Transport of Residual Soluble Salts and Total Sulfur through Intact Soil Cores Amended with Fresh or Composted Beef Cattle Feedlot Manure for Nine Years

Composting of beef cattle (Bos Taurus) manure may increase the soluble salt (Ca, Mg, Na, K) and total sulfur (S) content and increase transport through the soil. Little research has been conducted on comparing transport of these chemicals through soil amended with composted (CM) manure versus fresh feedlot manure stockpiled for up to two months (FM). Our objective was to determine if the transport of these chemicals was greater for CM compared to FM when annually applied at 77 Mg ha−1 dry wt. for nine years to a clay loam soil. Intact soil cores were taken from a field experiment in the spring of 2007. Deionized water was applied to the soil cores in the laboratory under steady-state (4.9 cm d−1) and unsaturated conditions. Residual chemical concentrations in effluent were measured and breakthrough curves and cumulative mass loss curves obtained. The peak concentrations of K and total S; flow-weighted mean concentration (FWMC) and mass loss for Na, K, and total S; and recovery of Mg, Na, K, and t...