Luca Coppi (Ph.D. Student)

Thesis Title:

Potential for nutrient leaching from liquid hog manure applied to a coarse soil pasture

Project Description:

Liquid hog manure (LHM) is a by-product of the hog industry. It is a valuable organic fertilizer when spread over agricultural land but its disposal may become a concern due to the cost of transport and the relatively high content in nutrients such as P and N known for contributing to water pollution.

This graduate research is a component of the La Broquerie Research Project, established in 2003 in 160 acres of land in South Eastern Manitoba to help improve the sustainability of livestock production systems. The site is divided into twelve plots where three manure treatments and two pasture treatments are combined in a factorial design.

The objectives of the study are to:

  • Monitor over time accumulation and movement of phosphorus and nitrogen in the soil
  • Determine whether and to what extent leaching of nutrients to the groundwater table occurs
  • Calibrate leaching models to be used as simulation tools

Links:

La Broquerie Research Project:
http://umanitoba.ca/afs/labroquerie/index.htm

Real-time weather data at the research site:
http://tgs.gov.mb.ca/climate/DisplayImage.aspx?StationID=marcha229

Supervisor:

Dr. Mario Tenuta

Expected Date of Completion:

 

Previous Degrees:

B.Sc. and M.Sc. in Tropical and Subtropical Agriculture, University of Florence (2004)

Email:

umcoppi@cc.umanitoba.ca