I Universitycfldaho Nutrient Manageo

BIOCHAR: A SOIL AMENDMENT WORTH CONSIDERINGBy Jim Ippolito, Rick Lentz, and Jeff Novak-USDA ARS

Biochar is a fine-grained, carbon enriched product createdwhen biomass (e.g. wood waste, manures) is bumed at relativelylow temperatures (less than 1300°F) and under an anoxic (lack ofoxygen) atmosphere. The process itself is called pyrolysis and issimilar to the production of charcoal, yet the intent is generally tocreate biofuel with the concomitant production of the secondaryproduct, biochar.

Benefits of biochar addition to soils are recognized. Arnazo-nian dark earth soils, also known as terra preta, are charcoal-enriched soils containing a high nutrient content from reduced leach-ing, likely a response of human-induced biochar accumulation.These soils, dating to between 450 BC and 950 AD, are unique to the

Figure 1. Blochar product

Continued on page 2

'.HIGHLIGHTS OF THE 2009 ANNUALAGRONOMY MEETINGS IN PITTSBURGH

By Amber Moore-UI

At the 2009 International AnnualAgronomy Society Association meet-ings held in November in Pittsburgh,PA, a wide variety of information waspresented, with key topics includingconservation tillage, biochar, ethanolproduction, manure applications,greenhouse gas emissions, slow-release fertilizers, organic croppingsystems, and precision agriculture,just to name a few. Presentation ab-stracts can be accessed at https:11www.acsmeetings.org/home. Listedbelow are just a few of the presenta-tions that caught my eye.

Crop Adviser Institute (CAl) -www cal.laslate.edu - This website

from Iowa State University has inter-active computer-based learning mod-ules for the continuing education ofagricultural professionals.

The Manure Value Calculator -Developed at the University of Min-nesota. Includes values for dairy ma-nure, compost, and lagoon waterapplications. Designed for Minnesotagrowing conditions, but can still pro-vide a ballpark estimate for Idahoproducers and growers. Downloadexcel file from the httpJIwww.apec. umn. edu/faculty/wlazaruslInterests manureworth.htmf.

"Tillage-induced stratificationof soli phosphorus fonna" - cade-Menun et al., Saskatoon, Canada -Bottom line - Increased available P

was found at the surface layer for no-till soils in comparison to tilled soils,resulting in increased potential of Ploss in runoff.

"Using manure from cattle feddried distillers' grain (DOG) as fer-tilizer: Effect on nutrient accumu-lation In soil and uptake by barleyforage" - Hao et al., Saskatoon,Canada - Bottom line - DDG manureapplication resulted in higher soil tertal phosphorus and soil availablephosphorus than soils receiving ma-nure from typical barley grain diet,yet had no effect on phosphorus ornitrogen concentration of the barleyplant tissue. In fact, soil availablephos-phorus Continued on page 7

A Soil Amendment Worth Considerinq continued from pq. 1PA G E 2

Figure 2. Pecan-shell feedstockbefore pyrolysis

Amazon region, as most tropicalsoils are highly weathered and thusgenerally infertile.

Scientists are now attemptingto reproduce this technology byusing biochar-type products assoils supplements. Increases incrop yield from applied biocharhave been observed in tropicalsoils, likely due to biochar's abilityto help soils retain nutrients andincrease water holding capacity.Research by the newly formedUSDA-Agricultural Research Ser-vice's National Biochar Initiative willevaluate applied biochar in soilsacross the US. Many questionsremain to successfully use thistechnology. Can biochar improvethe soil fertility of soils such asthose that are highly weathered,calcareous, or eroded? Does bio-char improve soil physical proper-ties like water holding capacity?Can biochar supply critical plantnutrients that increase crop yields?Does biochar increase soil C stor-age that can reduce atmosphericcarbon dioxide? Preliminary resultsare varied and depend on soil type,biochar characteristics, and crop

grown.Scientists at the USDA-ARS in

Florence, SC have found that a 2%biochar application (approximately40 to 44 tons/ac) can increase soilwater holding capacity of silt loamsoils such as those found in Idaho.This suggests that more water isavailable to the plant for a longerperiod of time. Reduced nutrientleaching on biochar amended soilsis currently being investigated byARS scientists in South Carolinaand Idaho. First-year results at theUSDA ARS station in Kimberly,Idaho indicated that applying 10tons/acre of biochar increased soilcarbon concentrations and avail-able Mn relative to controls, and

