What are the correct ways to use farmyard manure?

Right now it is the spring plowing season, and one kind of fertilizer farmers commonly use in this season is farmyard manure. However, different farmyard manures suit different crops, and their methods of use are not the same either, so how do you correctly use farmyard manure?

Human feces and urine are a mixture of human feces and human urine, and are a kind of farmyard fertilizer commonly used in rural areas. Human feces contains about 20% organic matter, while human urine contains about 3% organic matter, is relatively rich in urea, and contains small amounts of uric acid and hippuric acid. Human feces and urine must undergo fermentation and decomposition; after the human feces and urine has been composted, it should be diluted with water before application. Human feces and urine are effective for the growth of various crops, and are most suitable for leafy vegetables (such as Chinese cabbage and cabbage), hemp crops, and the like, but should not be applied excessively to chlorine-sensitive crops such as tobacco, potato, and sweet potato.

Barnyard manure refers to fertilizer made by composting the feces and urine of livestock and poultry such as pigs, cattle, horses, sheep, chickens, and ducks together with straw bedding, and is divided into livestock manure and poultry manure. Livestock manure refers to pig manure, cattle manure, horse manure, sheep manure, and the like. Pig manure contains relatively more nitrogen; cattle manure has the lowest content of organic matter and nutrients among the various kinds of livestock manure; horse manure contains relatively more cellulose and hemicellulose in its composition; sheep manure contains more organic matter than other livestock manures. Livestock manure must be piled up and decomposed before use. Livestock manure can be used as a base fertilizer and a topdressing fertilizer, and is best used as a base fertilizer.

Poultry manure is the general term for chicken manure, duck manure, goose manure, pigeon manure, and the like. Poultry manure is an organic fertilizer that decomposes easily. The nitrogen in poultry manure is mainly in the uric acid form, and uric acid cannot be directly absorbed and used by crops, and is also harmful to crop root growth. At the same time, fresh poultry manure easily attracts soil insect pests. Therefore, poultry manure should be piled up and decomposed before being applied as fertilizer. Decomposed poultry manure can be used as a base fertilizer, topdressing fertilizer, or seed fertilizer.

Compost is a kind of organic fertilizer made by piling up and decomposing various organic materials such as crop straw, garbage, peat, green manure, mountain surface soil, and turf together with human and livestock feces and urine. Compost is a complete fertilizer rich in nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, and organic matter, and is suitable for various crops; moreover, because applying it to the soil can loosen the soil, it is best applied to root and tuber crops. Compost is a slow-release fertilizer, and is suitable as a base fertilizer but not as a topdressing fertilizer. When used as a base fertilizer, it is generally applied during soil turning and land preparation, so that it continues to decompose in the soil and release nutrients for crops to absorb and use.

Waterlogged compost is a fertilizer made by mixing various organic materials such as crop straw, weeds, soil, garbage, human feces and urine, and livestock feces and urine, and decomposing them by anaerobic microorganisms under flooded conditions. Compared with compost, waterlogged compost decomposes under relatively low temperature and anaerobic conditions, and its decomposition speed is slower, but the loss of organic matter and nitrogen is less, and more humus accumulates. When applying it, it is generally mostly used as a base fertilizer, and well-decomposed material can also be applied in concentrated furrows or holes.

Oil cake fertilizer is the residue left after oil-bearing seeds are pressed for oil, and this residue can be applied directly as fertilizer. Oil cake fertilizer is an organic fertilizer with a relatively high nitrogen content, and oil cake fertilizer must undergo fermentation before it can be applied. Oil cake fertilizer can be used as a base fertilizer and a topdressing fertilizer, and must be broken up before application.

