Amounts, forms, and management of nitrogen and phosphorus export from agricultural peatlands

Abstract

AbstractPeatlands provide a setting that is well suited for cranberry agriculture in the Northeastern United States. However, misconceptions exist about the amounts and forms of nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) export from cranberry farms. In this study, we report inorganic and organic forms of N and P export from five peatlands cultivated for cranberry production in southeastern, Massachusetts, United States. We then compare N loading rates among cranberry farms in southeastern Massachusetts, row crop farms in the Midwestern United States, and uncultivated peatlands in the United States and United Kingdom. Based on a fluvial mass balance analysis, we find that nonriparian cranberry farms export 2.56 kg of P ha−1 year−1of total P and 12.1 kg of N ha−1 year−1of total N. Total N export from riparian or “flow through” farms is two times higher than nonriparian farms due to less retention of N fertilizer in the vadose zone of riparian farms. Gross total N export from riparian and nonriparian cranberry farms consists of 35% particulate organic N, 26% dissolved organic N, 31% ammonium (NH4+), and 8% nitrate (NO3−). The low proportions of NO3− export (13% of total dissolved N [TDN]) for cranberry farms differ from NO3− export for row crop farms (75% of TDN; p < .001) but not for uncultivated peatlands (17% of TDN; p = .61). Despite being highly modified by fertilizers and artificial drainage, low NO3− export (2.2 kg of N ha−1 year−1) from cranberry farms is consistent with field measurements of rapid N turnover in uncultivated peatlands. This finding suggests that state‐funded wetland restoration efforts to restore denitrification in retired cranberry farms may be limited by NO3− rather than soil moisture or organic matter.