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Phosphorus losses from arable land in England
Author(s) -
Catt J. A.,
Howse K. R.,
Farina R.,
Brockie D.,
Todd A.,
Chambers B. J.,
Hodgkinson R.,
Harris G. L.,
Quinton J. N.
Publication year - 1998
Publication title -
soil use and management
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.709
H-Index - 81
eISSN - 1475-2743
pISSN - 0266-0032
DOI - 10.1111/j.1475-2743.1998.tb00636.x
Subject(s) - surface runoff , arable land , environmental science , erosion , hydrology (agriculture) , tile drainage , soil water , cover crop , sowing , drainage , fertilizer , drainage basin , phosphorus , agronomy , soil science , agriculture , agroforestry , ecology , geography , geology , chemistry , paleontology , geotechnical engineering , cartography , organic chemistry , biology
. Concentrations and annual loadings of molyhdate reactive P (MRP) and total (including particulate) P (TP) are reported from field drainage, catchment and erosion experiments in England. Annual losses through field drains and in catchment runoff were 0.037‐0.74 kg MRP/ha and 0.37‐2.64 kg TP/ha, but those in surface runoff from experimental plots measuring erosion were generally much greater (often > 3 kg MRP/ha and up to 32 kg TP/ha in a wet year). Amounts of TP in drainflow and catchment runoff depended upon factors influencing soil dispersibility, such as particle size distribution and calcium carbonate content. The results to date suggest that P losses in surface runoff and erosion from arable fields to water are best limited by: (a) maximizing crop cover, using minimal cultivation practices and where possible planting crop rows across rather than up and down the slope, (b) avoiding cultivation practices that result in dispersion of soil particles, and (c) avoiding application of P fertilizer to wet soils when rainfall is likely soon after application. Consideration should he given to maintaining field drains below peak efficiency to reduce subsurface P losses.