Objetivou-se avaliar os efeitos do uso de sulfato de alumínio, da densidade de alojamento e de estratégias nutricionais sobre índices produtivos, econômicos e qualidade de carne na produção de frangos de corte. Foram conduzidos dois experimentos, nos quais: Experimento I (EI) Objetivou-se avaliar os efeitos das doses de sulfato de alumínio [Al2(SO4)3 18 H2O] - (0, 200, 400 e 600 g/m2) no tratamento da cama aviária e da taxa de lotação (8 e 9 aves/m2). Foi avaliadas na cama, a amônia volatilizada, pH, teor de matéria-seca e nitrogênio, além do desempenho das aves, rendimento de carcaça, cortes (peito e coxa-sobrecoxa), ocorrência de lesão de peito e pododermatite e qualidade da carne (pH, cor, perdas totais por cozimento, maciez objetiva e análise sensorial). No Experimento II (EII) os objetivos foram avaliar os efeitos da inclusão dietética de fitase (1.000 FTU/kg de ração) e da redução do nível de proteína bruta (um ponto percentual) nas dietas de frangos criados em cama tratada ou não com sulfato de alumínio (1.568 g/m2). Além das análises citadas anteriormente, objetivou-se avaliar o aspecto microbiológico das carcaças de frango e propor uma estimativa econômica do poder fertilizante da cama aviária. Foi realizada a análise da viabilidade econômica do uso do sulfato de alumínio, da fitase e da redução do nível proteico da dieta na produção avícola. (EI) As doses de sulfato de alumínio e as taxas de lotação influenciaram as características da cama, reduzindo os valores de pH e minimizando a quantidade de amônia volatilizada. A melhor dose de sulfato de alumínio foi de 400 g/m2 independente da lotação adotada. As doses de sulfato de alumínio avaliadas não influenciaram o desempenho das aves, que foi afetado negativamente pelo aumento da densidade. Observou-se efeito significativo da interação sulfato de alumínio × taxa de lotação (P = 0,0094) sobre o rendimento de carcaça. O teste afetivo mostrou que o sulfato de alumínio não influenciou a aceitabilidade dos consumidores pela carne de frango. A análise economica demonstrou que a margem bruta aumentou quando a lotação foi de nove aves/m2 já que o peso do lote é maior. (EII) A aplicação do sulfato de alumínio na cama aviária reduziu os valores de pH e consequentemente a amonia volatilizada. Além disso, a baixa PB e a fitase reduziram o pH e a amônia também. O sulfato de alumínio (1.568 g/m2) reduz a emissão de amônia e as perdas de N da cama. Valorar o dejeto avícola como fertilizante orgânico permite uma melhor decisão com relação às quantidades a serem aplicadas na lavoura, promovendo benefícios econômico e ambiental. A inclusão dietética de fitase (1.000 FTU/kg de ração) influenciou características de cor da carne e melhorou sua maciez segundo a percepção de consumidores não treinados. O uso de 1.568 gramas de sulfato de alumínio por m2 diminui a margem de comercialização, onerando os custos de produção. Além disso, pode-se concluir que as diferentes estratégias nutricionais não apresentaram diferenças nas margens de comercialização, indicando a viabilidade econômica na utilização de ferramentas nutricionais para manutenção do impacto ambiental da produção avícola. / The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of the use of aluminum sulfate, stocking density and nutritional strategies on productive, economic indexes and meat quality on poultry industry. Therefore, two experiments were conducted. Experiment I (EI) the aim of study was to evaluate the effects of aluminum sulfate doses [Al2(SO4)3·18H2O] - (0, 200, 400 e 600 g/m2) to treated poultry litter and bird densities (8 and 9 birds/m2). It was evaluated volatilized ammonia, pH values, dry matter and nitrogen content from poultry litter. Furthermore, it was evaluated live performance, carcass, breast, drumstick and thigh yield, prevalence