Environmental Advantages of Phytase Supplemented Diets
Two experiments with twenty-four pens of pigs weighing
about 6.5 kg were fed a normal corn-soybean meal or phytase supplemented
(500 IU/kg) diet. Each pen was connected to a separate manure pit, which
was treated with aluminum chloride. Manures were collected, applied
to plots of tall fescue and the plots were subjected to simulated rainfall.
Results indicated that phytase and aluminum chloride supplements reduced
manure soluble reactive phosphorus by 17% and 73%, respectively. When
phytase and aluminum chloride were used together, both manure soluble
reactive phosphorus and phosphorus runoff were reduced more than either
alone. These results indicate that swine producers can use phytase and
aluminum chloride manure amendments to reduce potential phosphorus losses
from field fertilized with swine manure.
Smith, D.R. and co-workers. 2004. Reducing phosphorus runoff from
swine manure with dietary phytase and aluminum chloride. J. Environ.
Qual. 33: 1048-1054
