Approximately 1.2 billion broilers, producing 1.9 billion kg of litter, are grown in Arkansas per year. Meanwhile, producers of over 2.8 million hectares of rice (Oryza sativa L.), cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.), and corn (Zea mays L.) are adding inorganic P and N fertilizers to maintain or elevate soil-test P and plant available N levels. We manufactured a granular fertilizer from poultry litter (PL) with elevated N concentrations to increase shipping affordability from Northwest Arkansas for application in Eastern Arkansas farm systems. Fresh PL; granular PL fertilizer fortified with N as urea (PLU) (analysis ~ 150 g N kg-1 – 17 g P kg-1 – 33 g K kg-1); and PLU with the nitrification inhibitor dicyandiamide (DCD) (PLUDCD) were compared to urea fertilizer at five N rates in a 5 x 5 factorial arrangement in a completely randomized block design. Main effect data for corn indicated that split urea and PLUDCD treatments had superior yields (7611 and 7150 kg grain ha-1) compared to other sources, averaged over rates. The 269 kg N ha-1 rate optimized corn yields when averaged over sources (7650 kg grain ha-1). Cotton showed a similar response as PLUDCD, split urea, and pre-plant urea sources yielded highest (3850, 3845, and 3623 kg seed cotton ha-1, respectively) when averaged over N rates; with 134 kg N ha-1 maximizing yield (3847 kg seed cotton ha-1) when averaged over sources. A yield interaction for rice indicated that PLUDCD and PLU had greater yields than pre-flood applied urea; however, higher N rates were required (157 and 202 kg N ha-1 vs. 112 kg N ha-1, respectively). Fortified granular products may offer similar or superior yields compared to conventional fertilizers, but N rate adjustments may be required due to the organic nature and pre-plant application of these products.
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