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Cattle Urine – a Blessing for Farmers, Economy & Environment – by Kabal Singh Gill and Milkha Singh Aulakh

Background: There is immense scope to enhance crop production, reduce environmental pollution and replace agriculture chemicals by using urine from domesticated cows and buffaloes (here after referred as cattle). Traditionally in Northwestern farming states (Punjab, Haryana, Uttarakhand, UP), fields were used to grow one crop per year, and used for temporarily housing or grazing cattle. Thus, most nutrients consumed by cattle were recycled back to fields through urine, dung (Gobar), and manure. Green Revolution made fields covered by crops most of the time, cattle housed in farmyards or dairies and disappearance of cattle excretions recycling.

Magnitude of loss: About 90% of the nutrients consumed by animals are excreted; almost all nitrogen (N) in urine, and phosphorus (P), potassium (K) and other nutrients in Gobar. Most of Gobar is recycled as manure or ash after burning its dry cakes (Pathian) in houses. But most of urine goes waste.

Cattle urine contains 1-2% N (comprised of 69% urea, 7.3% allantoin, 5.8% hippuric acid, 3.7% creatinine, 2.5% creatine, 1.3% uric acid and 0.5% xanthin plus hypoxanthin, 1.3% free amino acids and 2.8% ammonia), plus small amounts of P, K and other plant nutrients. Thus, its use could improve soil health and plant growth. Assuming 20 litres (varies 13-30) urine/cattle/day containing 1% N, it has 73 kg N/year (equivalent to 159 kg or >3 bags of 50 kg urea fertilizer). For northwestern farming states, it is 108.9 Lac Ton urea fertilizer or 5858 Crore Rupees (Table 1). Unfortunately, lack of its systematic utilization causes huge pollution and economic loss.

Pollution: Unmanaged urine pollutes soil, water and air. Its seepage from unlined cattle-yards and animal waste-dumping areas pollute soil and underground water. Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) study showed hand-pumps’ water samples (367 in several villages of four districts and 45 beneath feedlots) contained several folds higher level of nitrate than 236 samples from deep tube-wells in adjoining areas. At Ludhiana, water samples from hand-pumps and shallow tube-wells in the vicinity of large dairy complex had higher nitrate level than permissible drinking water standard.

Urine from lined and some unlined cattle-yards often flow to sewerages, ponds, water drains, and rivers, causing eutrophication, increased algae and pathogens growth and fish kill (see picture of a village pond). Water-soluble poisonous chemicals released upon senescence of algae in eutrophic water can cause serious livestock and human ailments, even death.

Volatilization of greenhouse gases (nitrous oxide and methane) from urine pollute air causing global warming and ozone layer destruction.

Economic and Environmental benefits from eco-friendly urine use
Housing and waste storage locations for cattle should have a moderate slope and lined to prevent any seepage. Then either be supplied with adequate amounts of dry material to absorb urine to make manure or facilitate urine flow into storage pits or sunk plastic containers for later use for:

1: Increase Gobar Gas production: Urine can replace water for making slurry to accelerate methane production and produce N enriched outpouring slurry from Gobar Gas Plants.

2: Improve soil and crop production: Cattle urine containing nutrients, hormones and enzymes can act as bio-fertilizer, hormone and pesticide.

2a. Organic agriculture: Indian Council of Agriculture Research (ICAR) studies have shown cattle urine can supplement nutrient levels of soil and help in the management of pests (insects and diseases) in organic agriculture. Cattle urine is an important component for feeding organic agriculture crops in Sikkim and other places.

2b. Soil application: Urine can be mixed with irrigation water facilitating its flow to fields or directly applied to fields.

Studies in India showed urine significantly increased yield and quality of crops. Half substitution of urea fertilizer by urine N produced better crop growth, yield and quality than other combinations. Combination of urine with organic materials produced better paddy plants than chemical fertilizer. Urine increased buckwheat plant height, stem girth, leaves number, root length, seed per plant, and test weight. Urine+120 kg N/ha showed higher N uptake and grain yield than 150 kg N/ha.

Different urine sources significantly increased maize yield parameters, plus total N, available P, and exchangeable calcium and magnesium in soil over control. Urine incorporation increased respiration activity, CO2 evolution and enzymatic activity in soils.

2c. Foliar nutrition: Urine diluted with water, and/or mixing with other components sprayed onto crops promoted plant growth and overcame organic sources slow-release nutrients problems.