of breast skin lesions and foot-pad dermatitis, and chicken meat quality (pH, color, shear force, cook loss and sensorial analysis). Experiment II (EII) aims evaluate the effects of aluminum sulfate to treat litter (0 or 1.568 g/m2), including phytase (1,000 FTU/kg of feed) in the diet and diets with low-crude protein (one percentage point of reduction). This study aims to evaluate the Microbiological Plate Counts on carcasses was evaluated and propose a method to value the manure in relation to its potential as fertilizer too. The economic analysis was also performed, considering the use of aluminum sulphate, phytase and diets with low-crude protein in the production of broiler chickens. The economic analysis the marketing margin increased when the density was 9/m2 because the sold broilers weight was higher. (EI) Aluminum sulfate doses and the stocking density influence poultry litter characteristics, lowering the pH values and reducing the amount of volatilized ammonia. The best dose of aluminum sulphate was 400 g/m2 regardless of the density adopted. The use of aluminum sulfate doses evaluated did not influence the broiler performance, which was negatively affected by the increase in the density. A significant effect of the interaction (P = 0.0094) was verified for carcass yield. The affective test showed that aluminum sulfate didnt influence consumers acceptability for chicken meat. The economic analysis showed that the contribution margin increased when the stocking was 9 birds/m2 since the lot weight is higher. (EII) Application of alum to the litter lowered pH values and consequently ammonia volatilization, moreover the low crude protein and phytase reduced this traits too. Aluminum sulfate (1.568 g/m2) reduces ammonia emissions and consequently nitrogen losses from litter. Valuing poultry manure as organic fertilizer allows the better decision in relation to the quantity to be applied to the crop, promoting economic and environmental benefits. It was concluded that the inclusion of phytase (1,000 FTU/kg of feed), influences chicken meat color characteristics, and improved meat tenderness in the perception of untrained panelists. The use of 1,568 grams of aluminum sulphate per m2 decreased the marketing margin, inflating production costs. In addition, it can be concluded that different nutritional strategies did not present differences in the margins of commercialization, indicating the economic feasibility in the use of nutritional tools to maintain the environmental impact of poultry production.

Orientador: Denis Miguel Roston / Tese (Doutorado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Faculdade de Engenharia Agrícola / Made available in DSpace on 2018-08-19T06:10:26Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Augusto_KarolinaVonZuben_D.pdf: 4243973 bytes, checksum: 08fb77f48c13521869bbc3c235c4fbf3 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2011 / Resumo: O processo de biodigestão anaeróbia contribui como um método de tratamento da cama de frango e de geração de energia. Porém, sua aplicabilidade pode ocasionar certo contra-senso, devido à necessidade de diluição para proporcionar um ambiente apropriado aos microrganismos atuantes no processo anaeróbio. Esta diluição aumenta o seu volume e a dificuldade de disposição final do efluente. Desta forma, teve-se como objetivo neste trabalho contribuir para a sustentabilidade do processo de biodigestão anaeróbia de cama de frango, avaliando a viabilidade e a influência do tratamento e uso dos efluentes de biodigestores em substituição da água no preparo de novos substratos para o mesmo processo. A pesquisa foi desenvolvida no Laboratório de Saneamento da Faculdade de Engenharia Agrícola da Universidade Estadual de Campinas, sendo separada em dois ensaios, dos quais