Figure 3. Pyrolyzer used tomake biochar

either had no effect or decreasedemission of greenhouse gasescompared to controls. Biochar alsointeracted positively with manure toincrease availability of soil N, P,and Zn. In another Kimberly study,1 and 2% biochar (equivalent to 2and 4 tons/acre) was added to an

eroded calcareous soil to evaluatechanges in soil properties and plantnutrient uptake by a bean crop. Theeffect of the biochar applications onnutrient uptake in this study wasminimal. Results of a separate, four-month incubation study suggestedthat biochar application (up to 10%by weight) to eroded calcareoussoil can decrease nitrate-nitrogenconcentrations and increase plant-available Fe, Mn, Ni, and In. Amarked increase in soil organic car-bon content was observed, as wasexpected with rate of applied bio-char.

Increasing carbon storage insoil over the long-term should beachievable, as the mean residencetime of biochar has been estimatedat a few hundred to several thou-sand years. The biochar carbonstored in soils can help offset globalcarbon dioxide emissions. Moreimportantly, ARS scientists areshowing that some applied biocharcan reduce soil nitrous oxide emis-sions and increase methane uptakefrom soils. Nitrous oxide and meth-ane trap 310 and 20 times moreatmospheric heat as compared tocarbon dioxide. In the future, pro-ducers may also benefit economi-cally when using biochar via thetrading of carbon credits.

For more information, contact JimIppolito at 208-423-6524, orjim.ippolito@ars.usda.gov; RickLentz at 208-423-6531, orrick.lentz@ars.usda.gov; JeffNovak at 843-669-5203 x 110, orjeffnovak@ars.usda.gov.

EVALUATING AMMONIA, METHANE, AND NITROUSOXIDE EMISSIONS FROM AN IDAHO OPEN LOT DAIRY

Concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs)emit trace gases such as ammonia (NH3), methane(CH4), and nitrous oxide (N20) to the atmosphere. Am-monia can combine with other elements in the air to cre-ate fine particulate matter that can affect livestock andhuman health, while CH4, and N20 are potent green-house gases. The implementation of air quality regula-tions in livestock-producing states increases the need foraccurate on-farm determination of emission rates thatreflect the range of animal production facilities and cli-matic conditions that exist in the U.S.

Within the state of Idaho, the number of dairy cowshas increased by approximately 80% in the last decade,with the majority of these facilities located in southernIdaho. In order to evaluate the potential air quality im-pacts of these facilities, baseline data from dairies in theregion are necessary. To address this issue, we meas-ured NH3, CH4, and N20 concentrations over the pensand lagoon of a 700 cow open lot dairy using open-pathFourier transform infrared spectrometry. Concentrationswere measured for one or two days at each location dur-ing January, March, June, and September in order todetermine both daily and seasonal variations in emis-sions.

Median NH3 concentrations were between 0.14 to0.39 ppmv (parts per million by volume of air) over thepens and 0.04 to 0.17 ppmv over the lagoon, with con-

Table 1. Estimated emission rates of methane and ammonia from the pen and lagoonareas of a 700 cow dairy using the WindTrax model.

Average Emission Rates-----Location January March June September

Ibs day-i -AmmoniaPens 53 379 265 214

Lagoon 4 9 35 15Total 57 388 300 229

Total per cow 0.08 0.55 0.43 0.33

MethanePens 500 818 256 258

Lagoon 29 26 71 44Total 529 844 327 302

Total per cow 0.76 1.21 0.47 0.43

By April Leytem-USDA-ARS

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centrations tending to be lower in January. Median CH4concentrations were between 2.07 to 2.80 over the pensand 1.87 to 2.15 ppmv over the lagoon. Average N20concentrations were between 0.31 to 0.33 ppmv for allareas, which were similar to global background N20 con-centrations.

