Response of seven crops and two soils to application of beef cattle feedyard effluent

A greenhouse experiment was conducted to evaluate yield and nutrient uptake following land application of beef cattle feedyard effluent. Effluent from a large commercial feedyard was applied to seven crops planted in 210 pots containing Pullman clay loam (PCL) or Amarillo fine sandy loam (AFSL). The crops evaluated were forage sorghum, wheat, corn silage, alfalfa, bromegrass, bermudagrass, and Jose tall wheatgrass. Each crop and soil type received five effluent application treatments representing 0%, 25%, 50%, 100%, and 200% of the annual crop nitrogen requirement and about 0%, 20%, 40%, 80%, and 160% of the annual crop phosphorus requirement over the growing period, which ranged from 4 to 12 months. Dry matter yield increased with increasing application rates for all crops except alfalfa in the AFSL, with minimal differences in dry matter yield for the PCL. For the PCL, all crops except corn silage had foliage crude protein concentrations equal to or greater than published values. For the AFSL, forage sorghum, wheat, and corn silage had foliage crude protein concentrations less than typical. In the PCL at the highest application rate, phosphorus uptake rates in the foliage were wheat (16 kg/ha), alfalfa (36 kg/ha), bromegrass (41 kg/ha), Jose tall wheatgrass (37 kg/ha), forage sorghum (47 kg/ha), corn silage (57 kg/ha), and bermudagrass (112 kg/ha). In the AFSL at the highest application rate, phosphorus uptake rates in the foliage were wheat (10 kg/ha), bromegrass (12 kg/ha), alfalfa (17 kg/ha), forage sorghum (17 kg/ha), Jose tall wheatgrass (20 kg/ha), corn silage (22 kg/ha), and bermudagrass (41 kg/ha). Soil characteristics including electrical conductivity and sodium were generally higher after application of effluent for both soil types, although the changes were more pronounced in the AFSL than the PCL.