Metals in Soil and Runoff from a Piedmont Hay Field Amended with Broiler Litter and Flue Gas Desulfurization Gypsum.

Flue gas desulfurization gypsum (FGDG) from coal-fired power plants is readily available for agricultural use in many US regions. Broiler litter (BL) provides plant available N, P, and K but can be a source of unwanted As, Cu, and Zn. As a source of Ca and S, FGDG can reduce losses of P and other elements in runoff from BL-amended areas.

Impact of glyphosate-resistant corn, glyphosate applications and tillage on soil nutrient ratios, exoenzyme activities and nutrient acquisition ratios.

Background: We report results of the last two years of a 7 year field experiment designed to test the null hypothesis: applications of glyphosate on glyphosate-resistant (GR) and non-resistant (non-GR) corn (Zea mays L.) under conventional tillage and no-till would have no effect on soil exoenzymes and microbial activity.

Results: Bulk soil (BS) and rhizosphere soil (RS) macronutrient ratios were not affected by either GR or non-GR corn, or glyphosate applications.

Flue gas desulfurization gypsum: implication for runoff and nutrient losses associated with broiler litter use on pastures on ultisols.

Gypsum has been shown to reduce runoff on soils prone to crust formation in the southeastern United States. Increased infiltration from gypsum applications could therefore help reduce runoff P and other nutrient losses from application of broiler litter (BL), a nutrient-rich fertilizer. In rainfall simulation experiments in June 2009 and May 2011, runoff and nutrient (N, P, Ca, Mg) losses in runoff were compared among treatments consisting of 0, 2.

Landscape and seasonal factors influence Salmonella and Campylobacter prevalence in a rural mixed use watershed.

Salmonella and Campylobacter prevalence in stream networks of the Satilla River Basin (SRB) were monitored monthly from August 2007 to August 2009 to study relationships between these pathogens and land use, presence of poultry houses and wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) discharge. Salmonella and Campylobacter were detected at all 10 stream sites and the three sites at the sole wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) in the study area. In all, 43% (129/299) and 62% (96/156) of samples were positive for Salmonella and Campylobacter, respectively, with detection frequency increasing in downstream sites with more poultry production and influence of WWTP discharge.

Inactivation kinetics of Cryptosporidium parvum oocysts in a swine waste lagoon and spray field.

Because of outbreaks of cryptosporidiosis in humans, some Cryptosporidium spp. have become a public health concern. Commercial swine operations can be a source of this protozoan parasite.

Survival dynamics of fecal bacteria in ponds in agricultural watersheds of the Piedmont and Coastal Plain of Georgia.

Animal agriculture in watersheds produces manure bacteria that may contaminate surface waters and put public health at risk. We measured fecal indicator bacteria (commensal Escherichia coli and fecal enterococci) and manure pathogens (Salmonella and E. coli 0157:H7), and physical-chemical parameters in pond inflow, within pond, pond outflow, and pond sediments in three ponds in agricultural watersheds.

Runoff water quality during drought in a zero-order georgia piedmont pasture: nitrogen and total organic carbon.

Approximately 11% of the Southern Piedmont (1.8 million ha) is used for pasture and hay production, mostly under low-input management. Few studies have investigated in the region long-term nitrogen and carbon losses in surface runoff, which can be significant.

Comparative die-off of Escherichia coli O157:H7 and fecal indicator bacteria in pond water.

In situ and in vitro experiments were performed to assess the effects of solar radiation and predation by indigenous microflora on the relative die-off rates of a toxigenic strain of Escherichia coli O157:H7, commensal E. coli, and fecal enterococci in surface waters from ponds in agricultural watersheds. The objective of these experiments was to discern a mechanism of persistence of E.

Inactivation of Ascaris suum by short-chain fatty acids.

Ascaris suum eggs were inactivated in distilled water and digested sludge by butanoic, pentanoic, and hexanoic acids. The fatty acids (short-chain fatty acids [SCFA]) were effective only when protonated and at sufficient concentrations. The conjugate bases were not effective at the concentrations evaluated.

Concentrations, viability, and distribution of Cryptosporidium genotypes in lagoons of swine facilities in the Southern Piedmont and in coastal plain watersheds of Georgia.

Waste lagoons of swine operations are a source of Cryptosporidium oocysts. Few studies, however, have reported on oocyst concentrations in swine waste lagoons; none have reported on oocyst viability status, nor has there been a systematic assessment of species/genotype distributions across different types of swine facilities. Ten swine waste lagoons associated with farrowing, nursery, finishing, and gestation operations were each sampled once a month for a year.

Significance of wall structure, macromolecular composition, and surface polymers to the survival and transport of Cryptosporidium parvum oocysts.

The structure and composition of the oocyst wall are primary factors determining the survival and hydrologic transport of Cryptosporidium parvum oocysts outside the host. Microscopic and biochemical analyses of whole oocysts and purified oocyst walls were undertaken to better understand the inactivation kinetics and hydrologic transport of oocysts in terrestrial and aquatic environments. Results of microscopy showed an outer electron-dense layer, a translucent middle layer, two inner electron-dense layers, and a suture structure embedded in the inner electron-dense layers.

17beta-Estradiol and testosterone in drainage and runoff from poultry litter applications to tilled and no-till crop land under irrigation.

Thirteen million [corrected] metric tons of poultry litter are produced annually by poultry producers in the U.S. Poultry litter contains the sex hormones estradiol and testosterone, endocrine disruptors that have been detected in surface waters.

Rainfall and tillage effects on transport of fecal bacteria and sex hormones 17beta-estradiol and testosterone from broiler litter applications to a Georgia Piedmont Ultisol.

Poultry litter provides nutrients for crop and pasture production; however, it also contains fecal bacteria, sex hormones (17beta-estradiol and testosterone) and antibiotic residues that may contaminate surface waters. Our objective was to quantify transport of fecal bacteria, estradiol, testosterone and antibiotic residues from a Cecil sandy loam managed since 1991 under no-till (NT) and conventional tillage (CT) to which either poultry litter (PL) or conventional fertilizer (CF) was applied based on the nitrogen needs of corn (Zea mays L) in the Southern Piedmont of NE Georgia. Simulated rainfall was applied for 60 min to 2 by 3-m field plots at a constant rate in 2004 and variable rate in 2005.

Fecal bacteria and sex hormones in soil and runoff from cropped watersheds amended with poultry litter.

The application of poultry litter to agricultural fields can provide plant nutrients for crops and forage production, but fecal bacteria and the sex hormones estradiol and testosterone are components of litter that can be detrimental to the environment. Our objective was to determine if applications of poultry litter to small watersheds would contribute to the load of fecal bacteria and sex hormones to soil and runoff. We, therefore, investigated the fate and transport of fecal bacteria, estradiol and testosterone from surface applied poultry litter to four small watersheds.

Do iodine water purification tablets provide an effective barrier against Cryptosporidium parvum?

U.S. Army Iodine Water Purification Tablets were tested to determine their efficacy against Cryptosporidium parvum, a protozoan resistant to chemical disinfection.

Effects of freeze-thaw events on the viability of Cryptosporidium parvum oocysts in soil.

The effects of freeze-thaw events on the inactivation of Cryptosporidium parvum oocysts in soil were examined. Oocysts were inoculated into distilled water in microcentrifuge tubes or into chambers containing soil the water content of which was maintained at 3%, 43%, or 78% of the container capacity. The chambers and tubes were then embedded in 3 soil samples from different aspects of a hillside landscape (Experiments 1 and 2) and in 3 distinct soil types (Experiment 3) and frozen at -10 C.