Environmental Vulnerability and Phosphorus Fractions of Areas with Pig Slurry Applied to the Soil

Abstract

The application of pig slurry as a fertilizer can cause soil and water contamination. Intrinsic characteristics of the environment may enhance this effect and influence the vulnerability of the agricultural system. The goal of this study was to evaluate the accumulation of soil P fractions in areas treated with pig slurry and in forest areas and to propose an evaluation of the areas' vulnerability to P contamination. Soil samples were collected from 10 areas with pig slurry applied to the soil and one in forest without a history of pig slurry application, all located in the Coruja and Bonito rivers microbasin at Braço do Norte, Santa Catarina, southern Brazil. Samples were prepared and subjected to P chemical fractionation. Two versions of the P index method, based on soil P forms or only on P extracted by Mehlich-1, were used to evaluate the environmental risk of the studied areas. Estimated soil losses were lower for the forest and natural pasture and highest in areas with black oat ( Schreb.)-corn ( L.) crop cultivation. Concentrations of P fractions, especially of organic and inorganic P extracted by 0.1 and 0.5 mol L NaOH and NaHCO and of inorganic P extracted by anion exchange resin and HCl, were higher in areas with a longer history and higher frequency of pig slurry applications. Vulnerability to P contamination was mainly influenced by soil P concentrations and soil losses in the studied areas. The P index based on Hedley's fractionation P forms resulted in a more accurate risk scoring of the studied areas than the P index based on the concentration of available P extracted by Mehlich-1.

Aluminum species and activity in sandy soil solution with pig slurry addition

“…The elevated concentration of macronutrients, as well as of Cu and Zn, in the soil solution was due to the addition of these elements through pig slurry application (Table 1) in concentrations above the absorption capacity of the crops, increasing their contents in the soil and soil solution (Couto et al, 2015;De Conti et al, 2016). Nolla & Anghinoni (2006), in turn, found a decrease in Al 3+ activity in more acidic conditions, with the addition of P doses in columns of an Oxisol managed under no-tillage.…”

Use of Swine Manure in Agriculture in Southern Brazil: Fertility or Potential Contamination?

“…Although the use of SM contributes considerably to the improvement of soil fertility, its continuous use has been rising concern in academic and environmental society, especially with the use of high doses [22,45]. Greater attention is paid to P and heavy metals accumulation in soils, which can cause water eutrophication and plant toxicity, respectively, representing risks to the quality and functionality of soils and nearby water resources [7,14,15,17,24,25]. For this reason, many studies continue to evaluate the total contents and availability of these elements in different types of soil, applied SM, and management.…”

“…However, SM also has factors limiting its use, such as its variable concentration of nutrients and unbalanced to the needs of the plants, which can compromise the quality and functionality of the environment when excessive and/or continuous fertilization is carried out in the same areas [13][14][15][16][17]. The main concerns raised by researchers, and according to the publications of international academic society, are related to the phosphorus (P) and heavy metals, such as copper (Cu) and zinc (Zn), accumulation, availability, and losses in areas submitted a long history of applications [3,[18][19][20][21][22][23].…”

Ecosystem Vulnerability Review: Proposal of an Interdisciplinary Ecosystem Assessment Approach

“…Another focus was also given to forest ecosystems (e.g., Hwang et al 2014;McWethy et al 2013;Zolkos et al 2015). Only three articles dealt with grassland ecosystems (Lopez-Poma et al 2014;Qiao et al 2013;Ursino 2014), and only one was concerned with agricultural ecosystems (Couto et al 2015). Additional two articles were concerned with desert ecosystems (Cruz-Elizalde et al 2014;Munson et al 2015) and one with an oasis (Pei et al 2015).…”

“…An additional paper dealt with contamination in a regional risk assessment (Zabeo et al 2011). The ERAs were applied to aquatic ecosystems (e.g., Agatz et al 2012;Gergs et al 2013;Kulkarni et al 2014), and fewer addressed contamination of the soil (e.g., Couto et al 2015;Pinedo et al 2014;van Gestel 2012) or groundwater (Caniani et al 2015).…”