scholarly journals Global phosphorus shortage will be aggravated by soil erosion

2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Christine Alewell ◽  
Bruno Ringeval ◽  
Cristiano Ballabio ◽  
David A. Robinson ◽  
Panos Panagos ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Soil Erosion ◽  
Agricultural Soils ◽  
Soil Phosphorus ◽  
Chemical Fertilizer ◽  
Rill Erosion ◽  
Soil P ◽  
P Loss ◽  
Global Soil ◽  
Spatially Distributed ◽  
Food And Feed

Abstract Soil phosphorus (P) loss from agricultural systems will limit food and feed production in the future. Here, we combine spatially distributed global soil erosion estimates (only considering sheet and rill erosion by water) with spatially distributed global P content for cropland soils to assess global soil P loss. The world’s soils are currently being depleted in P in spite of high chemical fertilizer input. Africa (not being able to afford the high costs of chemical fertilizer) as well as South America (due to non-efficient organic P management) and Eastern Europe (for a combination of the two previous reasons) have the highest P depletion rates. In a future world, with an assumed absolute shortage of mineral P fertilizer, agricultural soils worldwide will be depleted by between 4–19 kg ha−1 yr−1, with average losses of P due to erosion by water contributing over 50% of total P losses.

Obvious but overlooked: soil erosion neglect in the global phosphorus cycle

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christine Alewell ◽  
Pasquale Borrelli ◽  
Bruno Ringeval ◽  
Cristiano Ballabio ◽  
David A. Robinson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Soil Erosion ◽  
Wildlife Habitat ◽  
Chemical Fertilizer ◽  
Plant Management ◽  
Phosphorus Cycle ◽  
High Chemical ◽  
Surrounding Water ◽  
Soil P ◽  
The World ◽  
Global Soil

<p>Phosphorus (P) as a key element in DNA, RNA as well as ATP and phospholipids is essential for the growth, functioning and reproduction of all life on earth. However, if fertilization with animal wastes or human excreta is not available or not organized, P fertilizers stem from nonrenewable geological P deposits, which are an increasingly limited resource. The potential threats of a global P limitation due to “peak phosphorus” have been discussed intensively in the recent past  including the socio economic as well as political consequences which will be dramatic. While a deficit in available soil P leads to a loss of agricultural yield, an excess of total P in soils triggers aquatic eutrophication, loss in biodiversity and wildlife habitat in surrounding water bodies in other regions of the world.</p><p>We calculated global soil P balances considering input from atmosphere and plant management (as sum of manure and residue input minus plant uptake) versus depletion due to soil erosion in coupling P fluxes from (Ringeval et al., 2017) with soil erosion rates from (Borrelli et al., 2017).</p><p>The world’s soils are currently being depleted in P in spite of high chemical fertilizer input. Considering the current high chemical fertilizer inputs most continents result in slightly positive P balances (e.g. net P input to soils). Exception are Africa with very low chemical fertilizer input of 1.7 kg ha<sup>-1</sup>yr<sup>-1</sup> paired with high losses due to soil erosion of 2 kg ha<sup>-1</sup>yr<sup>-1</sup> and Europe (the latter is the average for the geographic Europe including eastern European countries with very low chemical fertilizer input). Results indicate negative balances globally as well as for all continents (depletion between 4 and 19 kg P ha<sup>-1</sup>yr<sup>-1</sup> ) if input of chemical fertilizers is neglected.</p><p>Parallel to the distribution pattern and dynamics of global soil erosion by water (Borrelli et al., 2017), P losses from soils due to water erosion are most dramatic in countries and regions with intensive agriculture and/or extreme climates (e.g., high frequencies of heavy rain storm or droughts followed by significant rain events).</p><p><strong>References</strong></p><p>Borrelli, P., Robinson, D.A., Fleischer, L.R., Lugato, E., Ballabio, C., Alewell, C., Meusburger, K., Modugno, S., Schütt, B., Ferro, V., Bagarello, V., Oost, K.V., Montanarella, L. and Panagos, P., 2017. An assessment of the global impact of 21st century land use change on soil erosion. Nature Communications, 8(1): 2013.</p><p>Ringeval, B., Augusto, L., Monod, H., van Apeldoorn, D., Bouwman, L., Yang, X., Achat, D.L., Chini, L.P., Van Oost, K., Guenet, B., Wang, R., Decharme, B., Nesme, T. and Pellerin, S., 2017. Phosphorus in agricultural soils: drivers of its distribution at the global scale. Global Change Biology</p>

Changes in soil phosphorus availability and potential phosphorus loss following cessation of phosphorus fertiliser inputs

