DF AGi:CUTiA iE i~ I 1 ; 0 ". .4 'low tr . - It 7 t L 6V-A .1'' 'a *1 -. *L,4 4 .. * I c _ 1 - w a Po v 4 1Y 4. 41. P DIRECTORS COMMENTS I iit\ selectlioi ixiitici the ICxx dc.isioii Iari tit lcxsil V I ke that 'Aill incease X icid dcre ase pest pi oblciii Id inpiox c iiilation of 'iatei and nutrients: yei not cost more moiney. When colittbiid 'A6it1 soil 1121-61tx tcstiitc and other rescaich-pi 0\ ci piroduiction inf~oi " tmation c. hoosingi the optitmui xai ct' can make a big difle ce in the bottom line. IThoocLh 'Ac are entem inc into excitinc,- and ehallenci ne cx arcas of reschli such as cenette encinecringe the nuts-and- bolt, mexeameb Comducted on x am tetiex and s~oti cirti lity rmnains an imipotant aspect of the ox ciall Alabama Agci turial Ex- LOWELL T. FROBISH petriiieint Siatiomn rexajc efort. lachi xcar the results (it x aricts trials~ on iornm. coittoin. so\ bans. small crains. ciain xom ghl , atid i vccits arae published by the Exspetrtment Statiotn. And. e\ er ysear these pib I at ii ns are ini demnvid bs I airmiers. [Data for these po hicmat ions are c ierated by xarity' tests at E'sperimttt Station rescarch sites acioss the State, providing localized iiifirnlation for the State' xF armecrs. Soil tertility xtudicx pix ide nearly 61) cam s of eoitinuoiti fertilits itfot mation lot the fixe mtajori xoil recionsx oii the State. This soil t'ettilitx ittfomationi is critical to any crop rescaich, and Alabamla has the lonlcxt continuoux xoil letrtilits tests ini the Nattont. Vaniet's tests and letitliscr tials are amlong, the mtoxt tadlitional of applied research techniiquex, meaning rcxoltx of these tcsts catn he "applied" directly by farmers and aatibuixncsx. Wh ile \ubom v and stthei eseatch tnstitutionsx te inemeaxinic emtphasis otn "basic"' research. xxhich is critical iin a boilIdivic a basc of scienti fic kmtxxledg-e, the importance ot, x ariety trials,. fem ttfitx tests, atnd othler appl Icid re xare h shi inld mit be io crlooked. Recenitlx the l 'sperinient Station's x atietx testinic and xoil Fettlity reseamrcht fptociraims 'A ci spearh[teaded by Cl'S de I xans. a soil scientixt. and Donm Thourlitx attd Wsil cJ ohnxon, both ,romitst. Each otf thesc scimtitttt rctited itn 1992. feax ic a lecacx of valnble ittlmltaioii that tax ptox ided much (if the x ai etal and etitlitx infom titattilv uxed by Alabama farmrs xFIoi the past 31) years. Withtout (fiuextiltit Farmecrx and thte agr icultomal itidixti x ini the State owx a circat deal to the x atictx testintg and soil fertility programst and to the scientists wAho made resnlts of thtexe testx ittoi e oanincf of. MAY WE INTRODUCEL tint Ditrectoi of th I AAES. Green, a m tivec of A lahanla oined the xtaif fin .lu and wxill be handlim- Gren hin,,stoAu ni an cxtctnsix hacgrondin nierstyadiitrafltionf that htas includcd \\orik 'Ait h grantsx and coniitract dexci ip men t. copyrights and pate nt adnmin- lii ration. oxc niticitin relations, and indux- tri al con'v tiract inc,-. I1e c anki to An ho ri I r 'vi the ('oflee of C'hareston in C'hat lcston. S.C.. wAhere he has servecd as Directori of' Rescarch since 19~87. A ciraduatc of Auihurn Uive rsity 'Aith a hachchor's cci-cc in boxi- nexx adminixtatlito. Grccn has piexiouxly wAorkcd in admniiixnatix c roles at the f nv\er- xity of (Gcorcia, U nix crsitx ii South Ala- banta. Eiixerxitx of' Alahanla in [irmiiw- haiti. and NA\SA's Marshll Spae Flight (Center in Hunlviitxillc. HeI also has 'Aorked wxith the Natlional Iiistitntcs iif 1-iafli Na- tionaf Hlcait, Lunc. and Blood Insxtitutc. ON THE COVER. Deer browsing forage plots, see story on page 4. loll 1992 \ ol. 39, No. 3 A quariek ILP i 01 icxc;hi~h puIktic hx the )AXX It) t t t I , t ..... .... A sociaite t )ircctoi 1t0 SSI I t1. tILt tttFERN( Xxociaiic tlirctioi -A XI (;P l I t ............ Xxxii,nl i r o RitOY i l il RSt N ........ \xxixtaii t Iiiectol K \11 XII S\111 ............ Xxxxiaitc t slitix Ed(itoirial Cmmittee: I oxvIef I. Frto I)xh. l).G. I hut~chk. I, 'iiti /iolso lo / i vtitsi)-: K.[I Bixi cii l s ixrtoi /riscn of/ P51 l ait I'i i/iolog' L. M Norant. Pm', o r oi 0/lolUl Sci cmi c:1 .K. I ,kc. Aiu,' iota Pro/i~ iwo ii/Iw iidi//ij Sciii ces: R.A Tuii'.. A 0 iltC Iio Ii's o(1/ I niliiiii/l : J . o tnt. sis101to Ros Robetxoit. t:)t IO(R'S NO I-1. Mettti of tirade niatmex doi ncoil t idic I e etixti iixci icii bx thle AlIahaivia Agiclturl I'pcimiet Stitiovi ori Authrn I tixeixits ut hband iixei litthei Anix uixe of pesticide tatex iii c\xexs ot tabetcj amiiounits illee I-l 1-epl teth douex ill eotix tc eciitt- iitetidliMi0i ol xsuel ralte Suich tixe ix simiply piait ut the xcietifi i o extiatult neesxxali tiiex ,lu- ate x arious mai~terialx. No chfeical~i xhoutd be uxed ait i ,iex bs thy thse pcriuiied bx the libel. Infoirmtitotn ctainred het iii ix axoil- abte toilll persiitlx' ithovit rCaiti~ to race. color. sx\ iii ntional oii ini D.L. RANKINS, JR., J.T. EASON, T.A. MCCASKEY, AND A.H. STEPHENSON ON-FARM PROCESSING PRESERVES THE NUTRITIVE VALUE OF BROILER LITTER ROILER litter has been used as an economical feed ingredient for beef cattle for several years, provid- ing an alternative disposal method for this by-product of the poultry industry. However, broiler litter must be managed properly to ensure it is a safe and valuable feedstuff for cattle. Research-developed techniques are providing new information on the best management practices for this resource. Typical on-farm techniques for handling and processing litter include deep-stacking, which generates heat and eliminates poten- tial pathogens. However, deep-stacking also can result in excessive heat generation within the stack, which binds the nitrogen and limits the nutritive value of the litter as a cattle feed. A recent Alabama Agricultural Experiment Station study at the Sand Mountain Substa- tion, Crossville, evaluated the nutritive value of broiler litter deep-stacked in three differ- ent ways. Approximately 20 tons of broiler litter were placed into each of three open-faced bays and deep-stacked to a height of ap- proximately 6 ft. One stack was left uncov- ered, another was covered with 6-mil plas- tic, and the third stack was misted with water to form a 1-in. crust upon drying. After 30 days, the litter was used to formulate six experimental diets representing 25 and 50% litter from each of thethree treatments. A control diet using urea and no litter also was formulated. All diets contained 10% cottonseed hulls, 2% limestone, vitamin A, and variable amounts of cracked corn. Twelve crossbred, medium-framed steers averaging 451 lb. were assigned to each diet (six steers per pen and two pens per diet). Steers were weighed every 28 days through- out the study. Following 84 days on feed, three steers from each treatment were fed in individual pens and manure was collected from each steer so that nutrient digestibilities could be determined. Within 28 days, four to eight steers being offered litter-containing diets were bloated. Therefore, poloxalene (a bloat preventative) was added to the diets for the