Plant ash refers to the ash left after crop straw, firewood and grass, dead branches and fallen leaves, and the like are burned. Plant ash is an alkaline fertilizer, and is most suitable for application to acidic soil, and is also very good when applied to ordinary soil. Plant ash contains relatively more potassium carbonate and other forms of potassium, and also contains relatively more calcium and phosphorus. Plant ash can be used as a base fertilizer, topdressing fertilizer, and seed fertilizer. Generally, in dry land, plant ash should be used as a base fertilizer, while in paddy fields it can be applied in two applications as a base fertilizer and a topdressing fertilizer. For crops with high potassium demand, such as sweet potato, potato, and sugarcane, apply 100-150 kg per mu.

Biogas digester fertilizer is a quick-acting fertilizer, containing relatively more volatile ammonium nitrogen, and if the application method is improper, the fertilizer effect is easily lost. Therefore, in terms of application methods, deep application should be advocated. Biogas digester manure water can be directly used as a topdressing fertilizer for various crops and fruit trees, and can also be sprayed on the roots. For dryland crops, use hole application or band application, and cover with soil after application; for paddy fields, use deep application along the plow furrow, so that mud and fertilizer mix, reducing the loss of fertilizer nutrients and improving fertilizer use efficiency. The fertilizer residue from the biogas digester can be directly used as a base fertilizer, and if it is further piled and composted for 1 month before being used as a base fertilizer, the effect is even better.

There are many methods to quickly increase the effectiveness of farmyard manure, and the effects are obvious and worthy of recommendation. Several commonly used methods are introduced below for reference.

Method of adding soybean milk to fresh cattle manure:

Add 2.5 kg of soybean milk to every 100 kg of fresh cattle manure, place it in a vat and stir evenly, and seal it at a temperature of 25°C for 3~6 days; its fertilizer effect is even higher than that of an equal amount of ammonia water. Note that when applying it as a topdressing fertilizer, it needs to be diluted with 2~3 times water.

Method of adding superphosphate to human feces and urine:

Add 5 kg of superphosphate to every 100 kg of human feces and urine, stir evenly, and store for 5~10 days. Through chemical reaction, the easily volatile ammonium carbonate in human feces and urine can be converted into the stable ammonium phosphate, thereby effectively preventing the volatilization and loss of nitrogen, increasing the phosphorus element in human feces and urine, improving the quality of the fertilizer, and achieving the effect of preserving ammonia with phosphorus.

Method of adding ferrous sulfate (green vitriol) to human feces and urine:

Adding 500~600 g of ferrous sulfate to every 100 kg of human feces and urine can convert the ammonium carbonate in human feces and urine into the stable ammonium sulfate, playing a role in preserving fertilizer, deodorizing, and preventing the volatilization and loss of nitrogen.

Method of adding table salt to human feces and urine:

Add 5 kg of superphosphate and 3 kg of table salt to every 100 kg of human feces and urine, stir thoroughly and evenly, and then ferment for 10 days; this can increase its nitrogen content. Note that when applying it as a liquid feed, it needs to be diluted with 2~3 times water.

Method of mixing plant ash with superphosphate:

Crush 1 kg of superphosphate and add 2.5 kg of water, stir thoroughly and evenly, and let it settle naturally; separately, soak 3 kg of plant ash in 5 kg of water for 1 hour, and finally filter each separately, take the extracts and mix them evenly, dilute with 50 kg of water, and spray; its effect is comparable to potassium dihydrogen phosphate.

Method of mixing superphosphate into barnyard manure and compost:

Add 20% superphosphate to compost and barnyard manure, stir evenly, and pile for 20~25 days; this can prevent the volatilization and loss of nitrogen in barnyard manure, speed up the decomposition process of barnyard manure and compost, increase the content of available phosphorus, and improve the quality of barnyard manure and compost.

Adding ammonium bicarbonate when composting:

Cut crop stalks into short sections 5~10 cm long, add ammonium bicarbonate equal to 1% of the total mass of the stalks, then add an appropriate amount of human feces and urine to build a pile, then cover and seal it with mud slurry; after decomposition it becomes a high-efficiency biological potassium fertilizer.