Published online January 3, 2006

Effects of Fresh and Composted Dairy Manure Applications on Alfalfa Yield and the
Environment in Arizona
E. C. Martin,* D. C. Slack, K. A. Tanksley, and B. Basso
tial as a manure N disposal crop is high. The practice of
applying animal waste to crops as a method of disposal is
common (James et al., 1996, Jokela, 1992; Miller and
Donahue, 1995). However, improper applications may
pose a threat to environmental quality if the soil is
overloaded with nutrients (Andraski et al., 2000). Nitrogen applied in excess of crop needs may leach into
groundwater (Jemison and Fox, 1994), contributing to
nonpoint-source pollution (Lanyon, 1994; Daliparthy et
al., 1994, Daliparthy et al., 1995; Matson et al., 1997;
Basso and Ritchie, 2005).
The effects of the application of raw and composted
animal manures on nitrate leaching have been evaluated
by several researchers, but published results are inconsistent. Leclerc et al. (1995) found lower nitrate leaching
from applications of composted manure than from inorganic fertilizer supplying the same amount of N over a
5-yr rotation. Several studies report a higher risk of
nitrate leaching if manure is applied to soils high in
organic matter or if applications are made in autumnwinter (Chambers et al., 2000; Chalmers, 2001; YanWang et al., 2002). Daliparthy et al. (1994) found that
manure had no effect on alfalfa yield when applied at
112 kg N ha21 and had decreased yields at 336 kg N
ha21, probably due to a smothering effect. Schmitt et
al. (1993, 1994) conducted a 2-yr study of manure applications (28, 56, and 112 m3 ha21) to alfalfa in Minnesota
and reported a positive or neutral effect on yield and
no change in soil and plant N levels. A recent study by
Lloveras et al. (2004) found that swine slurry manure
applied at 187.4 and 374.8 kg N ha21 had no effect
on alfalfa yield relative to a control. The N balance
(estimated amount of N fixed by the crop) differed
significantly between the high N application rate and
the control in one of two research sites. Basso and Ritchie (2005) found that NO3N leached from manure-,
compost-, and inorganic fertilizer-treated plots at 681,
390, and 311 kg N ha21, respectively, over 6 yr of a
maize-alfalfa rotation in Michigan. Yields did not differ
among treatments or between treatments and unfertilized controls.
To qualify and quantify chemical and water movement through the soil profile in situ, many researchers
have used lysimeters. During the past few decades, lysimeters have been used for a variety of purposes, including evapotranspiration measurements (Ritchie and
Burnett, 1968; Ritchie, 1972), nitrate leaching quantification (Reeder, 1986; Owens, 2000; Martin et al., 1994;
Basso et al., 1995), and management impacts on nitrate

Reproduced from Agronomy Journal. Published by American Society of Agronomy. All copyrights reserved.

ABSTRACT
The Unified Animal Feeding Operation Strategy requires that field
application of animal waste, a common fertilization and disposal practice, may not exceed crop nutrient needs. Additional guidelines set
forth by the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality state that
animal waste applications on agricultural fields in designated Confined
Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs) must be made in a manner
such that the total N applied to the field cannot exceed the uptake
from the crop grown. Because alfalfa is grown year round and can
take up large quantities of N, many operators of CAFOs apply animal
waste to their production alfalfa fields as method of waste disposal.
In this research, fresh and composted dairy manure was applied to
plots in a production alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) field to determine
the impact on alfalfa yield, soil nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and
electrical conductivity (EC) levels and the potential for nitrate (NO3)
and phosphate (PO4) leaching. Unfertilized plots were maintained as
controls. Fresh and composted manure was applied to fertilized plots
after each harvest at a rate intended to replace N removed from the
previous cutting. After 1.5 yr and 13 cuttings, soil analysis down to
150 cm depth showed no significant difference in soil N between
treatments. At study end, NO3N made up 1.1% of total N in the
fertilized plots but only 0.6% in control plots. Changes in soil N were
not significant. Soil P content increased in fertilized plots but remained
stable in control plots. Final soil PO4 measurements were 16, 99, and
116 kg ha21 in the control, manure-treated, and compost-treated plots,
respectively. Leachate from three drainage lysimeters contained no
detectable NO3 or PO4 from any of the treatments. LSD showed no
difference in EC between the beginning and the end of study, and
alfalfa yield did not vary among treatments.