Soil Research ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 51 (5) ◽  
pp. 427 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. J. Dodd ◽  
R. W. McDowell ◽  
L. M. Condron
Keyword(s):  
Agricultural Soils ◽  
Soil Phosphorus ◽  
Pasture Production ◽  
Soil P ◽  
Olsen P ◽  
P Loss ◽  
P Concentration ◽  
Rate Of Decline ◽  
P Retention

Long-term application of phosphorus (P) fertilisers to agricultural soils can lead to in the accumulation of P in soil. Determining the rate of decline in soil P following the cessation of P fertiliser inputs is critical to evaluating the potential for reducing P loss to surface waters. The aim of this study was to use isotope exchange kinetics to investigate the rate of decline in soil P pools and the distribution of P within these pools in grazed grassland soils following a halt to P fertiliser application. Soils were sourced from three long-term grassland trials in New Zealand, two of which were managed as sheep-grazed pasture and one where the grass was regularly cut and removed. There was no significant change in total soil P over the duration of each trial between any of the treatments, although there was a significant decrease in total inorganic P on two of the sites accompanied by an increase in the organic P pool, suggesting that over time P was becoming occluded within organic matter, reducing the plant availability. An equation was generated using the soil-P concentration exchangeable within 1 min (E1 min) and P retention of the soil to predict the time it would take for the water-extractable P (WEP) concentration to decline to a target value protective of water quality. This was compared with a similar equation generated in the previous study, which used the initial Olsen-P concentration and P retention as a predictor. The use of E1 min in place of Olsen-P did not greatly improve the fit of the model, and we suggest that the use of Olsen-P is sufficient to predict the rate of decline in WEP. Conversely, pasture production data, available for one of the trial sites, suggest that E1 min may be a better predictor of dry matter yield than Olsen-P.

Soil controls of phosphorus in runoff: Management barriers and opportunities

2011 ◽  
Vol 91 (3) ◽  
pp. 329-338 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter Kleinman ◽  
Andrew Sharpley ◽  
Anthony Buda ◽  
Richard McDowell ◽  
Arthur Allen
Keyword(s):  
Water Quality ◽  
Surface Waters ◽  
Agricultural Soils ◽  
Soil Phosphorus ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Runoff Water ◽  
Sediment Delivery ◽  
Persistent Problem ◽  
Soil P ◽  
Barriers And Opportunities

Kleinman, P. J. A., Sharpley, A. N., Budda, A. R., McDowell, R. W. and Allen, A. L. 2011. Soil controls of phosphorus in runoff: Management barriers and opportunities. Can. J. Soil Sci. 91: 329–338. The persistent problem of eutrophication, the biological enrichment of surface waters, has produced a vast literature on soil phosphorus (P) effects on runoff water quality. This paper considers the mechanisms controlling soil P transfers from agricultural soils to runoff waters, and the management of these transfers. Historical emphases on soil conservation and control of sediment delivery to surface waters have demonstrated that comprehensive strategies to mitigate sediment-bound P transfer can produce long-term water quality improvements at a watershed scale. Less responsive are dissolved P releases from soils that have historically received P applications in excess of crop requirements. While halting further P applications to such soils may prevent dissolved P losses from growing, the desorption of P from soils that is derived from historical inputs, termed here as “legacy P”, can persist for long periods of time. Articulating the role of legacy P in delaying the response of watersheds to remedial programs requires more work, delivering the difficult message that yesterday's sinks of P may be today's sources. Even legacy sources of P that occur in low concentration relative to agronomic requirement can support significant loads of P in runoff under the right hydrologic conditions. Strategies that take advantage of the capacity of soils to buffer dissolved P losses, such as periodic tillage to diminish severe vertical stratification of P in no-till soils, offer short-term solutions to mitigating P losses. In some cases, more aggressive strategies are required to mitigate both short-term and legacy P losses.

scholarly journals Using nitrogen fertiliser to decrease phosphorus loss from high phosphorus soils

2012 ◽  
pp. 121-125 ◽  
Author(s):  
R.J. Dodd ◽  
R.W. Mcdowell ◽  
L.M. Condron
Keyword(s):  
Soil Phosphorus ◽  
Potential Method ◽  
Mitigation Strategy ◽  
N Leaching ◽  
Soil P ◽  
P Loss ◽  
Fertiliser Application ◽  
One Year ◽  
N Rates ◽  
Pasture Yield

Decline in soil phosphorus (P) concentrations is slow, and environmentally significant concentrations of P can be lost to water long after fertiliser application is decreased. One potential method to accelerate the decline in soil P concentrations is to increase plant uptake by applying nitrogen (N). A one-year lysimeter trial investigated P losses to leachate on three soil types receiving three rates of N fertiliser (0, 150 and 300 kg N/ha/yr) and zero or half maintenance P fertiliser, with regular cutting and removal of pasture. Increasing N input increased annual pasture yield and decreased DRP loss in leachate compared to the zero N treatment, without increasing nitrate or ammonium loss. Furthermore, treatments receiving half maintenance P at all N rates had lower P losses than the zero N and zero P treatment. Based on a cut and carry system, increasing N fertiliser in conjunction with decreasing P fertiliser has potential as a mitigation strategy to decrease P loss without compromising yields or increasing N leaching.

