18 minute read
Muck & Slurry
Robust response pledged to fertiliser ban plan
Government plans to ban solid urea fertiliser would push up farm input costs, say industry leaders who have pledged to fi ght the proposal.
A Defra consultation launched last month is seeking views on reducing ammonia emissions from solid urea fertilisers for growing plants and crops. The government says emissions are bad for human health and must be reduced.
Some 87% of UK ammonia emissions come from farming. The government says taking action solid urea fertilisers will reduce pollution. It has committed to reducing emissions by 8% of 2005 levels by 2020 – with a 16% reduction by 2030.
The consultation presents three options: a total ban on solid urea fertilisers; stabilising urea fertiliser with the addition of a urease inhibitor; and restrictions so solid urea fertiliser can only be spread from 15 January to 31 March.
Preferred option
While each of these options will support the commitment to reducing ammonia emissions, the government says a ban on solid urea fertilisers would achieve around 31% of the ammonia reduction target by 2030.
Reducing ammonia emissions will signifi cantly reduce nitrogen deposition to land and in turn help reduce damage to peat bogs, which are an important carbon sink, thereby helping to tackle climate change.
Environment Secretary George Eustice said: “Ammonia emissions from agriculture are causing harm to sensitive and important habitats by making soils more acidic which damages the growth of some plant species, impacting on biodiversity.
“They are also harmful to human health, and we welcome views on how we can address their use in agriculture so that we can all breathe cleaner air.
Ambitious targets
“Any changes will need to be made in a way that is realistic and achievable for farmers, but which help us to achieve our ambitious targets for better air We welcome views on how we can all breathe cleaner air
The government wants farmers to use ammonia nitrate rather than urea
quality. We are committed to working with farmers to help them do this.”
NFU combinable crops board chair Matt Culley said: “Farmers have made great strides in reducing key agricultural emissions over recent decades through more effi cient targeting of fertiliser applied to farmland and held in the soil.
“Urea is the most commonly used form of nitrogen fertiliser in the world and an important tool for our farmers in helping produce the nation’s food. It offers several advantages when used alongside ammonium nitrate and is safer to handle.”
The consultation closes on 26 January 2021. For details, visit www.bit. ly/UreaBan.
How insect manure could help grow crops
Insect waste could be used as a crop fertiliser, say researchers working on a major government-funded project.
Scientists at Warwick and Durham universities are examining the viability of rearing insects for animal feed. They believe waste material – or frass – from the Black Soldier Fly larvae could be used as a plant fertiliser and growth stimulant.
Project lead Rob Lillywhite said: “Frass is a by-product of producing insects and is likely to contain many of the essential elements required for plant growth. We are excited by the opportunity to examine its use in plant production.”
Finding a value-adding use for the frass would add to the sustainability of using insect protein for livestock as an alternative to products like soyabased animal feed, added Mr Lillywhite.
“It’s early days in the project with very little science of this sort havcontinued on p40
Waste from fl y larvae could be used as manure
[Photo Credit: Entocycle]
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continued from p39 ing gone before. We are looking forward to be working on a project looking at new potential food systems, with sustainability and closed loop ideals at their core.”
Durham University researcher Elaine Fitches described the project as a fantastic opportunity to join forces with experts in crop nutrition at Warwick University to understand the value of insect frass for crop and soil health in the UK.
She said: “At Durham, we will conduct complementary fundamental research to explore how frass can be used to boost plant immunity and will seek to explain the molecular mechanisms underpinning enhanced plant responses to pathogen attack.”
The project is part of a £10m funding package from the UK Government’s Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund to construct the UK’s fi rst large-scale industrial insect farm and accelerate the development of sustainable food production systems.
Hose pincher helps prevent slurry spills
Tramspread has released two new slurry hose pinchers to help reduce the risk of slurry spillages when breaking couplings or repairing hoses on the job.
The lightweight ‘Handy’ is designed to be carried easily and is suitable for clamping hoses up to 6 inches in diameter. The larger ‘Heavy’ is for use with pressurised hoses up to 8 inches in diameter to stem the fl ow.
