Interactions between soil texture and placement of dairy slurry application: II. leaching of phosphorus forms

TY - JOUR

T1 - Interactions between soil texture and placement of dairy slurry application

T2 - II. leaching of phosphorus forms

AU - Glæsner, Nadia Andersen

AU - Kjærgaard, Charlotte

AU - Rubæk, Gitte Holton

AU - Magid, Jakob

PY - 2011/3

Y1 - 2011/3

N2 - Managing phosphorus (P) losses in soil leachate following land application of manure is key to curbing eutrophication in many regions. We compared P leaching from columns of variably textured, intact soils (20 cm diam., 20 cm high) subjected to surface application or injection of dairy cattle (Bos taurus L.) manure slurry. Surface application of slurry increased P leaching losses relative to baseline losses, but losses declined with increasing active flow volume. After elution of one pore volume, leaching averaged 0.54 kg P ha -1 from the loam, 0.38 kg P ha-1 from the sandy loam, and 0.22 kg P ha-1 from the loamy sand following surface application. Injection decreased leaching of all P forms compared with surface application by an average of 0.26 kg P ha-1 in loam and 0.23 kg P ha-1 in sandy loam, but only by 0.03 kg P ha-1 in loamy sand. Lower leaching losses were attributed to physical retention of particulate P and dissolved organic P, caused by placing slurry away from active flow paths in the fine-textured soil columns, as well as to chemical retention of dissolved inorganic P, caused by better contact between slurry P and soil adsorption sites. Dissolved organic P was less retained in soil after slurry application than other P forms. On these soils with low to intermediate P status, slurry injection lowered P leaching losses from clay-rich soil, but not from the sandy soils, highlighting the importance of soil texture in managing P losses following slurry application.

AB - Managing phosphorus (P) losses in soil leachate following land application of manure is key to curbing eutrophication in many regions. We compared P leaching from columns of variably textured, intact soils (20 cm diam., 20 cm high) subjected to surface application or injection of dairy cattle (Bos taurus L.) manure slurry. Surface application of slurry increased P leaching losses relative to baseline losses, but losses declined with increasing active flow volume. After elution of one pore volume, leaching averaged 0.54 kg P ha -1 from the loam, 0.38 kg P ha-1 from the sandy loam, and 0.22 kg P ha-1 from the loamy sand following surface application. Injection decreased leaching of all P forms compared with surface application by an average of 0.26 kg P ha-1 in loam and 0.23 kg P ha-1 in sandy loam, but only by 0.03 kg P ha-1 in loamy sand. Lower leaching losses were attributed to physical retention of particulate P and dissolved organic P, caused by placing slurry away from active flow paths in the fine-textured soil columns, as well as to chemical retention of dissolved inorganic P, caused by better contact between slurry P and soil adsorption sites. Dissolved organic P was less retained in soil after slurry application than other P forms. On these soils with low to intermediate P status, slurry injection lowered P leaching losses from clay-rich soil, but not from the sandy soils, highlighting the importance of soil texture in managing P losses following slurry application.

U2 - 10.2134/jeq2010.0318

DO - 10.2134/jeq2010.0318

M3 - Journal article

SN - 0047-2425

VL - 40

SP - 344

EP - 351

JO - Journal of Environmental Quality

JF - Journal of Environmental Quality

IS - 2

ER -