Publication | Closed Access
Phosphorus Loss in Agricultural Drainage: Historical Perspective and Current Research
1.1K
Citations
0
References
1998
Year
Nonpoint Source PollutionPhosphorus LossEngineeringAgricultural EconomicsLand DegradationOrganic GeochemistryAgricultural Water ManagementPublic HealthSurface RunoffSubsurface HydrologyAgricultural PIrrigationSoil DegradationWater QualityWater ResourcesEnvironmental EngineeringP LeachingSurface WaterNutrient Management
Phosphorus from agricultural sources contributes to nonpoint source pollution of surface waters, traditionally attributed to surface erosion and runoff, but subsurface leaching can also be significant in soils such as deep sandy, high organic matter, or over‑fertilized soils. The paper reviews P leaching and export in subsurface runoff across the Atlantic Coastal Plain, Midwest, and Eastern Canada, illustrating its importance to nonpoint source pollution and emphasizing the need for conservation practices to reduce subsurface P losses. The authors synthesize existing research and present overviews of ongoing studies in Delaware, Indiana, and Quebec to assess subsurface P leaching pathways.
Abstract The importance of P originating from agricultural sources to the nonpoint source pollution of surface waters has been an environmental issue for decades because of the well‐known role of P in eutrophication. Most previous research and nonpoint source control efforts have emphasized P losses by surface erosion and runoff because of the relative immobility of P in soils. Consequently, P leaching and losses of P via subsurface runoff have rarely been considered important pathways for the movement of agricultural P to surface waters. However, there are situations where environmentally significant export of P in agricultural drainage has occurred (e.g., deep sandy soils, high organic matter soils, or soils with high soil P concentrations from long‐term overfertilization and/or excessive use of organic wastes). In this paper we review research on P leaching and export in subsurface runoff and present overviews of ongoing research in the Atlantic Coastal Plain of the USA (Delaware), the midwestem USA (Indiana), and eastern Canada (Quebec). Our objectives are to illustrate the importance of agricultural drainage to nonpoint source pollution of surface waters and to emphasize the need for soil and water conservation practices that can minimize P losses in subsurface runoff.