We used current modeling techniques to determinethe emissions of NH3 and CH4 from the pen and lagoonareas. The combined ammonia emissions from the penand lagoon areas were estimated to be 0.08,0.55,0.43,and 0.33 Ibs NH3 per cow per day for January, March,June, and September, respectively, and methane emis-sions were 0.76, 1.21, 0.47, and 0.43 Ibs CH4 per cowper day for the same months. The pens contributed thegreatest amount of both NH3 and CH4 emissions as illus-trated in Table 1. Assuming this limited monitoring wasrepresentative of the entire year, annual emissions fromthe pens and lagoon were 127 Ibs NH3 per cow and 262Ibs CH4 per cow. These emission rates were similar tothe limited number of comparable studies that have beenpublished, however, more extensive monitoring isneeded to better quantify variations in emissionsthroughout the year and among locations. We are con-tinuing to conduct research on additional dairies forlonger periods of time in order to better understand theeffects of climatic variation and management practiceson emissions rates. For more information contact AprilLeytem, (208) 423-6530, or april.leytem@ars.usda.gov.

BIOPLASTICS, BIOGAS, AND BEYOND

Idaho Nutrient Mana~ement Conference scheduledfor March 9 in Shoshone, Idaho

You are invited to attend the Idaho Nutrient Management Conference on March 9th in Shoshone, Idaho. The con-ference will go from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the Lincoln County Community Center. Presenters from the Univer-sity of Idaho, USDA ARS Kimberly, NRCS, EPA, ISDA, and DEQ will provide information on new research infor-mation and updated regulations on nutrient management in Southem Idaho. Certified crop advisor (CCA) creditswill be available.For more information, contact Amber Moore at 208-736-3629.

By Rocky Briones, Erik Coats, andArmando McDonald-UI

What's in your cow's poop?Different things for different people:for many livestock producers, it'smainly a waste issue and often asource of neighbor complaints. Andthough farmers have long recognizedmanure's benefits as a soil condi-tioner, the increasing scale of manymodem livestock operations is result-ing in over-application of manure-derived nutrients in the surroundingsoils.

The energy value in manure isinherent: it is a material that has al-ready partly yielded its energy(methane) content through entericfermentation (the microbial processthat goes on inside the animals' gut).Subjecting it to further anaerobic di-gestion releases and captures therest of the methane gas produced bycomplex microbial processes. In theUnited States, natural gas consump-tion comprises 24 % of total energyconsumption. This country currentlyimports between 13% and 16% of itsnatural gas requirements. In theory,over half of our natural gas importscould be replaced by manure-derivedbiogas based on current manure pro-duction rates, if all manure was an-

aerobically digested. It is well withinthe realm of possibility to furtherboost biogas production by supple-menting manure with other agricul-tural wastes, with the aim of eventu-ally replacing all our natural gas im-ports.

Even with this promising out-look for agriculturally-derived biogas,there is.still too little incentive for pro-ducers to invest in anaerobic diges-tion. Energy market realities (such asthe low price of natural gas), highinvestment costs, and difficulties inhandling feedstock of variable naturehave blocked the progression of ma-nure-derived biogas. With these anda host of other challenges associatedwith treating large volumes of manurefrom large livestock operations, ittakes a radical shift to begin viewingmanure as a resource rather than asa waste stream.

Erik Coats (UI Civil Engineer-ing), Armando McDonald (UI ForestProducts) and Aurelio Briones (UISoils and Land Resources) are seek-ing ways to diversify the high valueproducts that can be derived fromcow manure. One promising route forprocessing this resource is high valueplastics. As with biogas, bioplasticsrequire the action of microbes to syn-thesize them, and based on current

PAG E ••

production technologies, these poly-hydroxyalkanoates (PHA), are four tonine times more expensive than othersynthetic plastics. This is a major ob-stacle toward their more widespreaduse. Coats, McDonald, and Brionesplan to couple PHA production withanaerobic digestion in a process thatgreatly increases the end productvalue of processed manure. Intenseresearch at UI will ultimately deter-mine process cost effectiveness andcompetitiveness.

Biogas and bioplastics areonly part of the research efforts at UI.The highly lignified end product (afterextracting biogas and PHA) of thisprocess is also being studied as start-ing material for other high value prod-ucts such as resins, thermoplastics,biofuels, and biochar. The nature ofthis type of refining process requiresa multidisciplinary effort, and theteam at UI, composed of engineers,chemists and microbiologists, is justthe right combination to get this jobdone. The research group at UI facesmany challenges before their effortsyield marketable end products, but itis becoming clear that cow manuremay one day be a more valuable re-source. For more information contactRocky Briones: (208) 885-0136, orabriones@uidaho.edu.