o ensaio A contou com a avaliação físico-química e microbiológica de cada etapa de tratamento, abastecimento (AB), desabastecimento dos biodigestores (EB), separação física com peneiras e decantador (D) e tratamento em leitos cultivados com Pistia stratiotes (LC). Houve redução de 5,56% (AB x EB), 32,66% (AB x D) e 74,94% (AB x LC) de ST e aumento de NH3 de 132,00% (AB x EB), 168,00% (AB x D) e 9,50% (AB x LC). Observaram-se reduções de coliformes totais e E. coli em todas as etapas de tratamento, porém não houve eliminação dos mesmos. No ensaio B foram preparados três tratamentos, sendo eles T1, composto por cama de frango, água limpa e inoculo. T2 composto por cama de frango e efluente tratado do ensaio A e T3 composto por cama de frango e efluente não tratado do ensaio A. Foram realizadas avaliações físico-químicas de cada etapa do tratamento além do acompanhamento da produção de biogás. A produção de biogás foi distinta entre os tratamentos, sendo que a produção acumulada durante os 50 dias de biodigestão para o T1 foi de 0,073m3, T2 de 0,175m3 e T3 de 0,101m3. Os potenciais de produção de biogás por kg de cama de frango foram de 0,067m3 (T1), 0,168m3 (T2) e 0,097m3 (T3) / Abstract: The anaerobic digestion process contributes as a method of treating poultry litter and energy generation. However, its applicability may cause some counter-intuitive, requiring for dilution to provide a suitable environment for microorganisms active in the anaerobic process. This dilution increases volume and difficulty of disposal of effluent. Thus, the objective of this study is contribute to the sustainability of the process of anaerobic digestion of poultry litter, assessing the feasibility and the influence of effluent treatment and use of biogas digesters in place of water in the preparation of new substrates for the same process .The research was conducted at the Laboratory of Sanitation, Faculty of Agricultural Engineering, UNICAMP, in two separate steps_ step A had the physicochemical and microbiological analysis of each stage of treatment, supply (AB) and effluent of the digesters (EB), physical separation with sieves and sedimentation (D) and treatment in constructed wetlands with Pistia stratiotes (CL). There was reduction of 5.56% (AB x EB), 32.66% (AB x D) and 74.94% (AB x CL) of TS and increase of 132.00% of NH3 (AB x EB), 168.00% (AB x D) and 9.50% (AB x CL). Reductions were observed for total coliform and E. coli in all stages of treatment but not elimination. Step B were prepared three different treatments T1 composed of chicken litter, clean water and inoculum. T2 consists of chicken litter and treated effluent from the step A and T3 consists of chicken litter and untreated effluent step A. Assessments were made of each physico-chemical treatment step beyond monitoring the production of biogas. The biogas production was differed among treatments, while cumulative production during the 50 days of digestion for the T1 was 0.073 m3, 0.175 m3 of T2 and T3 of 0.101 m3. The potential production of biogas per kg of chicken manure were 0.067 m3 (T1) 0.168 m3 (T2) and 0.097 m3 (T3) / Doutorado / Agua e Solo / Doutor em Engenharia Agrícola

Das Interesse an der Biogastechnologie in der Landwirtschaft bezüglich der Vergärung von Feststoffen stieg insbesondere mit der Novellierung des Erneuerbare-Energien-Gesetzes (EEG) im Jahr 2004 deutlich an. In diesem wurde unter anderen das Ziel verankert, den Anteil erneuerbarer Energien an der Stromversorgung in Deutschland deutlich zu erhöhen. Biomasse hat das Potential einen deutlichen höheren Beitrag zur Deckung der Energieversorgung zu leisten als bisher. Dieses Potential kann durch verschiedenste Verfahren nutzbar gemacht werden, wozu auch die anaerobe Fermentation von Biomasse zu energiereichem Biogas zählt. Die