remainder of the study. Steers consuming the control diet gained from 0.5 to 1.4 lb. per day faster than those consuming the litter-based diets, see table. The deep-stacking method had no appre- ciable effect on steer average daily gains. Daily feed intake was not significantly dif- ferent among cattle fed the experimental diets. Feed efficiency values followed the same pattern as daily gains; best for steers fed the control diet, followed by those fed 25% litter, and then those fed 50% litter. The suppressed weight gains as a result of the addition of broiler litter were directly related to the energy content of the diets. Broiler litter contained less energy than corn. However, the cost per pound of gain was quite similar among the seven treat- ments, see table. Inclusion of broiler litter into the ration resulted in decreased digestibility of all nutri- ents except the fiber component (neutral detergent fiber). The deep-stacking method had no effect on dry matter, organic matter, fiber, or energy digestibilities. However, deep-stacking affected nitrogen digestibil- ity. Nitrogen digestibility of diets containing plastic-covered litter was not different from the urea control diet, but was greater than for treatments containing uncovered or wa- tered litter. Differ- ences in nitrogen digestibility pro- bably occurred because heating formed indigest- ible nitrogen com- plexes. The un- covered stack reached an internal temperature of 158?F, the watered stack 154?F, and the covered stack did not exceed 142?F. Based on these findings, the temperature range between 142?F and 158?F appears to be very impor- tant for maintaining adequate availability of broiler litter nitrogen for cattle. The suppression of temperature caused by cov- ering the stack resulted in a diet that con- tained 20% more digestible nitrogen. Previ- ous research has shown that temperatures of 142?F for several days are adequate for the elimination of most enteric bacteria thatmight be associated with broiler litter. In summary, steers fed the urea control diet gained extremely well. Incorporation of 25 and 50% broiler litter into the diets reduced weight gains and resulted in less efficient gains as a result of the decreased amount of dietary energy. However, the cost of each diet ranged from $0.282 to $0.305 perpound of gain. Covering the deep-stacked litter with plastic did not increase average daily gains, but did increase nitrogen digest- ibility, making it most useful in cattle with higher protein requirements, such as light- weight heifers. In some cases, uncovered stacks might achieve even higher tempera- tures, further accentuating these differ- ences. Rankins is Assistant Professor of Animal and Dairy Sciences; Eason is Superintendent, Sand Mountain Substation; McCaskey is Professor and Stephenson is former Research Associate of Ani- mal and Dairy Sciences. Alabama Agricultural Experiment Station AVERAGE DAILY GAIN, FEED INTAKE, FEED EFFICIENCY, AND NUTRIENT DIGESTIBILITIES OF STEERS FED VARYING AMOUNTS OF DEEP-STACKED BROILER LITTER 25% litter 50% litter Urea Unc. Cov. Wet Unc. Cov. Wet ADG, lb .......... 3.43 2.71 2.88 2.62 2.09 2.07 2.18 Intake/d,lb.......19.1 18.5 21.1 19.1 20.2 19.1 20.5 Feed/gain .......... 5.57 6.83 7.33 7.29 9.66 9.23 9.40 $/lb. of gain ...... .298 .284 .305 .303 .296 .282 .288 Digestibilities DM, % ............. 69 58 58 54 49 48 52 OM, % ............. 71 64 61 61 56 58 60 N, % ................ 55 41 52 37 38 46 49 NDF, % ........... 39 38 41 38 39 34 36 Energy, % ......... 