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Can industrial by‐products enhance phosphorus retention within vegetated buffer strips?
Author(s) -
Habibiandehkordi R.,
Quinton J. N.,
Surridge B. W. J.
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
european journal of soil science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.244
H-Index - 111
eISSN - 1365-2389
pISSN - 1351-0754
DOI - 10.1111/ejss.12196
Subject(s) - chemistry , phosphorus , mesocosm , buffer strip , environmental chemistry , nutrient , surface runoff , ecology , organic chemistry , biology
Summary Using industrial by‐products ( IBP s) in conjunction with vegetated buffer strips ( VBS s) has the potential to be a cost‐effective strategy for tackling phosphorus (P) export from agricultural land. Using an integrated mesocosm approach, we examined the effect of surface application of IBP s within VBS s on the removal of P fractions in surface and sub‐surface flow. Artificial run‐off was applied to VBS s (1.2 m long × 0.4 m wide, and 5% slope) that were amended with either 20 t ha −1 of Al ‐based water treatment residual ( Al‐WTR ) or 20 t ha −1 of ochre, or remained as unamended controls. To explore the persistence of the effects of amendment over multiple run‐off events, two 30‐minute artificial run‐off events (3 litre minute −1 ) were applied to the mesocosms over a period of five days. When compared with inflow concentrations, the unamended VBS s reduced total P (37–54%) and particulate P (61–64%) concentrations in surface run‐off, but increased soluble reactive P ( SRP ) (5–9%) and total dissolved P concentrations (4–8%). Enhancing VBS s with IBP s improved retention of soluble P fractions in surface run‐off, for example, 61–62 and 15–19% of the SRP in the inflow was retained in VBS s amended with Al‐WTR and ochre, respectively. Surface application of either ochre or Al‐WTR also reduced the concentrations of soluble P fractions in sub‐surface flow. The magnitude of these effects depended on inflow P concentrations. Unlike Al‐WTR , the effectiveness of ochre gradually declined over the duration of each run‐off event because of erosion of ochre by run‐off.