The effects of climate on decomposition of cattle, sheep and goat manure in Kenyan tropical pastures
Decomposition of manure deposited onto pasture from grazing animals represents an important process for carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) cycles in grassland systems. However, studies investigating manure decomposition are scarce; especially in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA).In this study, we measured decomposi...
| Autores principales: | , , , , , , , , |
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| Formato: | Journal Article |
| Lenguaje: | Inglés |
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Springer
2020
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| Materias: | |
| Acceso en línea: | https://hdl.handle.net/10568/108244 |
| _version_ | 1855531604398571520 |
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| author | Yuhao Zhu Merbold, Lutz Leitner, Sonja Pelster, David E. Abwanda, Sheila O. Ngetich, Felix K. Onyango, Alice A. Pellikka, P. Butterbach-Bahl, Klaus |
| author_browse | Abwanda, Sheila O. Butterbach-Bahl, Klaus Leitner, Sonja Merbold, Lutz Ngetich, Felix K. Onyango, Alice A. Pellikka, P. Pelster, David E. Yuhao Zhu |
| author_facet | Yuhao Zhu Merbold, Lutz Leitner, Sonja Pelster, David E. Abwanda, Sheila O. Ngetich, Felix K. Onyango, Alice A. Pellikka, P. Butterbach-Bahl, Klaus |
| author_sort | Yuhao Zhu |
| collection | Repository of Agricultural Research Outputs (CGSpace) |
| description | Decomposition of manure deposited onto pasture from grazing animals represents an important process for carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) cycles in grassland systems. However, studies investigating manure decomposition are scarce; especially in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA).In this study, we measured decomposition of three types of animal manure (cattle, sheep, goat) over >1 year using litter bags at four climatically different sites across Kenya. Results Manure dry matter, total C, total N and ammonium concentrations decreased exponentially, with the most rapid decrease occurring during the first few weeks following application, followed by slower changes during the following 2–3 months. Rates of N mineralization were lower than those for C mineralization, resulting in decreasing C/N ratios over time. Generally, cattle manure decomposed faster than sheep or goat manure despite having a higher initial C/N ratio and lower N concentration, with decomposition rates for dry matter ranging from 0.200 to 0.989 k year−1. Cellulose decomposed first, while lignin concentrations increased among all manure types and at all sites.We found that total manure decomposition rates were positively correlated with cumulative precipitation and aridity index, but negatively correlated with mean temperature. Our results show much slower decomposition rates of manures in semi-arid tropical environments of East Africa as compared to the few previous studies in temperate climates. |
| format | Journal Article |
| id | CGSpace108244 |
| institution | CGIAR Consortium |
| language | Inglés |
| publishDate | 2020 |
| publishDateRange | 2020 |
| publishDateSort | 2020 |
| publisher | Springer |
| publisherStr | Springer |
| record_format | dspace |
| spelling | CGSpace1082442025-09-29T06:20:47Z The effects of climate on decomposition of cattle, sheep and goat manure in Kenyan tropical pastures Yuhao Zhu Merbold, Lutz Leitner, Sonja Pelster, David E. Abwanda, Sheila O. Ngetich, Felix K. Onyango, Alice A. Pellikka, P. Butterbach-Bahl, Klaus litter bags manure mineralization climatic conditions sub-saharan africa (ssa) decomposition manure Decomposition of manure deposited onto pasture from grazing animals represents an important process for carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) cycles in grassland systems. However, studies investigating manure decomposition are scarce; especially in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA).In this study, we measured decomposition of three types of animal manure (cattle, sheep, goat) over >1 year using litter bags at four climatically different sites across Kenya. Results Manure dry matter, total C, total N and ammonium concentrations decreased exponentially, with the most rapid decrease occurring during the first few weeks following application, followed by slower changes during the following 2–3 months. Rates of N mineralization were lower than those for C mineralization, resulting in decreasing C/N ratios over time. Generally, cattle manure decomposed faster than sheep or goat manure despite having a higher initial C/N ratio and lower N concentration, with decomposition rates for dry matter ranging from 0.200 to 0.989 k year−1. Cellulose decomposed first, while lignin concentrations increased among all manure types and at all sites.We found that total manure decomposition rates were positively correlated with cumulative precipitation and aridity index, but negatively correlated with mean temperature. Our results show much slower decomposition rates of manures in semi-arid tropical environments of East Africa as compared to the few previous studies in temperate climates. 2020-06 2020-05-14T12:39:55Z 2020-05-14T12:39:55Z Journal Article https://hdl.handle.net/10568/108244 en Open Access Springer Zhu, Y., Merbold, L., Leitner, S., Pelster, D.E., Abwanda, S., Ngetich, F., Onyango, A.A., Pellikka, P. and Butterbach-Bahl, K. 2020. The effects of climate on decomposition of cattle, sheep and goat manure in Kenyan tropical pastures. Plant and Soil. |
| spellingShingle | litter bags manure mineralization climatic conditions sub-saharan africa (ssa) decomposition manure Yuhao Zhu Merbold, Lutz Leitner, Sonja Pelster, David E. Abwanda, Sheila O. Ngetich, Felix K. Onyango, Alice A. Pellikka, P. Butterbach-Bahl, Klaus The effects of climate on decomposition of cattle, sheep and goat manure in Kenyan tropical pastures |
| title | The effects of climate on decomposition of cattle, sheep and goat manure in Kenyan tropical pastures |
| title_full | The effects of climate on decomposition of cattle, sheep and goat manure in Kenyan tropical pastures |
| title_fullStr | The effects of climate on decomposition of cattle, sheep and goat manure in Kenyan tropical pastures |
| title_full_unstemmed | The effects of climate on decomposition of cattle, sheep and goat manure in Kenyan tropical pastures |
| title_short | The effects of climate on decomposition of cattle, sheep and goat manure in Kenyan tropical pastures |
| title_sort | effects of climate on decomposition of cattle sheep and goat manure in kenyan tropical pastures |
| topic | litter bags manure mineralization climatic conditions sub-saharan africa (ssa) decomposition manure |
| url | https://hdl.handle.net/10568/108244 |
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