69 58 55 51 51 52 52 DM = dry matter, OM = organic matter, N = nitrogen, and NDF = neutral detergent fiber. 3 N.A. WAER, H.L. STRIBLING, AND M.K. CAUSEY OR Pi ANTI T [) FOR AGF Ci~o~s LA BAMA farmer s, and e\ven homeowners in sonie areas of the State. canl attest to the 5 aried enuli- nary tastes of wshite-tailed (leer. A recent Alabama Agricultural Experiment Station study contirms sonmc distinct dining trend~s b, (leer oil forages, some olt wshich dlependl on time of year the crop matures, crude protein coniitent, and f orage ti her eonte nt. Cool-scasonl ISeptembet-May)I cr ops in the study included: oats, rye. ryegrass, wxheat. foirage tuirnips. Regal ladino clovci.,(Osceola ladino clover, Imperial W\hitetail R ladino clovci, Tibbee crimson clover, and Mt. B~arker sUbteiramean clover. These same brnaces wsr crc ioswn in the second year. except Redland II red clover replaced Mt. Barkei. Warm-iiiseason ( May-Octohier) crops in- eluded. IDavis soybean. Quail Has en? soy- bean. Combine cowspea. cat aug pea, velvet- bean, and American jointv etch. The peren- nial ladino clovers were available inl mini- ium Liiilu ant it i s during the swarm-season. 'The test wss i conducted at the Auburn D~eei Research laci lity neat campus. Six lemale and foui male deer wseie alloswed to grazc the foraces. Co lo red co ll ars we rc placed on eachI deer to alloss ide nt ificat ion at a distance. Deer were released onto the forage ploits approx~i mate ly four times per wseek, usually wi thin 3 hi. of sunrise or sunset, and allowsed to Iced 15- 30 mini. These dleci airc noirmal ly fed pcIlleted feed. but feed- in g ssas restricted 12-14 hir. prioir to the animals beitic released onito the lor ace plots. Prefeeces wetc determined bs s tess incL and recording deer fora-inc actisities from an obsei sation blind dlurinc feeding inter- s als. Alter-deer ss crcdisperised ontolthe test plots, the bcat ion of each feediuc deer xsas recorded by plot n1umb1erat 3 miii. interv als. If a deei (lid not cuter the enclosure. dtidl not forage. oi foraged on sut iounding s oluiiteer vegetation, this alternate activity swas re- corded (ILirin? the 3 miin. intersval. Deei prefeience ssas dletermniedl by, cal- cuilatinuc the iiumber of observ'at ions per niinute for each toirage. Duiring the study. 16 obsers ational periods of 7-21I feeding intersvals each sserc conducted osver three seasons: 15.741) independent obsei sations sserc madle duriiic the 227 teediine inters als. Throughout the study, deer speiit about the saiie amouint of ti me eatitig planted forages (40.814 as thes dtidl eatin-e solunteci s egeta- tioii (40. 31), suichi as blackberry. esvening pirimriose. aind bahiagrass. During the cool-seasoins, small crains were pr eferred from Nosvember through February . R' egrass w5as a pirefiired species along ssith smiall grains in lanuary of the tirst year aiid in December through March of the secondL year. Crimson closer also ssas a prefc eI species from late January tliioUgli March of the f irst year and froim February to March of the second year. Deer preferred ladino clsocirs from Aptril through May. wshichi wsas during ladino clover's peak piro- duction. While the peak in prodluctioii aiid use of ladino clovers wsas high comipaired to other lorages, it occurredl duriiig spring green- up wsheii browse was plentifIul and Succulent. At that time, the deer shifitted miiost ot' thi crazitic pressuire to s oluniteer svegetatioii eveii thiough ladinio closer borace was asail- able. Red closer ssas