Project Number: 6445-12630-004-07
Project Type: Specific Cooperative Agreement

Start Date: Jun 01, 2011
End Date: May 31, 2016

Objective:
Objective: The objective of this cooperative research project is to conduct cost effective and problem solving research that will evaluate animal waste management practices and treatment strategies that protect water quality, reduce atmospheric emissions, and investigate power plant byproducts as soil amendments. Objective 1: Evaluate the impact of soil chemical amendments, tillage, and manure/litter application to tall fescue grass and corn on soil nutrient content and pathogen survival. Objective 2: Evaluate the impact of soil chemical amendment and vegetative filter strip treatment system on nutrients, microbial pathogens, and veterinary pharmaceuticals transport from beef cattle backgrounding feedlots on karst environment. Objective: 3: Determine the suitability of FGD gypsum as a byproduct of coal-fired power plants as a soil amendment. Removing phosphorus and endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) from animal manure using coal combustion byproducts for better handling and land application. Objective 4: Screening plants for increased phosphorus accumulation and determine related gene expression. Transforming alfalfa to a phosphorus hyper-accumulating plant that could be used in phytoremediation of phosphorus overload from long-term chicken waste applications. Use of manure as a nutrient source for growing algae. Objective 5: Determine if nutrient loading from agricultural watersheds in karst terrain is a function of physical watershed characteristics. Objective 6: Develop new sensitive, accurate, and precise analytical methods for the quantification of malodorous compounds and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions forced by meteorological conditions.

Approach:
Projects in agronomic systems, soil science, emissions, microbiology, cattle evaluation facility, alternative uses of manures, coal combustion byproduct soil amendments, and biotechnology will be conducted using scientific expertise capabilities, field experimental plots, and specialized equipment and other facilities and resources available at Western Kentucky University in conjunction with the specialized equipment and expertise of ARS scientists in the Animal Waste Management Research Unit in Bowling Green and their cooperators for the purpose of industry application and improved economic value within agriculture. Researchers from Western Kentucky University may on occasion work in the ARS laboratories in order to access the specialized, state-of-the-art equipment of ARS. Emphasis is also placed on graduate level training at Western Kentucky University. For details refer to the approved “Project Plan”.