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PHOSPHORUS LOSSES FROM CROPLAND AS AFFECTED BY TILLAGE SYSTEM AND FERTILIZER APPLICATION METHOD 1
Author(s) -
Mostaghimi Saied,
Flagg J. Michael,
Dillaha Theo A.,
Shanholtz Ver O.
Publication year - 1988
Publication title -
jawra journal of the american water resources association
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.957
H-Index - 105
eISSN - 1752-1688
pISSN - 1093-474X
DOI - 10.1111/j.1752-1688.1988.tb00924.x
Subject(s) - tillage , surface runoff , environmental science , fertilizer , conventional tillage , phosphorus , sediment , hydrology (agriculture) , agronomy , soil science , soil water , chemistry , geology , geotechnical engineering , ecology , paleontology , organic chemistry , biology
A rainfall simulator was used to study the effectiveness of no‐till and fertilizer application method on reducing phosphorus (P) losses from agricultural lands. Simulated rainfall was applied to 12 experimental field plots, each 0.01 ha in size. The plots were divided into no‐till and conventional tillage systems. Two fertilizer application methods, subsurface injection and surface application, were investigated for the two tillage systems. Phosphorus fertilizer was applied at a rate of 46 kg/ha, 24 to 48 hours before the start of rain simulation. Water samples were collected from the base of each plot and analyzed for sediment and P content. No‐till was found to be very effective in reducing runoff and sediment losses. No‐till reduced sediment loss and total runoff volume by 92 and 67 percent, respectively. Subsurface injection of fertilizer, as compared to surface application, reduced PO 4 losses by 39 percent for no‐till and by 35 percent for conventional tillage. The effect of tillage system on PO 4 losses was not significant. Reductions in total‐P (P T ) losses due to no‐till compared to the conventional tillage system were 89 and 91 percent for surface application and subsurface injection methods, respectively. Averaged across all fertilizer treatments, an equivalent of 0.9 and 8.9 percent of the P applied to the plots were lost from the no‐till and conventional tillage plots, respectively.