SEED BANDED NITROGEN P AG E 5

By Brad Brown-UI

Urea is the most common drynitrogen (N) fertilizer used for south-ern Idaho crops. It is typically thecheapest of the dry N sources perunit of N and has the highest Nanalysis (46% N). While urea is theworkhorse of the N fertilizers appliedfor many crops, it can be problematicdepending on the application methodand timing. Most importantly, onlylimited amounts of urea N can beplaced with the planted seed, sinceurea can slow or prevent germina-tion. Recently developed slow re-lease N formulations provide alterna-tives to urea- seed banding. Wecompared various combinations ofseed-banded urea or ESN slow re-lease fertilizer with support from theIdaho Wheat Commission. Seedbanded N rates were balanced withpreplant broadcast urea to provide atotal of 80 Ib N/A, except for an un-treated control. The banded treat-ments were placed with the winterwheat seed using a double-disk

planter with seven inch row spacing.The wheat was furrow irrigated

Urea banded with winter wheatseed reduced stands with as little as20 Ib of urea N per acre (Figure 4).Excessive urea banded with seedreduced stands, delayed germina-tion, and reduced both plant heightand yield. Figure 1 shows 80 Ib of NIA banded with the seed as urea (left)or ESN (right), and an intermediatetreatment of 20 Ib urea N/A bandedwith seed and 60 Ib urea N/A broad-cast preplant (center). The slow re-lease N affected stands somewhat atthe 80 Ib rate but not enough to af-feet yield, which was 35 bu/A higherthan with the seed banded urea atthe 80 Ib rate for this late plantedwheat. Yield differences are shownin Figure 6. The yield decrease withseed banded urea is not only due topoorer stands, as stands in somecases were not different by March.Slower emerging wheat performedsimilar to late planted wheat that ma-tured later during hotter, less favor-

able conditions during grain fill.The damage from seed banded

urea appeared to be dependent onplanting dates. Figure 5 shows thedamage in November planted wheatwith excessive banded urea N, but atleast there were surviving plants andsome production. There were so fewsurviving plants of ear1y Octoberplanted wheat with banded urea atthe 80lb rate that it wasn't even har-vested. Cooler temperatures withlater plantings ameliorate the effectsof seed banded urea, due likely toslower rates of urea hydrolysis toNH4-N.

We discovered other advantageswith a slow release N relative tourea. Note the more uniform colorand height of the wheat receivingseed banded ESN. The outsideplanted rows are not as washed outwith banded ESN as they are witheither banded urea or a combinationof seed banded and preplant broad-cast urea. Also, the middle rows aredarker

Continued on page 6

Figure 4. Winter wheat plots in 2008 at Panna treated with seed banded N or broadcast urea.The center strip also received 60 Ib N/A as broadcast urea.

Seed Banded Nitrogen, continued from pg. 5

using conventional urea, indicatingconsiderable movement of solubleand mobile N with the irrigation wet-ting front to the bed center. Theslow release N was not flushed tobed centers as easily as urea pro-viding more uniform N availabilityacross the bed.

The seed banded N distrib-uted among narrow (7") rows would

be less damaging than if the sameN rate per acre were banded withseed in wider rows. The N fA rate isprobably not as critical as theamount of N per linear foot of row.

For example, seed banded N in14" rows at the same per acre Nrate would deliver twice the N perlinear foot of row as with 7" rows.Consequently, even lower seed

PA G E 6

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banded N can be tolerated in widerspaced rows than in our study.Slow release N such as ESN can beeffective N fertilizers banded withseed at low to moderate amountsdepending on the row spacing.

For more information contactBrad Brown: (208) 722-6701, orbradb@uidaho.edu.

Parma. late planted November 6,2007

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Figure 5. Winter wheat emergence (plant counts) as affected by seed banded urea and ESN In earlyand late plantings. For late planted wheat, note that final stands for seed-banded urea (open sym-

bols) were not achieved until March.

Nov 30 Dec 11 Feb 29 March 7Date

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Figure 6. Winter wheat yield as affected by urea broadcast (0 banded) and increasingamounts of the total N banded with seed as either urea or ESN. Note there is no yield for 80

Ib urea N/A banded with seed for the early planting.

2009 Annual Agronomy Meetings, continued from pq. 1

increased two-fold on DOG manuretreated soils compared to barley grainmanure treated soils, increasing therisk of P offsite transport.