When pumping slurry, leaks or blow outs can occur. Spillages which cause pollution can be damaging to the environment and could lead to legal action against those responsible, says Tramspread director Edwin Baker.
“These pinchers are inexpensive and will prevent slurry being lost if a quick repair is needed when pumping or spreading. Now, more than ever, farmers need to demonstrate the measures being taken to reduce slurry pollution and safeguard the environment.”
The hose pincher clamps pipes when changing couplings or making repairs.
The pinchers are both priced at £250. “This is a small price to pay for a device that can prevent unnecessary pollution. It is also useful to have a pincher when breaking couplings because there is no need to drain the pipe fi rst,” says Mr Baker.
Although designed for umbilical slurry hose, the pinchers can be used in other farm work – including irrigation pipework or other water pipes on farms. But the main benefi t is preventing potential damage that slurry spillages can cause.
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Scientists finally unearth why soil carbon is so valuable
Aradical new way of thinking has solved the mystery of why adding manure to soil improves crop yields – and offers other benefits too.
Scientists at Rothamsted Research found that relatively low nitrogen levels in healthy soils limit the ability of microbes to utilise carbon compounds, excrete them as glue-like polymers to create a porous, interconnected structure which allows water, air, and nutrients to circulate.
Writing in the journal Scientific Reports, the researchers reveal that the Victorian-era switch from manure to ammonia and phosphorous based fertiliser caused microbes to metabolise more carbon, excrete less polymers and fundamentally alter the properties of farmland soils.
Lost carbon
As carbon is lost from soil, the scientists found that the pores within it become smaller and less connected. They found that low carbon, poorly connected soils, are much less efficient at supporting growth and recycling nutrients – limiting yields.
Lead researcher Professor Andrew Neal said: “This results in fundamental changes in the flow of water, nutrients and oxygen through soil and forces several significant changes to microbial behaviour and metabolism.”
A lack of oxygen in soil results in microbes having to turn to nitrogen and sulphur compounds for their energy – inefficient processes, says Professor Neal. Among other issues, this results in increased emissions of the greenhouse gas nitrous oxide
The closed soil structure also means microbes need to expend more energy on degrading less easily accessible organic matter for nutrients. Conversely, in carbon-rich soil there is an extensive network of pores which allow for greater circulation of air, nutrients and retention of water.
Nutritious manure
“Manure is high in carbon and nitrogen, whereas ammonia-based
Manure delivers more benefits than ammonia-based fertilisers, say researchers
• Carbon encourages healthy soil structure • Artificial fertilisers deplete carbon stocks • Adding manure boosts beneficial microbes
fertilisers are devoid of carbon. Decades of such inputs – and soil processes typically act over decades – have changed the way soil microbes get their energy and nutrients, and how they respire.”
While soil carbon was already known to drive climate and water cycles the world over, Prof Neal said it took a chance discussion between experts working at very different scales to discover the reason why.
The idea to look at this link between the living and non-living components of soil came about through a discussion between Prof Andrew Neal and Prof John Crawford – now at Glasgow University – who studies the way complex systems behave.
Prof Neal says: “Carbon dynamics and the link to soil water were poorly understood. Society struggles with the concept of what soil is and how it can be
Researchers develop ‘Theory of Soil’
These latest findings complement previous work showing how microbial action influences soil structure – helping Rothamsted scientists develop an overarching Theory of Soil.
In healthy soils, relatively low nitrogen levels limit the ability of microbes to metabolise carbon compounds. These are instead excreted by the organism in polymers (called extracellular polymeric substances, or EPS) that can act as a kind of glue.
EPS stabilises the aggregation of soil particles in the environment adjacent to the microbe. This makes the physical structure of the environment around these microbes more stable to disruption, such as occurs when the soil wets up and dries, or when plant roots pass nearby. managed effectively because it is such a complex combination of biological, chemical and physical processes.”
Dynamic interaction
The two scientists took inspiration from a theory proposed by Richard Dawkins in the 1980s that many structures we encounter are in fact products of organisms’ genes. This helped them understand soil as a product of microbial genes, incorporating organic materials.