a pirecirredl species in May tlii ougli Septeniber. paralleling its peak produlct ion. Use of red closer xas strongd(ue to its ability to produce borage duriiig late summuler wxhen ladinio clovcrs sserc stressed aiid other cool-season borages ssecie dead. Dut inc the ssarm-season ot 1990.) soy- bean swas piretfiere os ci all othiei foraces f roii mid-Juiie through August Vel s tbeati was the second most pirere foirage ini iiid- June to mid-July. From late-July to late- August. jointsvetch aiid Quail Hasvei soy- bean ss crc preferred species. Soy beans and ladinio clsvcr5 s cerc prelcirredl forages during late-August to eatrly-October. Peas we rc the least pref erred ofI all Ifora ces tli ou clii in t tile Preferenice wsas associated wxith growsth stages of the forage species. Generally. forages sw re pieferedl sslieu they wsere groswing rapidlly,. relatisvely high in crude protein, and relatis clx losw ini fibeir. Onice foriiages ilatuiredl the', became muore fibi oUS and dlecreased ini cirtde piroteini contenit. Sub- sequently . deer use shifted to othiei totraces con taining less Ii her aiid mo re pirote in. The se changes ini fiber and piroteiii conitent couild explain decreased use, possibly due to dI- creased pal atabi lit'. Results fromi this study may be used to desvchop plantingc regimiles ini accoirdaiice wsit h particular mauiage meint object ises. \\aer' is Giradiiai Research Assistant. Siihttimc is Assisitiui Puntecssii. and ('muses is 1t'Ces1uii Deer browsing on forage plots at the Auburn Deer Research Facility. is, ' '"1 I -i1.: .7-, \~ ~4ui~~ f Ilriiuo Ag'hi-ic~lltr/ k s/wlimenwlt Station ,* 4 C.H. GILLIAM, D.J. EAKES, P.R. KNIGHT, AND J.A. REEDER BIOBARRIER RESTRICTS ROOT GROWTH A ABAMA Aericutral Experi- mcint Station research wxith lBioblairid rr) a Iong term root cointrli s\stemin idicates it is ef- fecti xc in prev enting roots fr om spreading otside designated landscape areas. This rlit ivel n fl'w prodlict. wxhich consists of tim incelcease nodulcx of (trt liiial in)I herbicide pecrmaneintly bonded into i tab- ric, inay p3rovx to be enx ironmentally safe an~d ffct-iveI in pievxenting iroot darnage to sidewxalks, drix xways u. ndeirground pipes, andit septic. tanks. R-edl maple, Anmcrican sycamore. B rad f oid fhoxxering Peai . and 'Cr I llow oak. wre planted at the I . V. Smith Research (Centei, Shorter, in M~arc 1b9901. Tr ees were about 2 in. in caliper at the time of Planting, and treatments inltideti Typar Biobai iiei, [Dexwitt Pro 5i) and a control wxith nol root barrier. Dewxitt Pro -5 is a x ox en polyprio- pyleiie product that has prox ied superior wveed control1) in ani t her st udy ex al tiat ing wc cd nats. P l anti ng hole preparatini inclIutded dig- ging an 8 X 8 ft. area to a depth ot 19 in. Eachl bole wax lined along the tour vertical wxalls wxith oInc of the two root conitrol piod- utc to a depth of 18 in., or left unilinled (contmrol). Tiee wc xeie planted ini the center of each hole and backfil led wxith native soil. Each ti-ce xpcimes wxas cx altated as an indi- x idnal expeiment. Trees wxere mulched xxith pincbam k to a depth of '2 in., wxatered, and fertilizedi annually wxith I lb. of I13 13- 13 per caliper inch. iPotemct cence weced co litl w xas miai nta ined aroutind the edge of the hole xxith Rotindnp(R herbicide. With all f otr ti-cc species, Biobarrier eff-ectively xtuppressed roo~t penletratiuoi be- vonid the rooit conitroil tieatmeint in both N eairs, as showxni in tile table. Dcxxitt Pro-5 IantIscape mat and tile non