"Organic no-tillage winter rye-soybean systems: Agronomic,Economic, and Environmental as-sessment." Bernstein et aI., Univer-sity of Wisconsin. Bottom line -Greater weed control and environ-mental benefits of no-till system wereoffset by reduced short-term produc-tivity and profitability.

"Biochar effects on fertilizer Nand P availability In soil", Agudeloet al. Kansas State University - Bot-tom line - Application of biochar at

rates up to 20 g/kg (equivalent to 39tons/acre) in an incubation study hadminimal effects on availability of Nand P fertilizer on two Kansas soils.

"Broiler litter stacking reduceshormone concentrations" Cabreraet al., University of Georgia. Bottomline - Concentrations of testosterone,estradiol, and estrone were reducedby as much as 50% during four weeksof stacking (piling litter and placing ina covered stackhouse for severalweeks, a standard practice for poultryproducers in Georgia). Maximum tem-peratures achieved during stackingwere 60 to 70·C.

"Effect of temperature and soli

P AG E 7

type on ammonia volatilizationfrom slow-release nitrogen fertiliz-ers" University of Florida. Bottom line- Volatilization increases as propor-tion of urea in the slow release fertil-izer increases.

"Dried distillers grains as a fer-tilizer source for com" Nelson et al.,University of Missouri. Bottom line -Corn grain yield increased 1.4 and 1.6kg/ha for every kg/ha of DOGs ap-plied in medium and high yielding en-vironments, respectively. Grain yieldswere affected by amendments as fol-lows: control < DOGs s AnhydrousAmmonia = Polymer Coated Urea.

For more information contact Am-ber Moore: (208) 736-3629, or am-berm@uidaho.edu

-----------------------------Upcoming Even~------------------------------Jan 8-Snake River Sugar Beet Conference at the Taylor and Shields buildings on the College of Southern Idahocampus, 315 Falls Avenue, Twin Falls. Contact Tamie Keeth, 208-736-3623

Jan 11-13-Far West Agribusiness Association (FWAA) Winter Conference at Cactus Pete's Resort & Casino inJackpot. Member registration is $100. non-member registration is $200. For more information and a registration form,go to www.fwaa.org.

Jan 19-Publlc comment deadline for NPDES permit for Idaho CAFOs. http://yosemite.epagov/r10/water.nsf/NPDES+Permits/General+NPDES+Permits/$FILE/idg01000 dp.pdf

Jan 20-21-UI Potato Conference at the Pond Student Union Building on the Idaho State University campus in Poca-tello. For more information, contact Phil Deaton, 208-529-8376 or go to http://www.extension.uidaho.edu/district4/Potato%20Conference/potato.html

Jan 21-Camas/Blalne Counties Cereal/Forage School, 9:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m. at the Prairie Kitchen in Fairfield. Thecost is $15. State Credits will be available. Contact Lauren Hunter, 208-788-5585

Feb 2-Maglc Valley Cereal School, 8:30 a.m., at the Minidoka County Fairgrounds McGregor Center. The cost is$15. Three Pesticide credits will be available. Contact Richard Garrard,208-878-9461.

Feb 10-Mar 17-ldaho Master Composter/Recycler Program, Wednesdays 6:00 - 9:00 p.rn at the Wendell City HallMeeting room. The cost is $35; for students with ID, the cost is $15. Dual and college credits, as well as continuing edu-cation credits for teachers will be available. Registration is due by February 2nd

• Contact Mario de Haro Marti, 208-934-4417 or mdeharo@uidahoedu.

Feb 16-17-1daho Hay & Forage Conference at the Best Western Inn, Burley. Contact Rick WaitJey, 208-888-0988, orrcwaitley@spro.net.

Feb 19-Magic Valley Bean School, 8:00 a.m. -12:00 noon, at the Turf Club in Twin Falls. There is no cost ContactSteve Hines, 208-734-9590.

Mar 9-ldaho Nutrient Management Conference, at the Lincoln County Community Center in Shoshone, Idaho. Con-tact Amber Moore for more information, 208 736-3629.

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Information:

Twin Falls Research and Extension Center

315 Falls AveEvergreen Bldg

Twin Falls, 1083301

Phone: 208-736-3629

Fax: 208-736-0843

Email: amberm@uidaho.edu

Webpage: webs. extension. uidaho. edu/nutrient

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