Rainfall-induced release of fecal coliforms and other manure constituents: comparison and modeling.

Modeling release of fecal coliforms is an important component of fate and transport simulations related to environmental water quality. Manure constituents other than fecal coliforms may serve as natural tracers of fecal contamination provided that their release from manure to runoff is similar to the fecal coliform release. The objectives of this work were to compare release of fecal coliforms (FC), chloride (Cl-), organic carbon (OC), and water-soluble phosphorus (P) from dissolving manure and to assess the performance of three models in describing the observed release. Bovine manure was applied on 0.5- by 0.3-m bare and vegetated subplots with 20% slope on sandy loam and clay loam soils. Concentrations of Cl-, FC, OC, and P were measured in runoff collected from troughs at the edges of the subplots at 5-min intervals during 1-h rainfall simulations. The one-parametric exponential model and two-parametric Vadas-Kleinman-Sharpley model and Bradford-Schijven model were fitted to the data. The Bradford-Schijven model had uncorrelated parameters, one of which was linearly related to the irrigation rate, and another parameter reflected the presence or the absence of vegetation. Kinetics of the FC release from manure was similar to the release kinetics of P and OC. The Bradford-Schijven model is recommended to simulate the release of manure constituents.

Effect of poultry diet on phosphorus in runoff from soils amended with poultry manure and compost.

Phosphorus in runoff from fields where poultry litter is surface-applied is an environmental concern. We investigated the effect of adding phytase and reducing supplemental P in poultry diets and composting poultry manures, with and without Fe and Al amendments, on P in manures, composts, and runoff. We used four diets: normal (no phytase) with 0.4% supplemental P, normal + phytase, phytase + 0.3% P, and phytase + 0.2% P. Adding phytase and decreasing supplemental P in diets reduced total P but increased water-extractable P in manure. Compared with manures, composting reduced both total P, due to dilution of manure with woodchips and straw, and water-extractable P, but beyond a dilution effect so that the ratio of water-extractable P to total P was less in compost than manure. Adding Fe and Al during composting did not consistently change total P or water-extractable P. Manures and composts were surface-applied to soil boxes at a rate of 50 kg total P ha(-1) and subjected to simulated rainfall, with runoff collected for 30 min. For manures, phytase and decreased P in diets had no significant effect on total P or molybdate-reactive P loads (kg ha(-1)) in runoff. Composting reduced total P and molybdate-reactive P loads in runoff, and adding Fe and Al to compost reduced total P but not molybdate-reactive P loads in runoff. Molybdate-reactive P in runoff (mg box(-1)) was well correlated to water-extractable P applied to boxes (mg box(-1)) in manures and composts. Therefore, the final environmental impact of dietary phytase will depend on the management of poultry diets, manure, and farm-scale P balances.

Nitrogen and phosphorus availability in composted and uncomposted poultry litter.

Poultry litter applications to land have been based on crop N requirements, resulting in application of P in excess of plant requirements, which may cause degradation of water quality in the Chesapeake Bay watershed. The effect of litter source (the Delmarva Peninsula and Moorefield, West Virginia) and composting of poultry litter on N mineralization and availability of P in two soil types (sandy loam and silt loam) was determined in a controlled environment for 120 d. Nitrogen mineralization (percent total organic N converted to inorganic nitrogen) rates were higher for fresh litter (range of 42 to 64%) than composted litter (range of 1 to 9%). The N mineralization rate of fresh litter from the Delmarva Peninsula was consistently lower than the fresh litter from Moorefield, WV. The N mineralization rate of composted litter from either source was not significantly different for each soil type (7 to 9% in sandy loam and 1 to 5% in silt loam) even though composting conditions were completely different at the two composting facilities. Litter source had a large effect on N mineralization rates of fresh but not composted poultry litter. Composting yielded a more predictable and reliable source of mineralizable N than fresh litter. Water-extractable phosphorus (WEP) was similar in soils amended with composted litter from WV and fresh litter from both sources (approximately 10 to 25 and 2 to 14 mg P kg(-1) for sandy loam and silt loam, respectively). Mehlich 1-extractable phosphorus (MEP) was similar in soils amended with WV fresh litter and composted litter from both sources (approximately 100 to 140 and 60 to 90 mg P kg(-1) for sandy loam and silt loam, respectively). These results suggest that the composting process did not consistently reduce WEP and MEP, and P can be as available in composted poultry litter as in fresh poultry litter.

Manure phosphorus extractability as affected by aluminum- and iron by-products and aerobic composting.