restriicted colnt rol ti-eatilent restilteti in in tmerouti r oots pen- eti at ing the plane heyo(ndl tile edge oIf the pl anlt ing hile. Root gro(wt h (It ied maple and Aimerican sycamor-e xxax m111re x igoirouix. as exidenced by gi-eater irlit otinibers (axveiace Tlut]iiat iii is xoltd untdei the tradenanie Tlt]an - but is aixo ax ailable in generiie tolriukitiOinS. (If 58 rolots) coimplared tol Bradford flowxeriing pear and xxi llowx oak (ax erace oIf 26 rooltx) in 1991 I. Roots penetrating the De~i'itt Pro -5 tendteti tio biranch ax they peinetrated the barrier anld ntiri milall rootx ciexx alomlg the x ertical baier. Theic x ax iloditfe-ence in heicht oi caliper meaxtiremlentx durng i- thei ot the 2 y eais xcxaltiated tflt the fiotr tree xpeciex. Axerage height (ft.-) and cal ipeC (inl -for the I iotr ti-cc xpeciex at the end of 1991 xx ct-: red imaple, 17 and 3.5; Amermiman xy- camore. 17.4 and 3.8: Bradford pear. 12.5and 3.5: anld xxilloxx oak, 16.4 and 3.1. On May I, 1991, sol Isamples wxei-e co ll ected hornlital ly from a sec~tion oIf the Biohbarrier mtat to de termine tillutralin nmovement aind cilncetatitonlx. iriftluralin wax highext in the 0- 1/8 in. distance frnom the noidu le, 24. 1 partx pet illill ion (ppmrn.) and decreaxed in coniceintiration as tlitance from the inodule itncreaxed. -irititiral in iregix- teied 0.1 ppm. 2 iin. ti-oil the nod- tile.- F-uithernmi-e, trit i ial i ilcoil centirationis iin the nodulex xxere ximi- lam to the initial noidtile trifltiralini conicentratiolnx. 1Thexe tdata shoxx that trititiral in ctlnceintrations xxen still prexent in significant amountx to pr-exvent rooit growxxth 2 yeairx after inxtallatioln, but had not moilxed sic nificantlx from the vertical bariem Gilliamt is Protessolr, Eakes is Assis- tant Protfe sor,- Knight is Grtadtuate Re- search Assistant, and Reedet is Research Technician IV oft Hot tiltUrWe. ! t , - Ar 4 4 " yr- - a Ba rre (sow hee isefetie nmaagn ru grow-t-- NL 'BRi Oi ROOT PENS (RA TIONS OF- unF Pil:1\ WALT [ i Txinr Roo i C -rkNi Tin-., xis 19901 1991 Ex p~ur DewS in Contirol 'Ix pal D~e itt Coinntl tiobaiiiei Pio-5 fBirihitier 1Sri 5 Red maple . ............ 0.0 11.7 17.0) .0 5 28.3 Amieria ccmote ....... 0 163 11 O .0 58 ii 53.7 Brtadtort 10Ciinc pear ................... .0 27.7 24.7 .3 29. 15.7 wS illiox oak .............. 01 7.7 11.7 (1 23.3 17.7 A labuana Agiricultural .xjwi-imnent Station D.I. BRANSBY, D.E. SNYDER, AND W.B. WEBSTER MEDICATED SUPPLEMENT BLOCKS EFFECTIVE FOR DEWORMING BEEF CATTLE D \\ O (R IIN G i is o ften o ne o t the the ate o t lloxt neolected axpects ot anlimal froiim expert lii x aud r\ ain hoeet' pri dulcer. he e \ I tiix ix pi iiahly a rexult ut mlainx treatment pliduCiliin~xi the Southeaxt tax incl ximall that receix, hicidx aid part-tiiie oipeiratioiit xx ith limlitedI imCnt thirun lh,ulr taiilitiex xsicht ax a cilutl.) aiid itleit pciiid: a yll tixvex fur de'Aori iil cattle. Howev cxer. an tiec acessxs Alabaima A\cricultunl E xperiiment Statioin oiilx an iol xtudx lax xhiix ii that itedicate~d supplcnient that incicax blickx can be et tectixe loinxiput toiolx lfii thiud giriup tdexxormiiing ccetcattle. iontophoire A 2-year ori/, ii tuId xwax conductedI at xxith a Safe tile TInilIee Vallex Suhxtatiiii iniig 6(0 ciintainiilc 510(1 to 6(11) l. xtoickei xteeix cia/itl 0 Kei- ,iile. toi a tnckx 31 tall Ifescue inftected at irates be- attei ciai t'ccii 4(0 anld 75/ 'Aith tile emidoph\ te iotnophore xxeme ticeateti xxithl a xitle iiial iliixe uil RtmICnxmi temibeittaruile piaxte pirioir to initiatioin oft (ra'imlc I kEW \VN M ti( v11I 131 K x Ax. daily gaini ln p oc l ck on ................ I' \ilI 1 2. x'(w i fit lm N11>'x fmatlm\t I c~inicJu NI) suplement1Cl I199 0 ....1 .. . -. . I )I ...1.91. .. lunup~hure block ol i90' ... ... ... ... . I 'I' lun110phure + mecdicteitd block 199 l ............................. ... 1991i -4 - WXoim hUR iiiut. Ccg liC tiuly A\iu ........ i1 68 84l ........ 83 4 11 ....... 8 33 53 4... .. 4 ?1 4t3 4- 27 t8 32 t!Miatl in Api . I lix xxas done to reduce ditffeireicex aimoiil ticatileit egriupx cauxed by dIlterent iiiitial xxornm haideiix, and toi iiiake xsire tile expeimient cx aliiatedI only recinfection %\ith \\iiimx tmei) a I past Iires. ic inl nt inc luICi tdh ree mopx: a ciiitriil goup edno dexxorin' treat- 0111 flt the ex\pc rimn tal -otti that hadI Continuoux toi a block conltaininic lophiiie. a teed additi\ c es fced eff icicncy and a that had freec a cces to an blick that wxax repllaced "unai mcdicated block the dcxx oi mi ten bendla cxx dlax . 3 and 6 xxeeks xi, tairted. In 1 990) the tiCtinenlt wxas ,1(IminiS- a BO \ atec!k block, and in 1991 a block xxax uoxed. Continued foi 132 daxys in 1990)) anld 140) dlays in 1991. Cattle wer cie i ched cx crx 28 dax s and samnpled niuinthlx tor fecal 'Aornl cc 199 cators of wo1 \ininbudcnxS. [. \\ cight gains wx rc t\ p1 04-7 call low Iox r infected tex- .96 1.08Cue ora/cd bx xtockei x duii _____________ inc, the suiiiiii. Ax c c dajix cains xx etc hiLchei and P~k 6k 01x1i CAi_ ni ecounts xxeie loxx et in 1990) thain itn 1991, see s/girm tables. Tis wAax pirohahly it Avx becauxe irainfi all wxax lowxec in 1990. iresulting in less fa- 5-l orable t dI xci) paxtutC eCoti Mi) ditions loi wxorm ill rixae. 1 ohsplmn block wxeicht caiits and loxx r c xonri. ccAlithauh ior tile countx xx cie loxxer liot tile medicated block treatment thlan for the ionolphore hlock onlx, w iclht caiins tot thlese txxo treatinentx 'Acre sinmilai. wxith olN a slicght tciltlene lot hicher cains I i I1 fromil thle tiedicat ed bI c k in bh icarsx. Relatix e differiences amoing, treatnments in xxri inccc couintx deciceaxed wxithi time. I his cold partiallx explaiin 'Ahy the differ- ence in wAeicht cain het'Aen the ioinophore- onix block and the imedicated block tieat- mlenlt 'Aax not iouCi It addition, it xuccexts that fuither adniinit wxas coitpa- rabIc anmon g tr'eatmne ntsx as, shown in the tlbhle. Ix I(M\ Ci. ammuonicim nitrate did per- fo rm better at the 20 (111)11m N Sot RCI1 AND lb. per acre rate com- pared to the 5 tois pet cNo,-N(Ca K acre rate of poilty lit- ter. Tis cdiffeience I',(1. M, 1. M' . prtobablx ocecrrt i hc e- o.r' .26 I 1)4 cause ncicfi of the N in potilty littei is, not im- ls _16 103 methateix ax ailable to u 3 6 8 plants and, at thi', rate. there l ikelx xxas a lack 200 .26 t? 2') f am ailIable N at some n'1 ' I- 3 point dtiring the gi'ow- ilng seasoin. The 10- tons- per-acire irate pro- xided N at a rate equciixalent to 300( lb. per acre of ammonium nitirate. FBeirnudaci a',' qiuality . neascirec bN the concentaion of criide protein, total digest- ible ncitrient, and ercide fiber. incireased as the rate clf ammoniuim nitrate anti pociltrN litter increased. bcit no differience xxas oh- ',erx cl betwxecn N socurces,. see table. Crcide pi'oteiin content cit berincidaci a's inctreasedl wxith incireasing N application, xxith the high- est rate of ammonium nitirate closely match- ing the highest rate ot pointr litter. How- Eermudagrass hay fertilized with