derzeit in konventionellen Anlagen größtenteils eingesetzten Rührkesselreaktoren sind nur begrenzt für Reststoffe aus der Landwirtschaft geeignet, da sich ihr Durchmischungsaufwand mit der Feststoffzufuhr deutlich erhöht. Ziel der vorliegenden Arbeit war es, das Substrat Pferdemist auf Strohbasis in einem für die Feststofffermentation entwickelten Verfahren, dem Aufstromverfahren, zu erproben. Dazu wurde der Einfluss von zwei Betriebssystemen und von zwei Temperaturniveaus unter Erhöhung der Raumbelastung auf den Fermentationsprozess überprüft. Des Weiteren wurde die überaus wichtige Fragestellung nach der Generierung klimarelevanter Gase (N2O, CH4, CO2) bei der Lagerung von Gärresten in unterschiedlichen Behandlungsformen untersucht. Mesophile Vergärung im Aufstromverfahren Das kontinuierlich betriebene, undurchmischte Aufstromverfahren ist durch seine Funktionsweise besonders für die Vergärung von Feststoffen geeignet. Dieses beruht auf dem Dichteunterschied zwischen den organischen Feststoffpartikeln und der Prozessflüssigkeit. Die abzubauenden Feststoffpartikel steigen aufgrund einer geringeren Dichte und durch Anlagerung von Gasbläschen im Reaktor auf, worauf sich der Name des Verfahrens und des Reaktors, des Aufstromfeststoffreaktors (AFR) bezieht. In diesem zweiphasigen System aus fester und flüssiger Phase, wird die Prozessflüssigkeit durch den Feststoffpropfen geleitet, wobei gelöste Intermediate abtransportiert werden. Die Flüssigkeit wird beim 1-stufigen System dem AFR wieder zugeführt. Bei dem 2-stufigen System wird der AFR durch einen Festbettreaktor (FBR) erweitert, welcher mit Aufwuchsträgern befüllt ist und in welchem die gelösten Intermediate abgebaut werden. Der erste Teilbereich dieser Arbeit beschäftigte sich mit der generellen Erprobung des Aufstromverfahrens mit dem Substrat Pferdemist bei mesophilen Temperaturen (37°C). Dazu wurden beide Betriebssysteme eingesetzt und die Raumbelastung der Reaktoren stufenweisen erhöht. Das im Prozess entstehende Biogas wurde auf sein Volumen sowie auf die Zusammensetzung überprüft und auf Normbedingungen korrigiert. Im Verlauf des Versuches, welcher bei einer Raumbelastung von 2,5 g organischer Trockensubstanz pro Liter Reaktorvolumen und Tag (goTS L-1 d-1) begann und auf 4,5 goTS L-1 d-1 erhöht wurde, wurden die Menge an zugeführtem Substrat analog erhöht. Die täglich ermittelten Methan-Produktionsraten zeigten einen signifikanten Anstieg (P<0,05) mit jeder Erhöhung der Raumbelastungsstufe. Ein Unterschied zwischen dem 1- und 2-stufigen System konnte nicht ermittelt werden. Schlussfolgernd zeigen die Ergebnisse, dass das Aufstromverfahren für die Vergärung von Pferdemist auf Strohbasis bei mesophilen Temperaturen durchaus geeignet ist und dass das 2-stufige Verfahren gegenüber dem 1-stufigen Verfahren bei den getesteten Raumbelastungen keinen Vorteil brachte. Thermophile Vergärung im Aufstromverfahren Ein weiterer Bestandteil dieser Arbeit war es, den Einfluss von thermophilen Temperaturen auf den Biogasprozess zu testen. Dazu wurde der Versuchsaufbau beider Betriebssysteme übernommen und die Reaktoren auf 55°C geheizt. Die Raumbelastung wurde ebenfalls stufenweise von 2,5 auf 5,5 goTS L-1 d-1 erhöht. Die produzierte Menge an Biogas sowie dessen Zusammensetzung wurde täglich ermittelt und auf Normbedingungen korrigiert. Wie auch im mesophilen Versuch verzeichneten die Methan-Produktionsraten einen signifikanten Anstieg (P<0,05) mit der Erhöhung der Raumbelastung bei beiden Betriebssystemen. Das 2-stufige Verfahren erreichte dabei nahezu gleich hohe Methanraten wie das 1-stufige. Der Vergleich der Methanraten zwischen dem mesophilen und thermophilen Durchgang verdeutlicht, dass diese durch die Erhöhung der Betriebstemperaturen hochsignifikant (P<0,0001) um 58,1% gesteigert werden konnte. Die