Quantification and persistence of ionophore antimicrobials associated with poultry litter

View the project final report

• 2012 annual report

Commodities

• Animals: poultry

Practices

• Animal Production: feed additives, feed formulation, manure management, pasture fertility, therapeutics
• Soil Management: organic matter, soil chemistry, soil quality/health

Veterinary anticoccidials are used in poultry feed at therapeutic levels to treat disease and at sub-therapeutic levels for growth-promotion. They are found in significant quantities in animal manure especially poultry. Although little published research exists on their persistence after manure is land applied on farms, they are rapidly becoming identified as an emerging contaminant. Several studies have indicated ionophores to be toxic to different species of plants and animals and even humans especially poultry farm workers, at concentrations ranging from 0.5-5 mg kg-1 (Hansen et al., 2009b; Sharma et al., 2005; Story and Doube, 2004). Researchers have expressed a need for detailed studies on mobility of these compounds through agricultural fields (Hansen et al., 2009b) to better assess environmental risk and protect natural resources. Therefore, the objective of the proposed project is to determine sorption and desorption characteristics of the most commonly found ionophore in coastal plain soils that will give mechanistic information about its mobility in the agricultural soil systems, where poultry manure is typically land applied. Liquid chromatography-triple quadrupole mass spectrometer will be used for precise quantification of four ionophores, monensin, salinomycin, lasalocid and narasin in fresh poultry litter (Biswas, 2011). A sorption and desorption batch isotherm will be conducted using Monensin, the ionophore found in the highest concentration in poultry litter, and three contrasting soil textures found on the Delmarva Peninsula. The proposed study will provide important preliminary data on the effect of soil texture, pH, and organic matter on ionophore persistence in manure-amended soils.

The objective of the proposed project is to determine sorption and desorption characteristics of the most commonly found ionophore in coastal plain soils that will give mechanistic information about its mobility in the agricultural soil systems, where poultry manure is typically land applied. This project will determine the effect of soil texture and pH in both the A and B horizon of three different soils that represent common textures on the Delmarva Peninsula.