The best soils for the application of spent litter are deep, well-structured and well-drained clay loams (McGahan et al., 2015). These are more suitable than highly permeable sands and impermeable heavy clays. Shallow soils with significant amounts of rock and gravel or soils with a high salt content should also be avoided. Soils with higher clay content are better able to store nutrients, while sandy soils are more susceptible to nutrient leaching.
When selecting areas for spent litter application, consider the following:
- Avoid land immediately adjacent to watercourses. Most separation/buffer guidelines will specify minimum separation distances, with the risk of nutrient loss being dependent on a variety of factors, including groundcover, erosion potential (rainfall erosivity), groundcover, slope, runoff convergence potential. The planting of appropriate vegetative filter strips is useful to intercept nutrients.
- Avoid land subject to frequent flooding.
- Avoid steep slopes with inadequate groundcover. Slopes greater than 10% should be avoided.
- Avoid rocky, slaking or highly erodible land.
- Avoid highly impermeable soils.
The best soils for the application of spent litter are deep, well-structured and well-drained clay loams. Shallow soils with significant amounts of rock and gravel or soils with a high salt content should be avoided. Soils with higher clay content are better able to store nutrients, while sandy soils are more susceptible to nutrient leaching.
