1. Assessing strategies to mitigate phosphorus leaching from drained clay soils.
- Author
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Ulén, Barbro, Larsbo, Mats, Koestel, Johannes, Hellner, Qarin, Blomberg, Maria, and Geranmayeh, Pia
- Subjects
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PHOSPHORUS , *SOIL leaching , *CLAY soils , *TILLAGE , *HYDROLOGY - Abstract
Assessing mitigation of phosphorus (P) leaching from subsurface drainage systems is challenging due to high spatial and temporal variation in leaching. Mean measured total P leaching from a clayey soil in an eight-year study period (four replicates per treatment) was (kg ha year): 1.21 from shallow autumn tillage (ShT), 0.84 from unfertilised fallow (UF), 0.81 from conventional autumn ploughing (CT) and 0.57 from structure liming (SL-CT). Treatment was not significant using Richards-Baker flow index or a distance factor as covariate ( p = 0.084 and 0.057). A tendency for lower leaching was obtained comparing SL-CT with ShT ( p = 0.060 and 0.009 respectively). A combination of measures adapted to drainage conditions and clay content in different parts of the field is proposed since P leaching was approximately halved from an adjacent field (4.3 ha) in a three-year post-period compared with a three-year pre-period for structure liming the entire field and drainage system renovation plus structure lime drain backfilling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2018
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