Greenhouse Gas Emissions of Corn Fielded with Broilers Litter Treated by Ammonia Control Technology

Abstract. Poultry litter (PL) is widely used as a nitrogen fertilizer for corn production in the U.S. However, the decomposition of PL in the soil may cause the emission of greenhouse gases (GHGs). This study monitored GHGs emission from a corn field applied with PL. Two different PL fertilizers were used: one treated with sodium bisulfate (PLTTM) and the other without PLT. The former one was taken from an experimental broiler house equipped with in-house spinners that applied PLT (150 lb/1000 ft²) weekly to control NH₃ emission during broiler grow-out, namely ammonia control technology (ACT). The experimental corn field comprised four plots: one control plot and three treatment plots. The three treatments included (A) injecting PLT-treated litter along with nitrapyrin under the soil surface, (B) surface application with untreated PL, and (C) surface application with Urea-nitrogen (UAN). The emission rates of three GHGs (CO₂, CH₄, and N₂O) were measured using the USDA-recommended static chambers and a 1412 Infrared Photoacoustic Gas Monitoring System (INNOVA). CO₂ emission rate showed no significant (P=0.584) difference among treatments. The average CO₂ emission rate of the four plots was 15.4 g m^-2 d^-1. Due to the INNOVA’s relatively poor sensitivity to N₂O and CH₄ (N₂O: 0.03 ppm, CH₄: 5 ppm) and their low emission rates, only limited emission data were available for N₂O and CH₄. There were large variations among different treatments, and no correlation between emission rates and litter types or litter application rates was found. The average emission rate of N₂O and CH₄ were 1.22 and 0.08 mg m^-2 d^-1, respectively. An annual GHGs flux (Mg CO₂ equivalents ha^-1 yr^-1) totaling 57.6 was estimated for corn fields in the state of Delaware.