Teilversuche haben gezeigt, dass es möglich ist Pferdemist und Stroh kontinuierlich im Aufstromverfahren bei mesophilen und thermophilen Temperaturen zu vergären. Den größten Einfluss auf die Methan-Produktion nahmen dabei die Raumbelastung und die Temperatur ein. Die Erweiterung durch einen Festbettreaktor im 2-stufigen Aufbau führte bei den geprüften Raumbelastungen zu keinen Vorteilen gegenüber dem 1-stufigen System. Effekt der Gärrest-Stabilisierung auf Treibhausgasemissionen während der Lagerung Eine weitere Problemstellung dieser Arbeit war die Ermittlung von treibhaus- und klimarelevanten Emissionen bei der Lagerung von Gärresten. Bei der Vergärung von Biomasse entsteht ein Anteil an Gärrest, welcher beim Prozess nicht abgebaut werden kann. Der Anteil ist abhängig von der Zusammensetzung des eingesetzten Substrats. Der durch den Einsatz von Pferdemist und Weizenstroh generierte Gärrest wurde in einer weiteren Untersuchung über 30 Tage in gasdichten Behältern gelagert und dessen Emissionen untersucht. Die eingesetzten Varianten wurden zuvor bei 60°C und verschiedenen Haltezeiten (6h, 12h, 24h) thermisch stabilisiert. Des Weiteren wurde unbehandelter Gärrest als Kontrolle getestet und jeweils eine Charge mit den Additiven Biokohle und Zeolith versetzt. Innerhalb der 30 Tage Lagerdauer wurden stündlich aus jeder Lagertonne Gasproben genommen und auf folgende Gase untersucht: NH3, CH4, N2O, CO2 und H2O. Die thermische Stabilisierung des Gärrests durch 24 h Trocknung bei 60°C erreichte die größte Minderung bei den gemessenen Treibhausgasen. Alle anderen Varianten (6- und 12h Trocknung, Zugabe von Biokohle und Zeolith) reduzierten die auftretenden Emissionen im Gegensatz zum unbehandelten Gärrest ebenfalls. Die Zugabe von Zeolith und Biokohle zeigte sich besser geeignet für die Kurzzeit-Lagerung der Gärreste (10-20 Tage). Die thermische Stabilisierung zeigte insgesamt den größten Minderungseffekt, solange die benötigte Wärme für die Trocknung aus dem eigentlichen Biogasprozess gedeckt werden kann. Die Untersuchung hat gezeigt, dass das Substrat Pferdemist für die Produktion von Biogas in höchstem Maße geeignet ist. Beim Einsatz in Aufstromfeststoffreaktoren konnten keine prozesstechnischen Probleme festgestellt werden, sodass sich das Betriebssystem als geeignet herausstellte. Da das Verfahren derzeit noch keine Anwendung in der Praxis findet, ist die Erforschung zur Vergärung von Pferdemist und der Gärrestbehandlung unter Praxisbedingungen essentiell.

Microbial contamination of drinking water poses an important health risk which causes severe illnesses and epidemics. In order to improve surface and drinking water quality, the understanding of fecal pathogen contamination processes including their prevention and control needs to be enhanced. The watershed model soil water assessment tool (SWAT) is commonly used to simulate the complex hydrological, meteorological, erosion, land management and pollution processes within river basins. In recent years, it has been increasingly applied to simulate microbial contamination transport at the watershed scale. SWAT is used in this study to simulate Escherichia coli (E.coli) and fecal coliform densities for the agriculturally dominated Payne River Basin in Ontario, Canada. Unprecedented extensive monitoring data that consist of 30 years of daily hydrological data and 5 years of bi-weekly nutrient data have been used to calibrate and validate the presented model here. The calibration and validation of the streamflow and nutrients indicate that the model represent these processes well. The model performs well for periods of lower E. coli and fecal coliform loadings. On the other hand, frequency and magnitude of higher microbial loads are not always accurately represented by the model.

No description available.

