Effect of Mineral and Manure Phosphorus Sources on Runoff Phosphorus

Abstract

Concern over nonpoint-source phosphorus (P) losses from agricultural lands to surface waters has resulted in scrutiny of factors affecting P loss potential. A rainfall simulation study was conducted to quantify the effects of alternative P sources (dairy manure, poultry manure, swine slurry, and diammonium phosphate), application methods, and initial soil P concentrations on runoff P losses from three acidic soils (Buchanan-Hartleton, Hagerstown, and Lewbeach). Low P (12 to 26 mg kg(-1) Mehlich-3 P) and high P (396 to 415 mg kg(-1) Mehlich-3 P) members of each soil were amended with 100 kg total P ha(-1) from each of the four P sources either by surface application or mixing, and subjected to simulated rainfall (70 mm h(-1) to produce 30 min runoff). Phosphorus losses from fertilizer and manure applied to the soil surface differed significantly by source, with dissolved reactive phosphorus (DRP) accounting for 64% of total phosphorus (TP) (versus 9% for the unamended soils). For manure amended soils, these losses were linearly related to water-soluble P concentration of manure (r2 = 0.86 for DRP, r2 = 0.78 for TP). Mixing the P sources into the soil significantly decreased P losses relative to surface P application, such that DRP losses from amended, mixed soils were not significantly different from the unamended soil. Results of this study can be applied to site assessment indices to quantify the potential for P loss from recently manured soils.

First‐Season Crop Yield Response to Organic Soil Amendments: A Meta‐Analysis

“…A transition to organic amendments as the primary nutrient source could contribute to a number of ecosystem services including suppression of soil-borne pathogens (Noble and Coventry, 2005) and reduced crop-weed interference (Liebman and Davis, 2000), in addition to the soil quality benefits discussed previously. However, using fresh animal manures to meet all crop nutrient demands can increase groundwater nitrate leaching and surface runoff of P (Kleinman et al, 2002;Basso and Ritchie, 2005). In most cases, it is not recommended that farmers use manure alone to meet crop N demand because over time P will accumulate well beyond crop sufficiency levels and potentially contribute to pollution of surface waters (Wortman et al, 2012a).…”

“…Instead, best management practices for calculating organic soil amendment rates should include consideration of N/P ratio of the amendment, baseline soil nutrient levels, crop nutrient demands, and potential mineralization rate of the amendment. Nonetheless, over-application of soil amendments is common and the potentially negative consequences can be mitigated by using composted organic amendments, instead of fresh manures (Basso and Ritchie, 2005), and by incorporating amendments in the soil shortly after application (Kleinman et al, 2002).…”

Effects of soil type on leaching and runoff transport of rare earth elements and phosphorous in laboratory experiments

“…The runoff boxes (Kleinman et al 2002) were made of PVC, 1 m long, 20 cm wide, and 5 cm deep with back walls 2.5 cm higher than the soil surface. There were nine 5-mm drainage holes on the base.…”

Nutrient losses from manure and fertilizer applications as impacted by time to first runoff event

“…Relatively fewer studies have compared the impact of fertilizers on water quality with that of manures from different species (Gaudreau et al, 2002;Kleinmann et al, 2002;Daverede et al, 2004;DeLaune et al, 2004b;Tarkalson and Mikkelsen, 2004), or how the duration between application of different fertilizer sources and a runoff event will affect the concentrations of nutrients in runoff (DeLaune et al, 2004b;van Es et al, 2006). The objectives of this study were to identify the impact of the duration between fertilizer or manure application and first rainfall-runoff event on P and N concentrations in runoff, and to compare the effects of the fertilizer source on nutrient losses.…”