Manure trace elements

Eriksson, J. (2001). Concentrations of 61 trace elements in sewage sludge, farmyard manure, mineral fertiliser, precipitation and in oil and crops. 5159, Swedish Environmental Protection Agency, Uppsala, Sweden available on internet at the URL www.naturardsverket.se/pdf/620-6246-8.pdf. 

Ihnat M and Fernandez L (1996) Trace elemental characterization of composted poultry manure. Bioresource Technol 57 143-156. 

Prior to the agricultural and industrial revolutions, the main fertilisers applied to the land were animal products which had been derived from it, such as blood and bone meal, farmyard manure and human faeces although seaweed was also applied in coastal areas. A large fraction of the trace elements removed from the soil was therefore returned and the rate of depletion was therefore relatively slow. The system of agricultural production was therefore, to a large extent, self-regenerating, in that both major and minor nutrients were returned to the land in balanced proportions. Although the problem of dispersion of non-essential elements did not exist, soil fertility was sustained by this system at a low level by modem standards. 

A knowledge of the factors governing trace-element availability in the soil is important in dealing with toxicity conditions encountered in the field, for it may be possible to compensate for soil contamination by manipulating the soil conditions (for example, by liming, manuring or draining) to reduce the... 

The feces or droppings of many animals have been utilized in a variety of ways for thousands of years. While manure rarely appears in museum collections, it should still be considered as a potential element in certain collections. Dried manure may be a normal component of natural history collections. And animal droppings have been occasionally utilized as a medium in modem art. Coprolites, which are fossilized droppings, are trace fossils and may be found in most paleontological collections. 

The soils and sediments that make up the earth s surface were the focus of human activities in the past as they are today. Human settlement is almost always found on sedimentary deposits. Humans dig and build and move these sediments around. They also leave physical and chemical traces of their activities in the ground. The physical traces are the visible remains of pits and posts, earthworks and foundations that remain. The chemical traces are the invisible deposits of elements and molecules left behind by various kinds of activities. Manuring, for example, leaves a... 

Mass spectral analysis of the municipal refuse-derived oil ( ) identified only two long chain fatty acids with certainty however, not more than traces of aromatics were determined to be present. The manure-derived oil was found to be largely alicyclic hydrocarbon but contained heterocyclic nitrogen and alkyl phenollcs ( ). These claims of the saturated hydrocarbon nature of the oil products are at odds with the reported elemental analyses (see Table I). The low hydrogen to carbon ratios dictate that the oil products must contain a large fraction of aromatic or, at least, highly unsaturated compounds. 

Abstract This chapter explains the importance of feeding crops and ensuring that soil fertility is maintained. It discusses the main elements required by crops, both major and trace. It explains why liming is so important for crop nutrition. It deals with the calculations and sources of information needed to accurately decide on fertiliser application rates, and cost them. It describes the materials used on-farm as fertilisers and explains the differences between straights, compounds and blends, as well as dealing with liquids and solid fertilisers. There is a section on the use of oiganic manures and slurries and how to make best use of them. Finally, the chapter deals with the effect of fertilisers on the environment, during both their manufacture and application. 

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