Phosphorus and Nitrate Nitrogen in Runoff Following Fertilizer Application to Turfgrass

Rittenhouse

2010

The off-site transport of pesticides with runoff is both an agronomic and environmental concern, resulting from reduced control of target pests in the area of application and contamination of surrounding ecosystems. Experiments were designed to measure the quantity of pesticides in runoff from creeping bentgrass (Agrostis palustris) turf managed as golf course fairway to gain a better understanding of factors that influence chemical availability and mass transport. Less than 1 to 23% of applied chloropyrifos, flutolanil, mecoprop-p (MCPP), dimethylamine salt of 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D), or dicamba was measured in edge-of-plot runoff when commercially available pesticide formulations were applied at label rates 23 +/- 9 h prior to simulated precipitation (62 +/- 13 mm). Time differential between hollow tine core cultivation and runoff did not significantly influence runoff volumes or the percentage of applied chemicals transported in the runoff. With the exception of chlorpyrifos, all chemicals of interest were detected in the initial runoff samples and throughout the runoff events. Chemographs of the five pesticides followed trends in agreement with mobility classifications associated with their soil organic carbon partition coefficient (K(OC).) Data collected from the present study provides information on the transport of chemicals with runoff from turf, which can be used in model simulations to predict nonpoint source pollution potentials and estimate ecological risks.

Section: Runoffsupporting

confidence: 87%

Pesticide transport with runoff from creeping bentgrass turf: Relationship of pesticide properties to mass transport

Rittenhouse

2010

“…msu.edu/page.phtml?page_id ¼ 1312). The greatest difference in soil physical properties between plots managed with ST or HT is most prominent shortly after cultivation and diminishes with time as roots grow, compaction dissipates, and holes are covered or filled, resulting in the greater distinction in runoff volumes between treatments at 2 d following cultivation compared to 63 d. The percentage of applied water as runoff measured at 63 d following core cultivation were similar to the findings of Shuman [35] were 37 to 44% of applied water resulted as runoff from fairways of Tifway bermudagrass (Cynodon dactylon [L.] Pers. ), which received 50 mm of simulated precipitation 2 d following irrigation to field capacity.…”

Section: Runoff Volumesupporting

confidence: 73%

Evaluation of core cultivation practices to reduce ecological risk of pesticides in runoff from Agrostis palustris

Rittenhouse

2010

Pesticides associated with the turfgrass industry have been detected in storm runoff and surface waters of urban watersheds, invoking concern of their potential environmental effects and a desire to reduce their transport to nontarget locations. Quantities of chlorpyrifos, dicamba, dimethylamine salt of 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D), flutolanil, and mecoprop-p (MCPP) transported in runoff from bentgrass (Agrostis palustris) fairway turf managed with solid tine (ST) or hollow tine (HT) core cultivation were compared to determine which cultivation practice is more efficient at mitigating environmental risk. Plots receiving HT core cultivation showed a 10 and 55% reduction in runoff volume and a 15 to 57% reduction in pesticide transport with runoff at 63 d and 2 d following core cultivation. Estimated environmental concentrations of the pesticides in a surface water receiving runoff from turf managed with ST core cultivation exceeded the median lethal concentration (LC50) or median effective concentration (EC50) of nine aquatic organisms evaluated. Replacing ST core cultivation with HT core cultivation reduced surface water concentrations of the pesticides to levels below the LC50 and EC50 for most these aquatic organisms, lessening risk associated with pesticides in runoff from the fairway turf. Results of the present research provide quantitative information that will allow for informed decisions on cultural practices that can maximize pesticide retention at the site of application, improving pest control in turf while minimizing environmental contamination and adverse effects associated with the off-site transport of pesticides.

“…We speculate the increased runoff observed in the present study is the result of greater presimulation soil moistures, because the plot size and precipitation quantities were relatively similar. A direct relationship between runoff volume and soil moisture at the time of the precipitation event has been reported [17]. The delay in time to runoff observed in the present study compared with the study of Kauffman and Watschke [34] is most likely the result of a more gradual plot slope (4% rather than 9 to 11%), lower precipitation rates (24 to 34 mm h À1 rather than 152 mm h À1 ), and the presence of deeper and more closely spaced cores (depth Â spacing Â diameter: 11.43 cm Â 5 cm Â 0.95 cm rather than 3.8 cm Â 6.4 cm Â 1.6 cm).…”

Section: Runoff Volumementioning

confidence: 97%

“…The off-site transport of phosphorus in runoff from croplands tends to favor movement with soil particles, whereas the dissolved forms are favored in runoff from turf, because sediment loss is typically insignificant [6,16]. Shuman [17] observed that the mass of phosphorus in runoff from golf course fairway turf was directly related to the fertilizer rate, with the initial runoff event containing the majority of the transported phosphorus. Fairways make up approximately one-third of the managed turf of a typcial golf course [6,18], which may be adjacent to surface waters such as ponds, ditches, streams, and lakes.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Nutrient loss with runoff from fairway turf: An evaluation of core cultivation practices and their environmental impact

2011

The presence of excess nutrients in surface waters can result in undesirable environmental and economic consequences, including nuisance algal blooms and eutrophication. Fertilizer use in highly managed turf systems has raised questions concerning the contribution of nutrients to surrounding surface waters. Experiments were designed to quantify phosphorus and nitrogen transport with runoff from turf plots maintained as a golf course fairway to identify which cultural practice, solid tine (ST) or hollow tine (HT) core cultivation, maximized phosphorus and nitrogen retention at the site of fertilizer application. Simulated precipitation and collection of resulting runoff were completed 26 ± 13 h following granular fertilizer application (18-3-18: N-P₂O₅-K₂O) and 63 d and 2 d following core cultivation. Runoff volumes were reduced in fairway turf plots aerated with HT relative to ST (63 d: 10%, 2 d: 55% reduction). Analysis of the runoff revealed a reduction in soluble phosphorus, ammonium nitrogen, and nitrate nitrogen losses with runoff from plots managed with HT; a 5 to 27% reduction after 63 d; and a 39 to 77% reduction at 2 d. Golf course runoff-to-surface water scenarios were used to calculate estimated environmental concentrations (EECs) of nitrogen and phosphorus in surface water receiving runoff from turf managed with ST or HT core cultivation. Surface water concentrations of phosphorus remained above the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's water quality criteria to limit eutrophication, with the exception of concentrations associated with HT core cultivation at 2 d. Regardless of management practice (ST or HT) and time between core cultivation and runoff (63 d or 2 d), all EECs of nitrogen were below levels associated with increased algal growth. Understanding nutrient transport with runoff and identifying strategies that reduce off-site transport will increase their effectiveness at intended sites of application and minimize undesirable effects to surrounding surface water resources.