“We have shown for the first time a dynamic interaction between soil structure and microbial activity – fuelled by carbon – which regulates water storage and gaseous flow rates in soil with real consequences for how microbes respire.”
The group, which also involved scientists from Nottingham University, is the first to seriously study the details of this intimate two-way relationship between the microscopic life in soil and its structure at scales relevant to microbial processes.
The results also have implications for farmers, where the addition of nitrogen and phosphorous fertilisers – and not carbon – may be leading to a degradation of natural soil fertility that could be detrimental to long term productivity.
Fliegl launches chain manure spreader to market
German machinery manufacterer Fliegl has launched a new chain manure spreader aimed at larger farmers and contractors.
The company has introduced the KDS 270 Muck Control spreader to meet increased demand for machines to spread solid manure as opposed to liquid slurry. It follows a prototype model exhibited at last year’s Agritechnica event.
Since then, Fliegl says there has been a lot of tinkering, development and testing to get the KDS spreader ready for market. It is a universal spreader with a scraper fl oor and a horizontal two-disc spreader.
The loading space of the KDS 270 is 1.4m high, 2.15m wide and 7m long, giving it a capacity of around 21m³. The load compartment with side walls and fl oor made of fi ne-grain steel sits on a tandem chassis consisting of a hollow beam frame.
Both materials are extremely stable and yet light. The mechanical suspension of the axles and hydraulically sprung drawbar with pivotable drawbar ensure a high level of driving comfort and practicality.
The scraper fl oor consists of two chains with 140 chain links each. Each individual chain link has a breaking load of 50tonnes. The scraper fl oor is driven hydraulically via a side gear and the speed can be continuously adjusted.
A hydraulic feed control valve separates the loading area from
The new chain manure spreader has a 21m³ load capacity
the spreading unit. To guarantee an optimal sealing, it has an internal frame guide. The opening position can be adjusted continuously on the control terminal.
The driver receives information about the opening width of the gate valve via a fi ll level indicator on the front wall of the spreader. A mechanical or optionally hydraulic chain tensioner ensures easy maintenance.
Two horizontal spreader rollers each with a diameter of 770mm are positioned after the feed control gate. These ensure optimal mixing, loosening and dosing of the spreading material.
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On-farm emissions reduced by proactive slurry management
Better slurry management is vital for UK agriculture to achieve its goal of reaching Net Zero carbon emissions by 2040, say experts.
Livestock farmers need a comprehensive understanding of the environmental impact of slurry for the sector to reach the ambitious target a full 10 years ahead of the government’s 2050 goal for the UK as a whole.
Adopt change
A proactive approach to slurry management, coupled with the willingness to adopt change, is going to be key in achieving the sector’s aspirations, explains Andrew Sincock, commercial director at Agriton UK.
“Many dairy farmers will use lime as a bedding powder to help prevent mastitis and other pathogenic diseases. But what many don’t currently know is that the reaction between the ammonium in slurry and the lime can lead to the release of large volumes of carbon dioxide and nitrogen.”
There is evidence to suggest that 1000kg of lime can react with ammonium in the slurry to release up to 440kg of carbon dioxide, and 280kg of nitrogen in the form of ammonia, says Mr Sincock.
These emission rates are signifi cant. But they can be reduced by using an alternative bedding powder, which doesn’t react with slurry and acts quickly to raise the pH of the environment – killing harmful pathogens and bacteria.
Microorganisms
Mr Sincock explains that slurry inoculants that contain effective microorganisms are another example of how farmers can reduce on-farm emissions when added to cubicles, slurry, or farmyard manure.
“When you add effective micro-organisms (EM), which contain a mixture of bacteria, yeast, fungi, actinomycetes and phototrophic bacteria to slurry, they work synergistically to break down and ferment organic matter.”
Fermentation helps retain key nutrients within the slurry and decreases the release of harmful emissions such as ammonia, carbon dioxide and methane. The nutrient rich and non-toxic slurry can then be spread as an alternative to artifi cial fertilisers.
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