Orientador: Sérgio Valiengo Valeri / Banca: Miguel Luís Menezes Freitas / Banca: Iraê Amaral Guerrini / Banca: Rinaldo César de Paula / Banca: Mara Cristina Pessôa da Cruz / Resumo: Foram conduzidos experimentos em casa de vegetação e em condições de campo, com os seguintes objetivos: a) avaliar o efeito de doses de composto de resíduos de indústria de celulose e papel na fertilidade do solo, no desenvolvimento, na produção de matéria seca e na concentração e acúmulo de nutrientes nas folhas de um clone de Eucalyptus grandis x E. urophylla; b) avaliar os efeitos da aplicação em diferentes épocas de dois resíduos da indústria de celulose e papel (lodo ativado e não decomposto e dregs + grits), no desenvolvimento das árvores, produção de madeira e acúmulo de nutrientes nas folhas de um clone de Eucalyptus grandis x E. urophylla. As principais conclusões foram: a) A aplicação de composto de resíduos de indústria de celulose e papel (CRICP) propiciou ganhos em altura aos 60 dias após o plantio em colunas de PVC, em diâmetro do coleto e em produção de biomassa das plantas de eucalipto aos 120 dias. O CRICP resultou em aumento no valor de pH e nos teores de Ca e Mg do solo. Também elevou os teores de P, K e Na no solo. A concentração nas folhas e o acúmulo de P, K, Ca e S aumentaram com a aplicação do composto; b) Os resíduos da fábrica de celulose e papel são eficientes corretivos da acidez do solo. A aplicação de 8 t ha-1 de dregs + grits no plantio proporcionou maior crescimento em diâmetro e produção de madeira de eucalipto do que a aplicação de 15 t ha-1 de lodo ativado não decomposto. Essa dose e elevou os teores de Ca e Mg e a porcentagem de saturação por bases de Latossolo Vermelho distrófico para valores adequados para uma produtividade de madeira de 40 m3 ha-1 ano-1, aos 6,5 anos, quando aplicados no plantio ou três meses após o mesmo. / Abstract: Experiments in greenhouse and field were carried out with the objectives: a) to evaluate the effect of industrial residues from pulp and paper mill compost rates on soil fertility, on development, on dry matter production and nutrient contents and accumulation in the leaves of Eucalyptus grandis x E. urophylla clone; b) to evaluate the application effects in different times of two industrial residues from pulp and paper mill (cellulose sludge and dregs + grits) on tree development, wood production and nutrient accumulation in the leaves of Eucalyptus grandis x E. urophylla clone. The main conclusions were: a) the industrial residues from pulp and paper mill compost (IRPPMC) application promoted increases on height at 60 days after planting, on stem diameter and on biomass production of eucalypt plants at 120 days. The IRPPMC increase the pH value and Ca and Mg soil content. The P, K, and Na soil content also increased. The P, K, Ca e S contents and accumulation in the leaves were increased with compost application; b) industrial residues from pulp and paper mill are efficient in the liming of soil acidity. The application of 8 Mg ha-1 of dregs + grits promoted major growth on diameter and on wood production of eucalypt that 15 Mg ha-1 of activated sludge in combination with chemical fertilizer application. This dose increased Ca and Mg and the base saturation of Red Latosol (Oxisol) to adequate values to reached 40 m3 ha-1 ano-1 wood productivity, at 6,5 years, when application was in the plantation or three months later. / Doutor

Thesis (M.Sc. (Horticulture)) -- University of Limpopo, 2019 / Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) is one of the most popular and widely consumed vegetable crops all over the world. They play a vital role in human diet and good sources of vitamins and minerals. However, low soil fertility is a major challenge to vegetable crops production for growers in Africa. Soils in the arid and semi-arid regions like South Africa have little nutrient and mineral contents, which adversely affect plant growth and quality. Therefore, the objectives of the study were to determine the effects of sole and combined applications of Effective Microorganisms enriched compost, broiler manure and inorganic (NPK) fertiliser applications, on growth and yield of three tomato varieties and to assess the influence of the applied fertiliser on nutritional composition of three tomato varieties. Field experiments were conducted at Horticultural skill centre, University of Limpopo (Mankweng), and at Mphebatho farm, Apel, Limpopo province, South Africa. The experiment was laid out in a 7 x 3 split-plot design. Recommended amount of organic and inorganic fertilisers was used. The treatments were: control (without fertiliser application), NPK (2:3:4(30) at a rate of 200 N ha-1, 260 P ha-1 and 257 K ha-1, applied as N from Urea, P from superphosphate and K from potassium chloride (KCl), mineralised broiler manure (10 000 kg ha-1), ½ NPK + ½ broiler manure rates, EM enriched compost (14 m3 ha-1), ½ EM compost + ½ NPK rates, and ½ EM compost + ½ broiler manure rates. Three tomato varieties (Floradade, Roma and Moneymaker) seedlings were transplanted using standard spacing of 30 x 60 cm. Chlorophyll contents of