Research Accomplishment Reports 2007

Animal Manure and Waste Utilization, Treatment and Nuisance Avoidance for a Sustainable Agriculture

G.L. Cromwell, J. Grove
Department of Animal and Food Sciences

 

Project Description

Manure excreted by swine and poultry is considerably higher in phosphorus (P) than manure from other animal species. This is because a large portion of the P in grains and oilseed meals is organically bound as phytic acid. Phytic acid P is not well utilized by pigs and poultry because they do not have sufficient levels of phytase in their digestive tract. This enzyme is required to release the P from the phytate.

We have conducted numerous experiments with pigs and chicks over the past several years to assess the effects of feeding genetically-modified low-phytate corn and low-phytate soybean meal and to evaluate the effects of addition of microbial phytase to the diet on total P and soluble P excretion. Our studies show that P in the manure could be reduced by as much as 75% when the low phytic acid feedstuffs were fed in combination with phytase supplementation. The percentage of P in soluble form tended to increase when the low phytate feeds were fed and when phytase was added, but the daily excretion of soluble P was not significantly affected by the use of phytase or by feeding low-phytate feedstuffs.

Other experiments have shown that improved nutritional practices and more closely matching the nutritional requirements of pigs will reduce the nitrogen excreted in the manure.

Impact

Feeding low-phytate corn and low-phytate soybean meal in combination with microbial phytase to pigs and poultry markedly reduces the amount of phosphorus excreted in the manure. Furthermore, feeding nutritionally superior diets that closely match the pig's nutrient requirements lowers the nitrogen and phosphorus in their waste products. Our studies will help the swine and poultry industries to produce and feed enhanced environmentally-friendly diets to their animals.

Publications

De Souza, A.L.P., M.D. Lindemann, and G.L. Cromwell. 2007. Supplementation of dietary enzymes has varying effects on apparent protein and amino acid digestibility in reproducing sows. Livestock Production Sci. 109:122-124.

Kim, B.G., M.D. Lindemann, G.L. Cromwell, A. Balfagon, and J.H. Agudelo. 2007. The correlation between passage rate of digesta and dry matter digestibility in various stages of swine. Livestock Production Sci. 109:81-84.

Hill, G.M., S.K. Baido, G.L. Cromwell, D.C. Mahan, J.L. Nelssen, and H.H. Stein. 2007. Evaluation of sex and lysine during the nursery period. J. Anim. Sci. 85:1453-1458.

Agudelo, J.H., M.D. Lindemann, G.L. Cromwell, M.C. Newman, and R.D. Nimmo. 2007. Virginiamycin improves phosphorus digestibility and utilization by growing-finishing pigs fed a phosphorus-deficient corn-soybean meal diet. J. Anim. Sci. 85:2173-2182.

Kim, B.G., M.D. Lindemann, and G.L. Cromwell. 2007. Effects of dietary chromium tripicolinate on growth performance, body temperature, respiratory rate, and plasma cortisol of pigs during immune stress. J. Anim. Sci. 85(Suppl. 2):88.

Kim, B.G., M.D. Lindemann, and G.L. Cromwell. 2007. Effects of thermal stress and dietary chromium tripicolinate on growth performance and plasma in weanling pigs. J. Anim. Sci. 85(Suppl. 2):107.

Quant, A.D., M.D. Lindemann, G.L. Cromwell, B.J. Kerr, and R.L. Payne. 2007. Determining the optimum dietary tryptophan to lysine ratio in 25 to 40 kg growing pigs. J. Anim. Sci 85(Suppl. 1):442.

Quant, A.D., M.D. Lindemann, G.L. Cromwell, H.J. Monegue, J.S. Monegue, and B.G. Kim. 2007. Evaluating varied periods of water deprivation on body weight and feed intake in 50 to 70 kg pigs. J. Anim. Sci 85(Suppl. 1):577.

Cromwell, G.L., M.D. Lindemann, and H.J. Monegue. 2007. Bioavailability of iron in an organic iron source for young pigs. J. Anim. Sci 85(Suppl. 1):646.

Kim, B.G., M.D. Lindemann, and G.L. Cromwell. 2007. Effects of thermal stress and dietary chromium tripicolinate on growth performance and plasma cortisol in weanling pigs. Univ. of Kentucky Graduate Student Interdisciplinary Conf. Abstr. G30, p30.

Quant, A.D., M.D. Lindemann, G.L. Cromwell, H.J. Monegue, J.S. Monegue, and B.G. Kim. 2007. Evaluating varied periods of water deprivation on body weight and feed intake in 50 to 70 kg pigs. Univ. of Kentucky Graduate Student Interdisciplinary Conf. Abstr. G46, p36-37.