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Phosphorus Runoff Losses from Subsurface‐Applied Poultry Litter on Coastal Plain Soils
Author(s) -
Kibet Leonard C.,
Allen Arthur L.,
Kleinman Peter J. A.,
Feyereisen Gary W.,
Church Clinton,
Saporito Lou S.,
Way Thomas R.
Publication year - 2011
Publication title -
journal of environmental quality
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.888
H-Index - 171
eISSN - 1537-2537
pISSN - 0047-2425
DOI - 10.2134/jeq2010.0161
Subject(s) - surface runoff , litter , environmental science , poultry litter , tillage , subsurface flow , hydrology (agriculture) , soil water , eutrophication , lysimeter , water quality , zoology , agronomy , groundwater , soil science , nutrient , ecology , geology , biology , geotechnical engineering
The application of poultry litter to soils is a water quality concern on the Delmarva Peninsula, as runoff contributes P to the eutrophic Chesapeake Bay. This study compared a new subsurface applicator for poultry litter with conventional surface application and tillage incorporation of litter on a Coastal Plain soil under no‐till management. Monolith lysimeters (61 cm by 61 cm by 61 cm) were collected immediately after litter application and subjected to rainfall simulation (61 mm h −1 , 1 h) 15 and 42 d later. In the first rainfall event, subsurface application of litter significantly lowered total P losses in runoff (1.90 kg ha −1 ) compared with surface application (4.78 kg ha −1 ). Losses of P with subsurface application were not significantly different from disked litter or an unamended control. By the second event, total P losses did not differ significantly between surface and subsurface litter treatments but were at least twofold greater than losses from the disked and control treatments. A rising water table in the second event likely mobilized dissolved forms of P in subsurface‐applied litter to the soil surface, enriching runoff water with P. Across both events, subsurface application of litter did not significantly decrease cumulative losses of P relative to surface‐applied litter, whereas disking the litter into the soil did. Results confirm the short‐term reduction of runoff P losses with subsurface litter application observed elsewhere but highlight the modifying effect of soil hydrology on this technology's ability to minimize P loss in runoff.