scholarly journals A comparison of nutrient losses to waters following pasture renewal by cultivation or direct-drilling

2016 ◽  
Vol 78 ◽  
pp. 93-98
Author(s):  
L.C. Smith ◽  
R.W. Mcdowell ◽  
G.P. Cosgrove
Keyword(s):  
Surface Runoff ◽  
Agricultural Soils ◽  
Bare Soil ◽  
Conventional Tillage ◽  
Catchment Scale ◽  
Buffer Strip ◽  
Soil P ◽  
P Loss ◽  
Direct Drilling ◽  
Plough Layer

Agricultural soils enriched in phosphorus (P) have been linked to increases in P losses and declining water quality. Cultivation of pastures near sensitive waterways lowers surface soil P and therefore the concentration of P in surface runoff. However, such a practise can increase the mineralisation of organic nitrogen (N), negating this as a mitigation option for N sensitive catchments. A field trial was set up to compare pasture renewal using either direct-drilling or cultivation (which mixed the plough layer to 150 mm) on hydraulically-isolated runoff plots at Tussock Creek near Invercargill, Southland. The trial ran from March to December 2015. Soil P concentrations (0-150 mm depth) decreased in the cultivated plots by about 20%, 8 months after cultivation. Concentrations of nitrate-N in surface runoff and shallow drainage, and P in shallow drainage only, were not different between directdrilling and cultivation treatments. Cultivation reduced filterable reactive P (FRP) losses in surface runoff by 69% (P=0.047) compared to direct-drilled plots. This study showed that mixing P within the plough layer decreased P loss over the 10 months of measurement. Conventional tillage that inverts the plough layer may result in even larger decreases in soil P concentrations. Tillage can therefore be used as a strategy to decrease P loss in small areas where surface runoff is likely, with little risk of increasing catchment-scale N loss. This includes near stream areas, but care must be taken to leave an adequate buffer strip to prevent sediment (and P) loss via erosion of bare soil. Keywords: phosphorus-enriched soil, cultivation, direct-drilling, runoff, drainage

Effect of Leaching on Loss of Soil Phosphorus in Different Types of Sand Dune in Horqin Sandy Land, China

2013 ◽  
Vol 726-731 ◽  
pp. 3818-3827 ◽  
Author(s):  
Quan Lai Zhou ◽  
De Ming Jiang ◽  
Zhi Min Liu ◽  
Alamusa ◽  
Xue Hua Li
Keyword(s):  
Soil Phosphorus ◽  
Available Phosphorus ◽  
Horqin Sandy Land ◽  
Sandy Land ◽  
Soil P ◽  
P Loss ◽  
Different Types ◽  
The Difference ◽  
P Leaching ◽  
Total P

We simulated P leaching on active dune (AD), semi-stabilized dune (SSD) and stabilized dune (SD) under 140, 700 and 1400 mm of rainfall in Horqin Sandy Land Inner Mongolia, China. The results showed that the available phosphorus (AP) pool decreased by 5–50% in topsoil (0–10 cm), and increased by -5–220% in subsoil (10–20 cm) in AD, SSD, and SD soil. The total P (TP) pool in topsoil (0–10 cm) decreased by 1.8–5.0%, and increased by -5–4.6% in subsoil (10–20 cm) in AD, SSD, and SD soil. The P loss in the soils (0-20 cm) was 0.5–4.5% in AD, SSD, and SD soil. These data indicated that significant downward movement of P occurred during soil leaching. And, the movement of soil P by leaching can cause P loss and changes in vertical distribution of P. Moreover, the difference in P concentration, drawn up by plant roots, between topsoil and subsoil can buffer the P loss at the start of leaching. Therefore, vegetation restoration is essential to reduce P loss in sandy lands.

scholarly journals Soil phosphorus composition, loss risk and contribution to the aquatic environment in a typical agricultural area

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tianhai Ma ◽  
Ying Bai ◽  
Xiaohong Ruan
Keyword(s):  
Spatial Variability ◽  
Sandy Soil ◽  
Soil Phosphorus ◽  
Inorganic Phosphorus ◽  
Soil P ◽  
P Loss ◽  
Geostatistical Approach ◽  
Cinnamon Soil ◽  
Agricultural Areas ◽  
Primary Form

