Effects of water on the decomposition and release of nutrients from cow pats

summary Decomposition of cow pats was studied using artificially placed pats which were either covered, uncovered or irrigated with additional water. Weight losses were recorded and these showed that there was little difference between the irrigated and uncovered treatments whereas the covered dung decayed extremely slowly. These dung pats were also analysed for their nutrient content, as was the surface horizon of the underlying soil. The results showed that nutrient losses from the dung were not paralleled by a concomitant increase in the soil, which implies that considerable quantities of nutrients were removed from the soil almost as quickly as they left the dung. It is suggested that this implies considerable root activity under the cow pats, perhaps commencing almost as soon as they are laid.