Effect of broiler litter stockpiling methods on ammonia and greenhouse gas emissions

Broiler litter (BL) has the potential to emit ammonia (NH₃) and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions such as carbon dioxide (CO₂), nitrous oxide (N₂O), and methane (CH₄), which have a greater impact on climate change. Understanding the impact of stockpiling methods on emissions is essential, as they influence the emission rates. This study focused on quantifying the emissions of N₂O, CO₂, CH_4, and NH₃ from the BL stockpiles during 126 days of storage under three stockpiling conditions a) Broiler litter stockpile covered with tarp (treatment-T), b) uncovered litter stockpile (treatment-U), c) Broiler litter stockpile covered with a 0.08 m layer of soil (treatment-S). Gas emissions were measured with an INNOVA-1512 photoacoustic gas analyzer. Daily emission rates were calculated by using the ideal gas equation, and cumulative emissions were calculated from interpolated daily emission rates. The results suggested that over the 126 days of storage period, treatment-T emitted significantly lower (P < 0.05) cumulative NH₃-N (89.5 g m^-2), N₂O-N (47.85g m^-2), CO₂-C (9708.5 g m^-2), and CH₄-C (123.27 g m^-2) emissions compared to treatments -U and -S. Covering the BL stockpiles with a tarp reduced the NH₃-N, N₂O-N, CO₂-C, and CH₄-C emissions by 38 %, 54 %, 28 %, and 19 %, respectively, compared to the control (treatment -U). In contrast, covering BL with soil (treatment-S) increased the NH₃-N, N₂O-N, CO₂-C, and CH₄-C emissions by 13 %, 17 %, 123 %, and 9 %, respectively, compared to the control (treatment-U). Overall global warming potential (GWP) expressed as CO₂ equivalents (CO₂-eq) was also low for treatment-T, indicating its effectiveness in mitigating emissions.