Management of Turkey and Swine Manure Derived Nitrogen in
a Sugar Beet Cropping System  

John A. Lamb and Michael A. Schmitt
 Dept. of Soil, Water, and Climate, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN. 

Mark Bredehoeft, Steve Roehl, and John Fischer
Southern Minnesota Beet Sugar Cooperative, Renville, MN.  

Justification of Research: 

Livestock operations, mainly poultry and swine, are increasing in size and impact in the Southern Minnesota sugar beet growing area.  Many sugar beet producers own or have interest in these operations; thus have manure available to use on their fields.  Manure research data concludes that manure has a positive effect on crop production from its effects on soil nutrient availability and soil physical properties.  A concern has been raised about the effect of late season nitrogen mineralized from the manure on sugar beet quality.  Grower observations indicate better growth in manured fields.  With the large amount of manure available the question has changed from whether to use manure but when in the sugar beet crop rotation should manure be applied to minimize quality concerns and realize benefits.  The answer to this question maybe different depending on the type of manure.  Poultry manure has a considerable amount of litter in it compared to swine manure, thus slowing initial release of poultry manure-N. 

Little recent information is available on the effect of manure on sugar beet root yield and quality.  Halvorson and Hartman (1974) reported that sucrose concentration and recoverable sugar per acre were reduced with the addition of beef manure while root yield was increased.  Schmitt et al. (1996) reported that swine manure mineralization occurs several years after application in a legume-corn rotation.  Malzer and Graff (1995) reported that leached nitrate-N during second year after an application of turkey manure was greater than in the first year after application.  This data suggests that poultry manure has a latter or more extended release of N when compared to liquid swine manure.  

The implications of the manure-N release are critical, especially to sugar beet growers.  Therefore, recommendations need to be evaluated with sugar beets.  This research project has been designed to: 1) measure the effect of manure application effects on sugar beet root yield and quality compared to fertilizer N applications; 2) determine the effect of turkey and swine manure mineralization differences on sugar beet root yield and quality; and 3) develop management strategies for manure application in a sugar beet rotation. 

Materials and Methods: 

To address the objectives, two experiments were conducted in 1999 at a location near Renville, Minnesota.  Experiment 1 was established after soybean was grown in a soybean-corn-sugar beet rotation.  The treatments listed in Table 1 were designed to evaluate the effect of manure applied one cropping year before sugar beet is grown and compare its nitrogen contribution to fertilizer applied the year of sugar beet production.  In the corn year (1999) the plots used for the N rate evaluation in the sugar beet year were fertilized with a recommended rate of fertilizer for optimum corn production.  Deep nitrate-N soil samples were taken from the check plots Fall 1998 before manure and fertilizer application, April 1999 before planting, May 28, 1999.  Nitrate-N and ammonium-N soil samples were taken monthly to a depth of one foot to characterize the N dynamics during the growing season.    Basal stalk samples for nitrate concentration were taken at physiological maturity (black layer).  Corn grain was hand harvested from each plot.  After corn harvest, soil samples to a 4 foot depth were taken and analyzed for residual nitrate-N from every plot.  

Table 1. Treatments for Experiment 1.
                                                                                                 Treatment                                       

Treatment number                       Year 1 (corn 1999)                                       Year 2 (sugar beet 2000) 

1                                             120 lb N/A                                           0 lb N/A (check)

2                                             120 lb N/A                                                 40 lb N/A

3                                             120 lb N/A                                                 80 lb N/A

4                                             120 lb N/A                                               120 lb N/A

5                                             120 lb N/A                                               160 lb N/A

6                                             120 lb N/A                                               200 lb N/A

7                         Swine manure 2500 gal/A (228 lb total N/A)        Residual

8                          Swine manure 5000 gal/A (455 lb total N/A)        Residual

9                          Turkey manure 5 tons/A (90 lb total N/A)           Residual

10                         Turkey manure 10 tons/A (180 lb total N/A)       Residual

11                         Check (no fertilizer or manure)                           Check (no fertilizer or manure)

          The second experiment was established at the same location near Renville, Minnesota.  The objective of this experiment was to measure the effects of manure application directly before sugar beet production.  The treatments include fertilizer nitrogen, turkey manure, and swine manure (Table 2).  The treatments were applied early November 1998.  Fertilizer nitrogen was applied in a series of rates to determine the equivalent of the N supplied by manure.  Soil samples were taken to a depth of four feet for nitrate-N from the check plot Fall 1998, April 1999, and May 28, 1999.  This is similar to Experiment 1.  Soil samples to one foot for nitrate-N and ammonium-N were taken monthly to estimate the mineralization of N from manure during the growing season.  

Table 2.  Treatments for Experiment 2.           