from the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality state that animal waste applications to agricultural fields in designated Confined
Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs) must be made in a
manner such that the total N applied to the field does
not exceed the uptake from the crop grown. One crop
commonly grown on CAFOs is alfalfa (Medicago sativa
L.) for animal feed. Alfalfa does not require N fertilizer
because it forms a symbiotic relationship with microorganisms that convert atmospheric N into amino acids,
but it uses soil N when it is available in high concentrations (Phillips and DeJong, 1984). Because of its deep
rooting pattern, it is often recommended to help reduce
nitrate (NO3) pollution (Peterson and Russelle, 1991).
In Arizona, where alfalfa is grown year round, its potenEW RULINGS

E.C. Martin and D.C. Slack, Dep. of Agric. and Biosyst. Eng., Univ.
of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721; K.A. Tanksley, Pima Community
College, Tucson, AZ 85709; and B. Basso, Dep. of Cropping Syst.,
For. and Environ. Sci., Univ. of Basilicata, Potenza, Italy. Received
2 Feb. 2005. *Corresponding author (edmartin@cals.arizona.edu).

Abbreviations: AZSCHED, Arizona irrigation scheduling computer

program; CAFO, confined animal feeding operation; DM, dry matter;
EC, electrical conductivity; LSD0.05, Fishers least significant difference; MAC, University of Arizonas Maricopa Agricultural Center;
RFA, rapid flow analyzer; TKN, total Kjeldahl nitrogen.

Published in Agron. J. 98:8084 (2006).

Manure
doi:10.2134/agronj2005.0039
American Society of Agronomy
677 S. Segoe Rd., Madison, WI 53711 USA

80

Reproduced from Agronomy Journal. Published by American Society of Agronomy. All copyrights reserved.

MARTIN ET AL.: DAIRY MANURE APPLICATIONS ON ALFALFA IN ARIZONA

leaching (Rasse et al., 2000). Pakrou and Dillon (2000)

showed that deep monolith lysimeters provide better
results for estimating drainage and N fluxes to groundwater than the use of shallow or repacked lysimeters.
In this research, the effects of the application of fresh
and composted dairy manure on a production alfalfa
field were examined to determine the impact on alfalfa
yield; soil N, P, and electrical conductivity (EC) levels;
and the potential for NO3 leaching in the arid southwest.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
Site Description
Alfalfa was planted on 17 Nov. 2000 at the University of
Arizonas Maricopa Agricultural Center (MAC) in Maricopa,
Arizona (1128109 N, 338059 E). The sites rainfall averages
slightly more than 177 mm per year, but only 210 mm of
rainfall were received during the 20-mo study period. The
variety planted was Mecca II seeded at a rate of 28 kg ha21. The
soil type was a Casa Grande fine-loam (mixed, hyperthermic
Typic Natrargid). The research field was split into 12 plots,
each 6 m wide and 137 m long. Fresh and composted manure
was applied to the surface of the treatment plots after each
alfalfa cutting at a rate intended to replace the total N removed
by the harvest. There were three treatments: no N added
(Control), composted manure (Compost), and fresh manure
(Manure). The field was divided into four replicate blocks
with three plots per block in a modified, randomized, complete-block design. Three lysimeters previously existed in the
fieldone located in each of the first three blocks. One Control (no N), one Compost, and one Manure treatment plot
was randomly assigned to each lysimeter. Other treatments
were randomly assigned so that each block consisted of one
replicate of each treatment.

Irrigation and Fertilizer Applications

The field had a near zero slope and was surface irrigated
with siphon tubes. Irrigations were scheduled using the AriZona irrigation SCHEDuling (AZSCHED) computer program (Martin et al., 2003). AZSCHED is a computer model
developed at the University of Arizona that integrates weather,
soil data, and crop factors to provide irrigation recommendations. Weather data, including rainfall, were obtained from
the Arizona Meteorological Network (Brown, 2004) station
approximately 805 m north of the field location. AZSCHED
computes crop water usage using the Modified-Penman equation to determine reference crop evapotranspiration combined
with a heat unit-based crop coefficient (Martin et al., 2003).
Irrigation amounts and dates were calculated by AZSCHED
using a maximum allowed depletion of 50% of plant available
water in the crop rootzone and an irrigation efficiency of 75%
(Martin, 2000).
The fresh and composted manure were from a large (,2500
head) dairy, located about 100 km northwest of MAC. The
fresh manure was scrapped from the yard within 10 d of analysis and application. The composted manure was made by frequent watering and turning of a 2:1 mixture of dry manure
and landscape nursery cuttings. Its age was unknown because
the dairyman was constantly adding, moving, and selling the
composted manure. All fresh and composted manure samples
were analyzed for N content (NO3, NH4, and total N), and
five samples were analyzed for phosphate (PO4) and EC levels
over the course of the study.
Total Kjeldahl nitrogen (TKN) was determined using the
standard digestion of Schumann et al. (1973) in conjunction

