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Manure is organic matter used as fertilizer in agriculture. Manures contribute to the fertility of the soil by adding organic matter and nutrients, such as nitrogen that is trapped by bacteria in the soil. Higher organisms then feed on the fungi and bacteria in a chain of life that comprises the soil food web.
The term “manure” was used for inorganic fertilizers in the past, but this usage is now very rare.
There are two main classes of manures in soil management: green manures and animal manures. Compost is distinguished from manure in that it is the decomposed remnants of organic materials (which may, nevertheless, include manure).
Most animal manure is feces: excrement (variously called “droppings” or “crap” etc) of plant-eating mammals (herbivores) and poultry - or plant material (often straw) which has been used as bedding for animals and thus is heavily contaminated with their feces and urine.
Green manures are crops grown for the express purpose of plowing them under. In so doing, fertility is increased through the nutrients and organic matter that are returned to the soil. Leguminous crops, such as clover, also “fix” nitrogen through rhizobia bacteria in specialized nodes in the root structure.
Other types of plant matter used as manure or fertilizer include: the contents of the rumens of slaughtered ruminants; spent hops left over from making beer.Home | Sitemap | Resources | Contact Us | RSS | Add Services
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