Abstract River eutrophication risk increased significantly in agricultural areas. In this paper, spatial variability of soil phosphorus (P) and loss risk in the Jialu River Basin, China, were analyzed using a geostatistical approach. The correlation between soil and river sediment P was analyzed to identify the main aquatic P source. The results showed that inorganic phosphorus (IP) was the main form of soil TP (82.13%), but the ratio of apatite phosphorus (AP) and non-apatite phosphorus (NAIP) varied between different soil types. AP was the primary form of IP in fluvo-aquic cinnamon soil, while NAIP dominated in meadow aeolian sandy soil. Calculated soil total dissolvable P (TDP, 94–622 mg/kg) exceeded the environmental threshold. High TDP (>400 mg/kg) in mixed soil and sandy soil indicated a high P loss risk. The spatial variability of soil P was moderate to weak, indicating a low heterogeneity. In sediment, IP and AP showed a significant correlation with total organic carbon (p < 0.05), indicating a P source of soil erosion. Sediment AP had a significant positive correlation with soil AP (p < 0.05), confirming soil as the main source of sediment P. Furthermore, an accumulation of sediment P along the Jialu River and its consistency with water TP was revealed.

Soil phosphorus buffering measures should not be adjusted for current phosphorus fertility

Soil Research ◽  
2008 ◽  
Vol 46 (8) ◽  
pp. 676 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. L. Burkitt ◽  
P. W. G. Sale ◽  
C. J. P. Gourley
Keyword(s):  
Agricultural Soils ◽  
Soil Phosphorus ◽  
Single Point ◽  
Sorption Isotherms ◽  
Phosphorus Sorption ◽  
Soil P ◽  
P Sorption ◽  
P Concentration ◽  
Extractable P ◽  
Fertiliser Application

Soil phosphorus (P) sorption is an important and relatively stable soil property which dictates the equilibrium between sorbed and solution P. Soil P sorption measures are commonly adjusted for the effect of current P fertility on the amount of P a soil sorbs. In the case of highly fertilised agricultural soils, however, this adjustment is likely to be inappropriate as it may mask changes in a soil’s capacity to sorb P, which could affect future P fertiliser applications. A study was undertaken to compare adjusted or unadjusted methods of measuring P sorption using 9 pasture soils sampled from southern Victoria which had previously received P fertiliser and lime. The P sorption assessment methods included: P sorption isotherms, P-buffering capacity (PBC) measures (slope between equilibrium P concentration of 0.25 and 0.35 mg P/L), and single-point P-buffering indices (PBI), with methods either adjusted or unadjusted for current P fertility. A single application of 280 kg P/ha, 6 months before sampling, resulted in a general negative displacement of unadjusted P sorption isotherm curves, indicating reduced P sorption on 8 of the 9 soils. Adding the Colwell extractable P concentration to the amount of P sorbed before calculating the slope (PBC+ColP), tended to negate this fertiliser effect and, in 2 of the 9 soils, resulted in a significant increase in PBC+ColP values. Increasing rates of P fertiliser application (up to 280 kg P/ha) resulted in a consistent trend to decreasing PBI values (unadjusted for Colwell P), which was significant at 4 of the 9 sites after 6 months. However, only minimal changes in PBI values were determined when PBI was adjusted for current P fertility (PBI+ColP). Phosphorus sorption properties appeared reasonably stable over time, although 2 soils, both Ferrosols, indicated significant linear increases in PBI values when these sites remained unfertilised for 30 months. Lime significantly increased both PBI and PBI+ColP values at all sites 6 months after application, but the effect generally diminished after 30 months, suggesting PBI measurements should not be taken immediately after liming. These results demonstrate that unadjusted measures of P sorption are more likely to accurately reflect changes in soil P sorption capacity following P fertiliser applications and suggest that the unadjusted PBI be used in commercial soil testing rather that the currently adjusted PBI+ColP.

Improved Plant Diversity as a Strategy to Increase Available Soil Phosphorus

2019 ◽  
Vol 103 (1) ◽  
pp. 43-45 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carlos Crusciol ◽  
João Rigon ◽  
Juliano Calonego ◽  
Rogério Soratto
Keyword(s):  
Crop Yields ◽  
Soil Phosphorus ◽  
Cropping System ◽  
P Availability ◽  
P Fractions ◽  
Crop Species ◽  
Soil P ◽  
Residue Decomposition ◽  
Available Soil Phosphorus ◽  
Crop Residue Decomposition

Some crop species could be used inside a cropping system as part of a strategy to increase soil P availability due to their capacity to recycle P and shift the equilibrium between soil P fractions to benefit the main crop. The release of P by crop residue decomposition, and mobilization and uptake of otherwise recalcitrant P are important mechanisms capable of increasing P availability and crop yields.

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