Rice growth and nutrient uptake as affected by livestock manure in four Japanese soils

One of the measures being adopted for relieving environmental problems arising from agricultural production is to recycle animal manure and other organic products as fertilizers and soil amendment. In Japan, this is a usual practice among farmers. In this study, we evaluated the effects of chicken manure (PM), cattle manure (CM), swine manure (SM) and mixed manure (MM = PM + CM + SM) on the growth, dry matter yield, and nutrient [nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), potassium (K), calcium (Ca), and magnesium (Mg)] uptake of rice (Oryza sativa Var. koshihikari). Four naturally infertile soils, andosol (A), red-yellow soil (RY), sandune soil (SD), and masatsuchi (M), were amended with 100 Mg ha(-1) (dry weight) of each of the manure and allowed to stabilize for 4 weeks before rice was seeded. Changes in rice growth as indicated by plant height and number of leaves and tillers were monitored for 6 weeks, and the biomass yield was determined. Shoot samples were also analyzed for nutrient uptake. The amended A and RY soils produced the best effects on all the rice parameters studied. However, the number of rice leaves were significantly higher in RY than A. The manure effects: on rice growth and biomass yield were ranked as CM > MM > SM > PM. Amending the soils with manure significantly delayed seedling emergence. Andosol amended with CM and MM produced significantly greater roots than with other manures. Masatsuchi amended with PM had lower shoot and root biomass than even the control. Among the manures, the uptake of all nutrients was highest in CM. The higher dry matter yield of rice in soils amended with CM and MM may be due to better nutrient balance and relatively lower levels of toxic factors in the material.