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Phosphorus in surface runoff from calcareous arable soils of the semiarid Western United States

Fósforo en Deslave Superficial de Suelos Calcáreos Arables del Oeste Semiárido Estadounidense

Turner, Benjamin L. and Kay, Mary A. and Westermann, Dale T. (2004) Phosphorus in surface runoff from calcareous arable soils of the semiarid Western United States. Journal of Environmental Quality. 33(5):1589-1946.

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Abstract

Management strategies that minimize P transfer from agricultural
land to water bodies are based on relationships between P concentrations
in soil and runoff. This study evaluated such relationships for
surface runoff generated by simulated sprinkler irrigation onto calcareous
arable soils of the semiarid western United States. Irrigation
was applied at 70 mm h' to plots on four soils containing a wide
range of extractable P concentrations. Two irrigation events were
conducted on each plot, first onto dry soil and then after 24 h onto
wet soil. Particulate P (>0.45 !Lin) was the dominant fraction in
surface runoff from all soils and was strongly correlated with suspended
sediment concentration. For individual soil types, filterable
reactive P (<0.45 !Lin) concentrations were strongly correlated with all
soil-test P methods, including environmental tests involving extraction
with water (1:10 and 1:200 soil to solution ratio), 0.01 M CaCl 2, and
iron strips. However, only the Olsen-P agronomic soil-test procedure
gave models that were not significantly different among soils. Soil
chemical differences, including lower CaCO3 and water-extractable
Ca, higher water-extractable Fe, and higher pH, appeared to account
for differences in filterable reactive P concentrations in runoff from
soils with similar extractable P concentrations. It may therefore be
possible to use a single agronomic test to predict filterable reactive
P concentrations in surface runoff from calcareous soils, but inherent
dangers exist in assuming a consistent response, even for one soil within
a single field.

Item Type: Article
NWISRL Publication Number: 1135
Subjects: Irrigation > Furrow irrigation > Runoff losses > Nutrients
Soil > Calcareous soil
Mass Import - autoclassified (may be erroneous)
Depositing User: Dan Stieneke
Date Deposited: 20 Nov 2010 21:49
Last Modified: 03 Nov 2016 16:13
Item ID: 2
URI: https://eprints.nwisrl.ars.usda.gov/id/eprint/2