Shifts in manure phosphorus (P) chemical forms and pool sizes induced by water treatment residuals and industrial mineral by-products are largely undefined. We conducted a manure P fractionation study to determine mechanisms of reduction of dissolved reactive phosphorus (DRP) in poultry manure upon mineral by-product additions. The effects of composting on the P immobilization efficacy of the by-products were determined using laboratory self-heating composting simulators. The mineral by-products included an aluminum-water treatment residual (Al-WTR) and an iron-rich titanium-processing by-product. The noncomposted manure averaged 0.11 g g(-1) of total P as DRP forms. The by-products significantly reduced manure DRP, by an average of 39 and 48% in the Al- and the Fe-treated manure, respectively. The by-products also reduced the 0.5 M NH4F-extractable phosphorus (FEP) fraction. Shifts in P forms between FEP and 0.1 M NaOH-extractable phosphorus (SHEP) depended upon the Al and Fe contents of the by-products while the combined FEP + SHEP pool remained constant. Phosphate sorption measurements supported the observations that the Fe-rich by-product was more effective at reducing manure DRP and enhancing the formation of SHEP forms at the expense of FEP than the Al-WTR. Composting had no effect on the efficacy of either by-product to reduce DRP. Potential mechanisms of enhanced P stabilization in treated manure upon composting included chemical shifts from the DRP and FEP fractions to the citrate-bicarbonate-dithionite extractable P fraction. Thus, the choice of P immobilization agents affected the stability of immobilized P forms and should be taken into consideration in developing manure processing and nutrient stabilization methods.

Compost age and sample storage effects on maturity indicators of biosolids compost.

Compost product safety and quality assurance are required to meet the needs of the horticultural, agricultural, and silvicultural user markets. At present, there exist no industry-wide sampling and testing protocols for compost products, thus limiting the production sector. The objective of this research was to test three methods for determining compost maturity. The study followed the composting process of a locally successful commercial composting operation that had been producing lime-stabilized biosolids compost in the Washington, DC metro region for 12 yr. Change over time in the dependent variables--Dewar flask self-heating capacity, oxygen uptake rate, and cation exchange capacity (CEC)-during a 57-d composting of lime-stabilized biosolids was studied. Because cold storage at 4 degrees C is recommended when compost samples cannot be tested for maturity immediately, cold storage of up to 11 wk was included as a variable. Mathematical models were developed that predict change in the Dewar flask self-heating capacity, oxygen uptake rate, and CEC with composting time and storage at 4 degrees C. The Dewar flask self-heating test was the most useful indicator of compost maturity. This test showed change throughout the 57-d biosolids composting period while oxygen respirometry did not change after 29 d. The CEC was found to increase with age and storage. Storage effects varied for the different tests. Except for Days 1 and 57, composts continued to stabilize during storage. Testing stored composts may produce erroneous results that suggest the compost is mature.

A method for detection of pseudobactin, the siderophore produced by a plant-growth-promoting pseudomonas strain, in the barley rhizosphere.

Detection in the rhizosphere of the siderophore produced by an inoculated microorganism is critical to determining the role of microbial iron chelators on plant growth promotion. We previously reported the development of monoclonal antibodies (MAb) to ferric pseudobactin, the siderophore of plant-growth-promoting Pseudomonas strain B10. One of these MAb reacted less strongly to pseudobactin than to ferric pseudobactin. The MAb reacted to Al(III), Cr(III), Cu(II), and Mn(II) complexes of pseudobactin at a level similar to the level at which it reacted to ferric pseudobactin and reacted less to the Zn(II) complex, but these metals would make up only a small fraction of chelated pseudobactin in soil on the basis of relative abundance of metals and relative binding constants. Fourteen-day-old barley plants grown in limed and autoclaved soil were inoculated with 10 CFU of Pseudomonas strain Sm1-3, a strain of Pseudomonas B10 Rif Nal selected for enhanced colonization, and sampled 3 days later. Extraction and analysis of the roots and surrounding soil using the MAb in an immunoassay indicated a concentration of 3.5 x 10 mol of ferric pseudobacting g (wet weight). This is the first direct measurement of a pseudobactin siderophore in soil or rhizosphere samples.

Monoclonal Antibodies to Ferric Pseudobactin, the Siderophore of Plant Growth-Promoting Pseudomonas putida B10.

Monoclonal antibodies to ferric pseudobactin, the siderophore (microbial iron transport agent) of plant growth-promoting Pseudomonas putida B10, have been developed. Three immunoglobulin G subclass 1-type monoclonal antibodies have been characterized. Each antibody appears to be unique on the basis of their reactions with ferric pseudobactin and with culture supernatants from other pseudomonads. None of the three cross-reacts with ferric pseudobactin-type siderophores produced by seven other pseudomonads. However, P. aeruginosa ATCC 15692 and P. fluorescens ATCC 17400 produced relatively high-molecular-mass compounds (mass greater than approximately 30,000 daltons) that did react with the antibodies. The compound from P. aeruginosa was not iron regulated, while the compound from P. fluorescens was produced only under iron-limiting conditions. A competitive assay using these antibodies has a detection limit of 5 x 10 mol of ferric pseudobactin. This is, to our knowledge, the first report of monoclonal antibodies reactive with siderophores.