leaves, biomass production, plant height, fruit number, stem diameter and branch number were determined after six weeks of transplanting and fortnightly thereafter. The interactions between tomato varieties and fertiliser materials with regard to plant height were not significant (P ≤ 0.05) at both sites (Apel and Mankweng). Average plant height (63.75 cm) obtained in Moneymaker grown in EM compost treatment was significantly highest at Apel, for Floradade (42.25 cm) in broiler manure treatment while that of Roma variety (39.63 cm) was found in ½ EM compost + ½ NPK treatment at 8 WAT. Similar trend was also recorded at 10 WAT. For Mankweng the significantly (P ≤ 0.05) highest average plant height at 8 WAT (66.63 cm) was obtained in Moneymaker grown in ½ broiler manure + ½ NPK treatment for Floradade (45.63 cm) obtained in broiler manure treatment, and 44.50 cm recorded for Roma in broiler manure treatment. Similar trend was also followed at 10 WAT. At vi Apel, significantly highest average number of tomato fruits at 8, 10 and 12 WAT were recorded in treatment with ½ EM + ½ NPK while the least values were found in control. Whereas at Mankweng the variation in number of tomato fruits under different fertiliser treatments were not significant. Similar, non-significant interactions (V x F) for tomato shoot nutritional composition were found in tomato grown at both sites (Apel and Mankweng) in relation to fertiliser treatments. At Apel however, comparing the fertiliser treatments, tomato grown in soil treated with ½ broiler manure + ½ NPK had the significantly highest average (3.01 %) K content while the least value (2.65 %) was obtained in the control. Similarly, significantly highest mean (44.33 mg kg-1) Zn was found in crops grown in the same treatment, but the lowest significant value (36.50 mg kg-1) was obtained in ½ EM + ½ NPK treatment. For Mn and Fe contents in tomato significantly highest mean values (150.17 mg kg-1 and 2381 mg kg-1) for Mn and Fe respectively were found in sole broiler manure treatment while the least values 114.83 mg kg-1 and 1357.6 mg kg-1 for Mn and Fe respectively were found in ½ EM + ½ NPK and sole NPK treatments respectively. It may be concluded that in tomato production, combined application of organic and inorganic sources of nutrients can be more beneficial and can be adopted by smallholder farmers with limited resources. / DAFF Zero hunger

Sustainable farming is an integrated practice of crop and livestock production system (integrated crop-livestock system; ICLS) that aims to reduce the environmental impacts of agricultural practices while maintaining the productivity and profitability. The use of one step's byproducts by another is a crucial component of this practice. The continuity and effectiveness of sustainable farming greatly rely on deep understanding of each component and good management strategy. One essential aspect involved in all farming components is the role of microorganisms in mediating the biological processes therein. Thus, understanding the composition and activities of these communities would open up ways to engineer them and optimize the respective processes for better sustainable farming practices. The research presented in this dissertation aimed to characterize the microbial metabolism involved in the ICLS with a broader goal of manipulating these systems to improve sustainable agriculture. We focused on two systems that are widely used in the United States, and employed the analysis of 16S rRNA-V4 element for this purpose. In our first system, we characterized the rumen microbiomes of beef cattle alternately grazing nontoxic MaxQ and toxic KY-31 tall fescue pasture, to understand how these cultivars shape the rumen microbiome and identify microbial species potentially capable of degrading ergot alkaloids for better feed utilization. We found that KY-31 grazing remodeled the rumen microbiome substantially at the cellulolytic and saccharolytic guilds. It suppressed the abundances of Fibrobacter, a major ruminal cellulolytic bacterium, as well as those of Pseudobutyrivibrio and Butyrivibrio, and these losses were compensated by increased occurrences of Eubacterium species. Parts of these new communities lingered once developed, and a different guild composition surfaced upon transfer to MaxQ. We also discovered that most of the observations were not evident at the whole microbiome levels but was identified by analyzing the sessile and planktonic fractions separately. Thus, it showcased the need for analyzing sessile and planktonic segments separately while interrogating a heterogenous microbiome. Finally, we identified several potential ergovaline degrading bacteria such as Paraprevotella and Coprococcus. In our second system, we studied the microbiome composition and associated transformation pathways mediating nitrogen loss in two dairy manure storage systems, the clay-lined Earthen Pit (EP) and aboveground concrete storage tank (CS) on two commercial dairy farms, to develop strategies to minimize these losses. We first developed a catalog of the archaea and bacteria that were present therein based on the 16S