeds) in the 2018-2019 season. Organutsa equaled manure in two seasons and was statistically superior in one season, Leben equaled manure in all seasons, and factory compost as well.
Many past studies have shown the effectiveness of using manure at raising yields and helping to sustain soil fertility through time.
Under new good agricultural practices laws coming into effect starting in the year 2021 this will be prohibited in Argentina.
Composted manure, however, will be permitted when applied 120 days before harvest; although certifying and registering the composting process, among other restrictions, has proved to be unviable for most farms.
It is important to find a replacement for raw manure that can provide its benefits without causing legal problems for the canning factories buying the tomatoes.
Several products made from processed manure or other waste exist on the market that meet the standards of good agricultural practices, but their performance compared to raw manure has not been evaluated in processing tomatoes until the past few seasons detailed in this paper.
Trials were conducted in La Consulta, INTA Experimental Station in Mendoza, Argentina during the 2015-2019 seasons.
The products used were two pelletized enriched manure Leben (2-2-1) and Organutsa (4-2-4), and compost made of canning factory waste (2.7-0.6-1.5). Chemical fertilization consisting of 150 U of N and 50 U of P was applied equally in all treatments through fertigation distributed in the first nine weeks of the crop cycle.
The used cultivars were HM 7883 (HM Clause) in the 2015-2016 and 2016-2017 season, HM 1892 (HM clause) in the 2017-2018 season, and H 1307 (Heinz) and BOS 7224702 (Orsetti seeds) in the 2018-2019 season. Organutsa equaled manure in two seasons and was statistically superior in one season, Leben equaled manure in all seasons, and factory compost as well.
Publication
Authors
P.A. Smith, C.A. Argerich
Keywords
chicken manure, Solanum lycopersicum, fertilizer, organic material, soil sustainability
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