81

with the indophenol blue procedure and the Alpkem Rapid

Flow Analyzer (RFA) II (Bremner and Mulvaney, 1982). Soil
NO3 was extracted with deionized water and analyzed for
NO3N via Cd reduction by a modified GriessIlsovay method
using the Alpkem RFA II. Analysis of NH4 was done on
undigested samples using a 2 M potassium chloride (KCl)
extraction (Keeney and Nelson, 1982) and the Alpkem RFA
II. The TKN minus the original NH4 in the sample yielded
the organic N originally present in the sample. The TKN plus
the NO3 equaled the total N in the sample, which was used
to calculate the amount of material needed to replace the N
removed in each harvest. Soluble P (Olsen P) was determined
by sodium bicarbonate (NaHCO3) extraction and subsequent
colorimetric analysis (Olsen et al., 1954). Electrical conductivity levels were determined using an electrical conductivity
electrode (Bremner and Mulvaney, 1982) and a 1:1 ratio of
fresh/composted manure to water.
All fresh and composted manure was applied with a manure
spreader (Lakeside All Purpose Spreader, V-style) in one or
two applications. Weights of the spreader and tractor were
taken before and after applications to determine the amount
of material applied. An initial application of 43 and 35 kg N
ha21 was applied to the Compost and Manure plots, respectively (differences reflect normal spreader variation), to induce the alfalfa to use soil N instead of forming N-fixing
nodules.

Plant Harvest and Analysis

The alfalfa was harvested when ,10% of the field was at
flowering. After mowing, the alfalfa was raked into a single
windrow per plot. Forage yield was determined by collecting
and weighing a random 2-m length of windrow from each plot.
Subsamples were collected from the yield sample, weighed,
and dried for 24 h at 658C to determine dry matter (DM)
yield. Dried samples were ground using a Wiley Mill Model
4 grinder with a 0.5-mm sieve before N content determination
by the Kjeldahl digestion method previously described. We
assumed that organic N removed by the Kjeldahl digestions
approximated the total N content of the alfalfa because preliminary assays showed that harvested alfalfa contained ,0.5 mg
kg21 of NO3 or NH4. Nitrogen concentrations were used with
yield data to determine the total amount of N removed in
each harvest.

Soil Analysis
Soil samples were taken from the field on three separate
dates using a Giddings Probe and a 50.8-mm hollow core
sampler. Samples were taken in October 2000, before treatment initiation; January 2002, when the crop was partially
dormant; and August 2002, at the conclusion of the study.
Each time, three soil cores were taken from each plot in 15-cm
increments down to 45 cm, then 30-cm increments to a depth
of 150 cm. All samples were analyzed for TKN, NH4, NO3,
P, and EC in the same manner as the fresh and composted
manure. A bulk density of 1.5 g cm23 was assumed for the
soil based on data from Post et al. (1988). For more details
on extractions and analyses, see Tanksley (2003).

Lysimeters
Stainless steel drainage lysimeters (2.0 by 1.5 m by 1.8 m
deep) were installed in 1994 and filled with soil to simulate the
actual soil profile (Martin et al., 1999). The tops of the lysimeters were ,0.5 m below the soil surface, allowing leachate

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AGRONOMY JOURNAL, VOL. 98, JANUARYFEBRUARY 2006

Reproduced from Agronomy Journal. Published by American Society of Agronomy. All copyrights reserved.

irrigation could be scheduled within a week of harvest.

This was done so that the harvest equipment could maneuver in the field. The total irrigation depth applied
over the study period was 3943 mm. The total rainfall
over the study period was 210 mm. There were no additional fertilizers or chemicals added to any of the plots
throughout the study period. No herbicides or insecticides were required.

