Nitrogen and phosphorus losses in surface runoff and drainage water after application of slurry and mineral fertilizer to perennial grass ley

Abstract

Losses of nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) from perennial grass ley on a fine sand soil were studied with five treatments: no fertilizer (1), cow slurry applied in autumn (2), winter (3) or spring (4), and mineral fertilizer applied in spring (5). For N, the total amounts applied (1992-96) were 0, 772, 807, 805 and 510 kg ha-1 and for P 0, 141, 119, 143 and 107 kg ha-1, respectively. In the first year (establishment of the ley, 1992-93), N losses (drainage + surface runoff) were slightly higher after application of slurry in autumn (with immediate ploughing, treatment 2) than in treatments 1, 4 and 5 (21 kg ha-1 vs. 17 kg ha-1), but the respective P losses (0.7-0.9 kg ha-1) were not affected. During the ley years (1993-96) the N and P losses were increased by surface application of fertilizers and by abundance of surface runoff (83-100% of the total runoff). Nutrient losses were extremely high after slurry application in autumn and winter, accounting for 11% and 33% of the applied N and 17% and 59% of the applied P, respectively. The N losses during the ley years from treatments 1-5 were 13, 62, 191, 23 and 24 kg ha-1, where the proportion of NH4-N was 21, 49, 56, 33 and 39%. The respective P losses were 0.73, 16, 54, 4.2 and 4.0 kg ha-1, where the proportion of PO4-P was 52, 85, 77, 68 and 64%.;

Nitrogen losses from grass ley after slurry application surface broadcasting vs. injection

“…The cumulative load of NO 3 -N in surface runoff was small in all treatments (0.8-2.2 kg ha -1 ), being highest in the IN plots over the 3-year study phase. The small NO 3 -N losses in surface runoff from grass are consistent with results from studies of Uhlen (1978), Turtola and Kemppainen (1998), Ridley et al (2001), Smith et al (2001), and Saarijärvi (2008). Ploughing of grass soil in October 2000 increased slightly losses of NO 3 -N and TN in surface runoff but decreased NH 4 -N losses (Table 4).…”

“…Injection further reduced the originally small surface runoff losses of NH 4 -N and TN by 83% (p < 0.001) and 34% (p < 0.01), respectively, compared with surface broadcasting, although a little more slurry TN (20-30 kg ha -1 yr -1 ) was spread on the IN plots. On a fine sandy soil, Turtola and Kemppainen (1998) measured great annual N losses in surface runoff from grass with autumn broadcast slurry, 16-36 kg ha -1 yr -1 and 7.7-22 kg ha -1 yr -1 for TN and NH 4 -N, respectively. In their study, however, the amount of TN applied in autumn was one-third higher and the volumes of surface runoff were three times greater than in Phase II of our study.…”

“…Surface application is an easy and cheap process but it leaves the manure prone to NH 3 volatilization (Braschkat et al 1997, Mattila andJoki-Tokola 2003) and surface runoff (Turtola and Kemppainen 1998). Injection of slurry might be better environmentally but it is more expensive and more difficult than broadcast application.…”

Nutritional status in commercial currant fields

“…uble P concentration of this layer increases and may lead to higher loss of P by surface runoff and drainage water (Turtola and Jaakkola 1995, Turtola and Kemppainen 1998, Turtola and YliHalla 1999). This risk is very possible, because currants are often cultivated on coarse mineral soils and slope fields.…”

Simulated nitrogen leaching, nitrogen mass field balances and their correlation on four farms in south-western Finland during the period 2000 2005

“…For example Niinioja (1993) reported that in several empirical studies in Nordic countries, N leaching from fields fertilized by manure varied between 1 and 58 kg N ha -1 yr -1 . Turtola and Kemppainen (1998) reported that annual N losses in surface runoff and drainage water varied between 5-40 kg N ha -1 from grass fields fertilized by slurry. Jaakkola (1984) reported N leaching of 1-38 kg N ha -1 yr -1 from clay soil fields under grass or cereal production and Vuorenmaa et al (2002) 13.8-16.2 kg N ha -1 yr -1 as specific loss from the arable land part of agricultural research catchments.…”