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Effect of plot scale and an upslope phosphorus source on phosphorus loss in overland flow
Author(s) -
McDowell R.W.,
Sharpley A.N.
Publication year - 2002
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.1475-2743.2002.tb00228.x
Subject(s) - surface runoff , manure , erosion , phosphorus , environmental science , hydrology (agriculture) , macropore , tillage , soil science , watershed , water content , soil loss , agronomy , chemistry , geology , ecology , geomorphology , mesoporous material , biochemistry , geotechnical engineering , organic chemistry , machine learning , computer science , biology , catalysis
. Phosphorus (P) in overland flow is mediated by soil P, added P, erosion, and hydrological processes and their interaction as affected by landscape position and length of flow. We investigated the effect of flow path length (1 to 10 m long plots) on P transport in overland flow with and without a localized dairy manure application (75 kg P ha –1 added to the upslope end [0.5 m] of each plot) and simulated rainfall (7 cm h –1 ), at two sites within an agricultural watershed in Pennsylvania, USA. Particulate loss in overland flow was c . 20% greater from manured than unmanured plots due to the less dense nature of manure than soil. Increased soil moisture at Site 2 contributed to a greater loss of P compared to Site 1, both with and without manure; with most occurring as particulate P (60 to 90% of total P). Further, the selective erosion of fine particulates (24 to 34% clay) and P loss increased with plot length. From a management perspective our results demonstrate that the forms and amounts of P loss are greatly influenced by flow path length and interactions among antecedent moisture, soil P, and texture.