rRNA-V4 amplicons from manure samples collected from several locations and depths of the storages. Then, we inferred the respective metabolic capabilities via PICRUSt2 and literature curation, and developed schemes for nitrogen and carbon transformation pathways operating at various locations of EP and CS. Our results showed that the stored manure microbiome composition was more complex and exhibited more location-to-location variation in EP compared to CS. Further, the inlet and a location with hard surface crust in EP had unique consortia. With regards to nitrogen transformation, the microbiomes in both storages had the potential to generate ammonia but lacked the organisms for oxidizing it to nitrate and further to gaseous compounds such as anammox and autotrophic nitrifiers. However, microbial conversion of nitrate to gaseous N2, NO, and N2O via denitrification and to stable ammonia via dissimilatory nitrite reduction (DNRA) seemed possible. Minor quantity of nitrate was present in manure, potentially originating from oxidative processes occurring on the barn floor. Higher prevalence of nitrate-transforming microbes at the near-surface locations and all depths of the inlet were found as a result of this instance. These findings suggested that ammonia oxidation to nitrate started on the barn floor and as manure is being stored in EP and CS, nitrate was lost to the environment via denitrification. For carbon transformation, hydrogenotrophic Methanocorpusculum species were the primary methane producers, and it exhibited higher abundance in EP. / Doctor of Philosophy / Sustainable farming is an integrated practice of crop and livestock production systems that aims to reduce the environmental impacts of agricultural practices while maintaining the productivity and profitability. The use of one step's byproducts by another such as the utilization of arable land to grow forages for livestock grazing or the use of manure as organic nitrogen amendments for crops is a crucial component of this practice. The continuity and effectiveness of sustainable farming greatly rely on deep understanding of each component and good management strategy. One essential aspect involved in all farming components is the role of microorganisms in mediating the biological processes therein. Thus, understanding the composition and activities of these communities would open up ways to engineer them and optimize the respective processes for a better sustainable farming practice. The research presented in this dissertation aimed to characterize the microbial metabolism involved in the integrated crop-livestock system with a broader goal of manipulating these to improve sustainable agriculture. We focused on two systems that are widely used in the United States, and employed bioinformatic analysis of a genetic marker for this purpose. In our first system, we characterized the rumen microbiomes of beef cattle grazing alternately on KY-31 tall fescue, a major grass used in Virginia that carry a toxin-producing fungi, and nontoxic MaxQ tall fescue pasture, to understand how these cultivars shape the rumen microbiome and identify potential microbial species capable of degrading the toxin for better feed utilization. We found that KY-31 grazing remodeled the rumen microbiome substantially, especially affecting microbes responsible for degrading cellulose and starch. Some of these communities lingered once developed, and a different microbial population surfaced upon transfer to MaxQ. Several potential toxin-degrading bacteria were also identified. In our second system, we studied the microbiome composition and associated transformation pathways mediating nitrogen loss in two dairy manure storage systems, the clay-lined Earthen Pit (EP) and aboveground concrete storage tank (CS), to develop strategies to minimize these losses. We first develop a catalog of the archaea and bacteria that were present in the manure samples collected from several locations and depths of the storages based on a genetic marker. Then, we inferred the respective metabolic capabilities and developed schemes for nitrogen and carbon transformation pathways operating at various locations of EP and CS. Our results showed that the stored manure microbiome exhibited more location-to-location variation in EP compared to CS. Oxygen exposure, continuous addition of fresh manure, and the presence of crust at the storage surface gave rise to these unique populations. With regards to nitrogen transformation, the microbiomes in both storages had the potential to generate ammonia but lacked the organisms for oxidizing it to nitrate and further to gaseous compounds. However, microbial conversion of nitrate to gaseous N2, NO, and N2O seemed possible. These observations showcased that ammonia is stable during storage. Nitrate, on the other hand, can be converted into volatile nitrogen compounds via various processes. Thus, it is imperative to limit the level of nitrate in manure prior to placement in the storage, which is potentially originating from oxidative processes occurring on the barn floor.

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