Myerscough Research on SlurryBugs
Over the past year Envirosystems has been continuing its research into the full extent of the action SlurryBugs has not only on stored slurry, but also the effect this has following application to the land. The study was carried out at Myerscough college, using a 24 acre field of perennial rye grass and involved application of various slurry treatments.
The three slurry samples prepared at
Myerscough were as follows;
• Fresh slurry with no treatment and allowed to stand outdoors in containers for 8 weeks whilst aerated.
• Slurry treated with SlurryBugs in open-air lagoon.
• Slurry treated with SlurryBugs in open-air lagoon followed by supplementation with 65units/ha nitrogen fertiliser when applied to the field.
Following preparation of slurry samples, they were applied in four times replicates to third cut silage swards in designated plots during July in accordance with RB209 guidelines requiring 70m N/ha.
After 6 weeks growth, the crops from the various plots were harvested and the grass and soil analysed returned the following results:
The results also showed a significant increase in grass sugar content when SlurryBugs-treated slurry was applied to plots, in the presence or absence of supplementary nitrogen fertiliser. When grass sugar levels are higher this generally leads to more efficient fermentation of silage and therefore improved palatability.
Soil nitrogen content was analysed for each of the plots one week after harvesting in early September. Residual total nitrogen levels of the SlurryBugs-treated plot fell by 19% with respect to the control, suggesting nutrient uptake by the plants had been more efficient. Previous research by Envirosystems has showed slurry treated with SlurryBugs has a higher level of retained nitrogen. The fact that residual nitrogen levels in the soil are lower in the treated plots further illustrates the benefit of SlurryBugs in promoting the ability of crops to uptake nitrogen.
These new findings reinforce previous research proving the worth of SlurryBugs on the modern day dairy farm. Not only does SlurryBugs enhance the value of slurry by retaining nitrogen, reducing unpleasant odour and preventing crusting during storage, it also benefits the yield and quality of crops after application to land.
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