Fresh and Composted Manure Analysis

Fig. 1. Drainage lysimeter system used to collect leachate from alfalfa

plots (Martin et al., 1999).

Total N applications exceeded removal by 61 and 53%

in the Compost and Manure treatments, respectively
(Table 1). Slightly more N was applied as composted
manure than as fresh manure (Table 1) due to the difficulty in applying the correct amount of material with a
manure spreader. The fresh manure had a higher NH4N
content and lower NO3N content than the composted

Table 1. Summary data for dry matter alfalfa yield, N removed in harvest, and N added through fertilization for the 13 cuttings during
the study period at Maricopa, AZ, 20012002.
Treatment
Control
Compost
Manure
LSD (0.05)

Dry alfalfa
yield

Total N
removed

kg ha21
40 815
39 312
39 008
NS

kg N ha21
1222
1222
1215
NS

Total applied
Material

NO3N

NH4N

Organic N

Total N

1789
1821

1975
1856

kg ha21
156 403
123 673

172
3

13
33

NS, nonsignificant.

collection from ,2.3 m below the soil surface (Fig. 1). Leachate was collected in a stainless steel container below ground
and measured and sampled at the surface using a vacuum
pump and a 20-L plastic carboy. Although suction was used to
sample the drainage water, the lysimeters were not under any
suction. The lysimeters were checked weekly for leachate that
was analyzed for NO3 and PO4 content using the Alpkem
RFA II.

Statistical Analysis
Statistical analysis was conducted using the general linear
model of SAS (PROC GLM procedures) (SAS Institute, 1996).
Field replicated measurements were analyzed using Fishers
least significant difference (LSD0.05) in the analysis of variance.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

Yield and Plant Analysis
Alfalfa was cut and analyzed 13 times throughout the
study, yielding approximately 40 t ha21 DM and 1.2 t
ha21 N (Table 1). Yields did not differ among treatments, except in February 2002, when manure may have
protected some plants from frost damage. Yields for
that cutting were 1408, 1770, and 2550 kg ha21 DM for
the Control, Compost, and Manure plots, respectively.
Nitrogen removal mirrored yields (Table 1), although
the difference in N removed in February 2002 was not
significant.

Irrigation and Cultural Practices

Irrigations were scheduled according to the recommendations of AZSCHED, with the condition that no

manure (Table 1). This was expected because the composted manure had some time to mineralize the NH4
into NO3 during the composting operation. Phosphate
concentration and EC was higher for the fresh manure
than for the composted manure (Table 2).

Soil Sample Analysis

Soil analysis showed no differences between plots at
the beginning of the study (Table 3). Soil NH4 levels
were higher at the end of the study than at the beginning
but did not differ between treatments (Table 3). Nitrate
levels were higher in fertilized plots than in control plots
by the end of the study (Table 3). At least 98% of soil N
was in the organic form for all treatments and sampling
dates. Neither total N nor organic N contents differed
between treatments or sampling dates (Table 3). Electrical conductivity did not differ by treatment but fell from
an average of 1.1 to 0.4 dS m21 over the course of the
study (Table 3). Soil PO4P increased over the course
of the study in fertilized plots but not in unfertilized
controls (Table 3).

Lysimeters
Lysimeters did not collect sufficient leachate to induce drainage over the course of the study, reflecting
proper irrigation, efficient plant water uptake, and a
lack of significant rainfall. At the end of the study, the
field was heavily irrigated to induce leaching. Neither
NO3N nor soluble P were detected in leachate at the
respective detection limits of 0.5 and 0.25 mg kg21 (data
not shown).

83

MARTIN ET AL.: DAIRY MANURE APPLICATIONS ON ALFALFA IN ARIZONA

Table 2. Phosphorus concentration and electrical conductivity values for selected samples of fresh and composted manure.

Reproduced from Agronomy Journal. Published by American Society of Agronomy. All copyrights reserved.

PO4P

EC

Treatment

Nov.
2000

May
2001

Aug.
2001

Oct.
2001

July
2002

Nov.
2000

May
2001

Compost
Manure

424
1246

409
1504

mg kg21
309
1188

326
1572

359
864

14
68

33
92

Aug.
2001
dS m21
26
77

Oct.
2001

July
2002

26
68

41
75

EC, electrical conductivity.