Highest mango fruit number, weight, volume, and yield were recorded with six 55% cattle urine sprays than other treatments. Foliar urine sprays (6% concentration) at 25 and 40 days after soybean sowing was most effective in enhancing growth yield and yield contributing components. Cow urine (10%) on chickpea at flower initiation and 15 days after flowering produced higher plant growth, number of pods per plant, and grain yield than control.

In Zimbabwe, highest lettuce yield was obtained with 1.25% foliar application of urine than other concentrations.

2d. As pesticide: Cattle urine has shown germicidal, antibiotics and antimicrobial effects on pests (insect and diseases). Fusarium oxysporum, Rhizoctonia solani and Sclerotium rolfsii fungi were suppressed with 15% cattle-urine spray on methi and bhindi. A mixture of cow urine and neem leaves water extract protected soybean from pests. Spraying soybean with cow urine (15-100% concentrations) reduced incidences of girdle beetle and stem fly maggots, with 1:19 cost:benefit ratio. Spraying a 50-day old potato crop with 10% extract of neem and cow urine two weeks later caused 82-98% whitefly (plant virus transmitter) mortality. Cow urine proved safer to insect predators (particularly coccinellid beetles) than insecticide.

3: Urine-enriched manure: Crop residues (CR), household waste, and industrial bi-products (like ash from burning waste wood, rice husk), wood sawdust, etc. can be used to prepare urine-enriched manure. Dairy and beef cattle farmers in several countries use CR as bedding material. Punjab farmers spread dry materials in night-time cattle-housing rooms, especially during winter. Still, almost all urine is wasted.

Cattle-urine enriched paddy straw manure is like killing several birds with one stone. This will reduce water, soil and air pollution from urine and burning paddy straw. Nutrients from both urine and paddy straw can replace some fertilizers, increase crop production, and improve soil health. Strategy should be to recycle all urine by spreading enough CR at all cattle housing locations. Initial research suggests spreading and removing small CR amounts daily or large amounts less frequently may work. More investigations will help to determine CR amount and frequency to absorb all urine while keeping area clean and hygienic.

Bottlenecks in adoption: Logistics and adoption costs may prove prohibitive. Setting up storage and application systems for bulky, heterogeneous and stinky urine. Paddy straw bailing, transporting, preparing, and spreading underneath animals. Manure collection, preparation, transport and application. Thus, promotion and incentives are needed for adoption.

Incentives needed: Most farmers being under heavy debt, incentives like subsidy on equipment purchase and rent plus compensation for time and labour is must for adoption. Indian and Punjab Government Budgets 2022 funds for crop residue management and fertilizers-free natural farming appears timely.

Summary: Estimated annual amounts of N (50.0 Lac Ton) excreted in cattle’s urine and its urea fertilizer (108.9 Lac Ton) and cost (5858 Crore rupees) equivalents are gigantic. Eco-friendly cattle urine management can improve soil health increase crop growth and yield, control pests (insects and diseases), and reduce chemical-use (fertilizers and pesticides) and pollution. Preceding can enhance agriculture profits and sustainability. Minimizing cattle urine wastage and paddy straw burning can create win-win situation for cattle farmers, rice farmers, environment and economy. Incentives will prompt and accelerate adoption. Long-term economic and environmental benefits would outweigh costs.

Table 1. Estimated amounts of nitrogen N excreted in cattle’s urine (cows + buffaloes) and its urea fertilizer and rupees equivalents for Northwestern Farming States of India.

State Cattle population

(Lac)*

Total excreted N

(Lac Tons/year)

Urea Fertilizer

(Lac Tons/Year)

Cost of Urea**

(Crore Rs/Year)

Punjab 65.5 4.78 10.40 568
Haryana 63.3 4.62 10.05 546
Uttarakhand 38.4 2.80 6.10 327
Uttar Pradesh 518.0 34.81 82.35 4417
Total 685.2 50.04 108.90 5858

* Source for cattle’s population: websites of individual States.
** Based on Rs 5360 per Ton urea fertilizer.

*KS Gill is Former Research Scientist (ICRISAT, University of Zambia, Agriculture & Agri-Food Canada); MS Aulakh is Former Dean (Agriculture), PAU, & Vice Chancellor, Banda University of Agriculture & Technology, U.P.

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