Treatment number                          Treatment               

1                                                    0 lb N/A (check)

2                                                         40 lb N/A

3                                                          80 lb N/A

4                                                        120 lb N/A

5                                                        160 lb N/A

6                                                        200 lb N/A

7                              Swine manure 2500 gal/A (228 lb total N/A)

8                              Swine manure 5000 gal/A (455 lb total N/A)

9                              Turkey manure 2.5 tons/A (45 lb total N/A)

10                            Turkey manure 5.0 tons/A (90 lb total N/A)

          Sugar beet top growth and N content, root yield, and root quality were measured at harvest Mid October 1999.  Quality samples were taken at harvest and analyzed by the Southern Minnesota Beet Sugar Cooperative Quality Laboratory.  Soil samples to a four foot depth were taken from all plots early November 1999.  

Results and Discussion: 

Experiment 1 - The initial soil nitrate-N measured Fall 1998 was 30 pounds per acre for the 0 to 2 foot depth and 11 pounds per acre for the 2 to 4 foot depth.  The only data available at the time of this report was the corn grain yield (Table 3).  There was a significant increase in grain yield when compared to the check with the application of fertilizer and manure.  There were no significant differences in grain yield between the fertilizer treatment and the manure treatments.  The only significant difference was between the grain yields for the two rates of swine manure (155 vs 169 bushels per acre).  The first year of this experiment was the set up year to investigate the effects of manure on sugar beet production two years after application.  Sugar beet will be grown at this site next year.

Table 3.  Corn grain yields at 15.5% moisture or Experiment 1 at Renville in 1999. 

Treatment                                                                  Corn grain yield
   - - - - bu/A - - - -  

Check                                                                                   126

Fertilizer - 120 lb. N/A                                                       158

Swine Manure   2500 gallon/A                                       155

Swine Manure   5000 gallon/A                                       169

Turkey Manure 5 tons/A                                                166

Turkey Manure 10 tons/A                                              167 

LSD 0.05                                                                              12

Experiment 2 - Fall 1998 soil nitrate-N was 27 pounds per acre in the 0 to 2 foot depth and 18 pounds per acre in the 2 to 4 foot depth.  Root yield was not significantly affected by the nitrogen fertilizer applications (Table 4).  Only the root yields of the 5 ton per acre turkey manure and 5000 gallons per acre swine manure applications were significantly greater than the root yield of the check.  The loss to molasses for the 5 ton per acre turkey manure application was significantly greater than the check.  No significant differences occurred for sucrose concentration, recoverable sucrose per ton, and recoverable sucrose per acre.   

Table 4.  Root yield, sucrose concentration, loss to molasses, recoverable sucrose per ton, and recoverable sucrose
               per acre for Experiment 2 at Renville in 1999.                                                                                                  

Root                          Sucrose                                Loss to                                        Recoverable

Treatment                                             Yield                   Concentration                           Molasses                                     Sucrose

ton/A                             %                                        %                                  lb/ton                            lb/A

Check                                                       23.9                              18.3                                 0.93                                     348                               8301

Fertilizer 40 lb N/A                                24.9                                18.2                                  1.01                                   345                                8570

Fertilizer 80 lb N/A                                25.3                                18.1                                  0.94                                   342                                8634

Fertilizer 120 lb N/A                              25.7                                17.5                                  0.86                                   332                               8546

Fertilizer 160 lb N/A                              26.1                                17.4                                  0.98                                  329                               8492

Fertilizer 200 lb N/A                              24.2                                17.6                                  1.03                                   331                               8033

Swine Manure 2500 gal/A                   25.3                                17.5                                  1.00                                   329                                8353

Swine Manure 5000 gal/A                   28.0                                17.5                                  0.94                                   330                                9371

Turkey Manure 2.5 ton/A                   26.2                                17.8                                  0.93                                   337                                8849

Turkey Manure 5.0 ton/A                   27.3                                17.3                                  1.10                                   323                                8819

LSD 0.05                                                   2.6                                NS                                0.10                                NS                                NS

          These results were not expected and because the soil data is not available for this report.  Several factors were involved during the 1999 growing season.  The root yields for all treatments were very good.  The check root yield of nearly 24 tons per acre on a soil with 27 pounds per acre of nitrate-N and no substantial deep nitrate was unusual.  Mineralization of soil organic N during the growing season must have been greater than normal.  Another factor affecting the results involved the fall application of the treatments.  The treatments were application the first week of November in 1998.  The observation for other studies was a loss of fall applied N occurred.  These results are only from the first year of work in a three year study.   Follow up data will be important in the interpretation of this study.

Literature Cited:

Halvorson, A.D., and G.P. Hartman. 1974.  Longtime influence of organic and inorganic nitrogen sources and rates on sugarbeet yield and quality.  In 1974 Sugarbeet Research and Extension Reports p. 77-79. 

Malzer, G.L., and T. Graff. 1995.  Impact of turkey manure application on corn production and potential water quality concerns Westport, MN 1994.  In Field Research in Soil Science 1995. Minnesota Agricultural Experiment Station Misc. Pub. 88-1995. p. 121-125. 

Schmitt, M.A., C.C. Sheaffer, and G.W. Randall. 1996.  Preplant manure on alfalfa: Residual effects on corn yield and soil nitrate.  J. Prod. Agric.  9:395-398.