Phosphorus balance and risk assessment in the rice–canola cropping system under different drainage strategies

Abstract

ABSTRACTThis research was conducted to quantify total phosphorus (TP) losses in poorly drained-consolidated paddy fields equipped with different surface and shallow subsurface drainage systems including drain depth of 0.9 m and drain spacing of 30 m (D0.9L30), drain depth of 0.65 m and drain spacing of 30 m (D0.65L30), drain depth of 0.65 m and drain spacing of 15 m (D0.65L15), drain spacing of 15 m and drain depths of 0.65 and 0.9 m as alternate depths (Bilevel). Typical surface drainage system of consolidated paddy fields was also considered as conventional practice of the study area (control). The subsurface drained fields were under year-round crop production of rice-canola, while the surface drained fields experienced only rice cropping once a year. During three rice-canola-rice growing seasons, TP losses through drainage and leaching in the D0.9L30, Bilevel, D0.65L30, D0.65L15 and control treatments were respectively, 1.12, 0.98, 1.44, 1.53 and 24.48 kg ha−1, equivalent to about 3.9%, 3.4%, 5.1%, 5.3% and 85.7% of applied triple superphosphate fertilizer. In the rice growing seasons, TP losses through surface runoff were higher than those through subsurface drainage effluents. Shallow subsurface drainage systems were promising for the study area compared surface drainage as phosphorus risks were reduced by 79%, 77%, 64% and 57% through D0.9L30, Bilevel, D0.65L30 and D0.65L15, respectively. These results demonstrated that, by providing suitable condition for winter cropping, subsurface drainage systems can diminish concerns related to phosphorus losses from poorly drained paddy fields in the north of Iran.