poultry litter. ex ci. bet mcicacta',' calciuim and potassicum cIotkentation, we rc imtprox cd by poultry litter compared to ammloniuciim nitrate. sec Nitirate (NO,-N (concentration', itt for- aces, arc a potenit ial ',our cc of toxic i t piob- lent' for lixvestock. While the 10-tons-pci- acre treatment did intie ase nitriates, in the forage tip tc) 0.05814, thi', concentra- tion is xxell beloxx the 0.12% ciitical limit for feeciiiic. This, sugests that nitrate conlcenltratioins in bermcidaera',' fertili/eci wxithi pouiltrN litter shocild not af fee feed- ing qIcal ity cit bermciclara, hax. The iresult', of this ',tcidl indicate that polilirN litter can be iused as' an alteirnat ixe N ',otircc lot bei midaci a',' hay prodction. Yied anti qial ity cit bernwdcagrass amended xxithi pocultry litter wxas a', good oi better than bernu icag ra',' aime ndled xithI ailo t im nitmate. Thierefore. the uise ofpjinht> litter a', a N socur cc fr cuhei mcidagrass hay cocild be an ecoiioniical and enxvironmientally ',ocinc method cif citil izing thi' wxa',te piroducct. procling a ',ci'tainable practice for bernititagra,' prcodfcctioni. Ini addition. ci', igpocilty litter bneirmuidagra',' ian po ie fatrmcirs with year-rouind application options tor broiler litter bx ci oxxtile bernititagras,' a xxartiiseason gi ass. along wxith rec, a cool-seasonil totracc. lTii heit is, Post Doctoirat Researc~h A','ociate and Wool~d i', Ass'istaint Piote','oi of) \ionoutN and Soils: Delaney is, an Extcnsion Resoirce ('on- ',er \atoni',t. A Iuhaiiu A cgricuitua E xI)e 'imew/i .Stlion J. WONG-VALLE, G.R. MCDANIEL, D.L. KUHLERS, AND J.E. BARTELS 'N) T PiuOjM./x.Cv Oi BRoILIIS UNDER T'wo- LIHiING I~RoGrAMnzn I BIAL dyschondroplasii j (TID) is a coiiimin leg abii mality in rapidly growi i' broilers that often redtucs productivity ol these birds. AlterinL photo periods, or light, during the fir h few weeks of prodction has been SUL Bested a~s a meac~ns for over-coming TD.) however, recent Alahama Agricul- tural h xpclrimllnt St~tionl research in- dlicates use of intermittent light to re- luce the disease is ineffective. A total of I.()I() broiler chicks Or both sexes was used fIrom three lines of hroi lers: a hi eh, a loss incidence ol El) ait 7 weeks of age. and a control of nonsleclted line. The 35()control, 3(0 high, and 36) low chicks were Iromi generation two of a selection experi ment for high or low incidence ot TD at 7 weeks ol age. A low intensity x ray imuag'in'' I ixiscope ws as used for ID diagnosis. Two lighting programs sere tested: (I) continuous light. 23 hi. of light and I hr. o)1 lark, and (2) intermittent light. I hr. ol light followed by 3 hr. of dark repeated six times in a 24 hr. period. Tibial dyschondroplasia was recorded as 0, fior normal broilers. or I, fior broilers with an abnorm al m ass 1)1 cart i Iage acc u mu I at ion in the proximal tibiotarsus. indicating TI). Body weight gain and teed efficiency were calculated i ) -4 and 4 - 7 weeks of age. Birds were led a standard broiler diet. The percentage incidence ot TD at 4 weeks of age was 15. 30. and 514 fi the contiol. high. and low lines, respectively. At 7 weeks. incidence of TD was 34. 47. and II( for the control, high, and low lines. respectively. At 4 weeks of age, incidence was 21 and 124 and at 7 weeks was 37 and 25 / for males and females, respectively. Body weights ol the high and los lines were similai at 4 and 7 weeks of age. How- ever, the high and low lines were heavier than the control line. At 4 weeks, body r:r F