E. coli survives longer in poultry-amended Georgia onion soils, two-year study finds
New research suggests that poultry litter-based soil amendments and weather conditions, particularly extreme weather events, may influence how long bacteria survive in agricultural soils used to grow sweet onions. The findings could help inform food safety risk management for produce growers.
A two-year study conducted in Georgia has found that E. coli can survive longer in soils amended with heat-treated poultry pellets and composted poultry litter compared to untreated soils. The research, published in Risk Analysis, suggests that field environmental conditions, such as humidity and wind speed, as well as the type of amendment used, can significantly influence the survival of E. coli.
The study highlights that extreme weather events, rather than average seasonal conditions, may play a crucial role in determining how long bacteria can persist in agricultural soils. This finding is particularly relevant for Georgia, one of the leading poultry-producing states in the U.S., where large amounts of poultry litter are used as fertilizer.
The research underscores the importance of understanding how biological soil amendments interact with weather conditions to inform food safety risk management strategies for produce growers.
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