Table 3. Nitrogen, phosphorus, and electrical conductivity values of the soil taken at the beginning, midpoint, and end of the study
at a depth of 0150 cm.
Date
Parameter

Treatment

NH4N

NO3N

Organic N

Total N

Phosphate P

EC (avg.)

Oct. 2000

Control
Compost
Manure
LSD (a 5 0.05)
Control
Compost
Manure
LSD (a 5 0.05)
Control
Compost
Manure
LSD (a 5 0.05)
Control
Compost
Manure
LSD (a 5 0.05)
Control
Compost
Manure
LSD (a 5 0.05)

4.7
2.4
5.0
NS
48.3
53.0
54.3
NS
2838
2711
2810
NS
2891
2767
2869
NS
20.4
29.1
31.9
NS

Control
Compost
Manure
LSD (a 5 0.05)

1.05
1.09
1.11
NS

Jan. 2002
kg ha21
2.8
2.7
3.8
NS
0.8
1.8
3.4
NS
3189
3176
2665
NS
3193
3181
2673
NS
12.0
94.4
63.6
77.7
dS/m
0.59
0.55
0.52
NS

Aug. 2002

LSD (a 5 0.05)

9.8
10.3
10.2
NS
18.1
35.0
33.9
14.0
2793
3092
3108
NS
2821
3136
3152
NS
16.3
115.6
98.6
76.1

3.1
3.3
3.8
12.4
24.8
13.4
NS
NS
NS
NS
NS
NS
NS
83.6
NS

0.41
0.46
0.46
NS

NS
NS
NS

EC, electrical conductivity; NS, nonsignificant.

Table 4. Mean N balance values for the three treatments.

Nitrogen
(A)
Initial soil
Oct. 2000

Treatment

(B)
Applied

(C)
Harvested

0
1975
1856
NS

1222
1222
1214
NS

(D)
Calculated soil
Aug. 2002
(A 1 B) 2 C

(E)
Actual soil
Aug. 2002

(F)
Balance
(E 2 D)

2821
3137
3152
NS

11152
2383
2359

kg ha21
Control
Compost
Manure
LSD (a 5 0.05)

2891
2767
2869

1669
3520
3511

NS, nonsignificant.

Nitrogen Mass Balance

A N mass balance calculation was performed to assess
N flux between the atmosphere and field. The N remaining in the soil at the end of the study was estimated
by adding the N applied as fresh and composted manure
to the pre-study N and subtracting the N removed by
the alfalfa cutting. Table 4 shows the mean N balance,
suggesting that the addition of the N to alfalfa inhibited
fixation. Alfalfa in control plots fixed approximately
1152 kg N ha21. There was no net N fixation in Compost
and Manure plots, where alfalfa consumed 383 and 354
kg N ha21, respectively. This compares with a recent
report that alfalfa fixed 1098 kg N ha21 without added

fertilizer but only 427 kg N ha21 when fertilized with

50 m3 swine slurry ha21 (Lloveras et al., 2004).

CONCLUSIONS
In this research, fresh and composted dairy manure
was applied to plots in a production alfalfa field following recently released CAFO guidelines to minimize the
potential for nutrient contamination of the environment. This study suggests that with proper application,
fresh and composted manure can be applied to alfalfa in
the arid southwest with minimal risk of nitrate leaching.
However, the lack of significant rainfall during the study

Reproduced from Agronomy Journal. Published by American Society of Agronomy. All copyrights reserved.

84

AGRONOMY JOURNAL, VOL. 98, JANUARYFEBRUARY 2006

period may have helped to mask potential leaching risks.

The N mass balance analysis showed that the Control
treatment fixed more N (1152 kg N ha21) than the Manure (2359 kg N ha21) and Compost (2383 kg N ha21)
treatments, demonstrating inhibition of biologic N-fixation by N application through organic compounds. The
accumulation of P in the soil may be of concern in areas
where surface water is near. Levels of 115 kg ha21 and
99 kg ha21 of PO4P were found in the soil of the Compost and Manure plots, respectively, at the end of the
study.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
The authors wish to acknowledge the contribution of Dr.
Jay Subramani for his assistance in the statistical analysis of the
data presented in this paper.

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