Abstract
The largest source of phosphorus and nitrogen in surface waters is cultivated soils. The effects of ten-meter wide grass buffer strips (CBS) on sediment and nutrient losses from cropped soil plots have been studied forone year at the Agricultural Research Centre in Finland. The GBS plots were compared to plots without vegetated buffer strips (no- VBS). The GBSs decreased loads of total solids, phosphorus and nitrogen by an average of 23, 6 and 47%, respectively. The grass buffer strips were effective in autumn but not in spring. Thirty-eight percent more soluble phosphate phosphorus was leached from the GBS plots than from the plots without GBSs, because of their inefficiency in spring.
Highlights
In Finland, the relative importance of non-point pollution has increased during the last two decades
Experimental results have indicated that 75% of the phosphorus transported to watercourses is bound to sediment, and about 5% of the sediment-bound phosphorus is available for algal growth (Ekholm et al 1991)
The ten-meter broad buffer strips are situated below the cropland source area (Fig. 1) which is flat, but the buffer strips are on a slope of 16%, varying between 12% and 18%
Summary
In Finland, the relative importance of non-point pollution has increased during the last two decades. The most important nutrients carried to surface waters are phosphorus and nitrogen. Agriculture contributes most of the diffuse loading (Rekolainen 1989). Phosphorus is the main nutrient limiting primary production in Finnish lakes. Experimental results have indicated that 75% of the phosphorus transported to watercourses is bound to sediment, and about 5% of the sediment-bound phosphorus is available for algal growth (Ekholm et al 1991). 29% of the phosphorus load (soluble + adsorbed) is biologically available (EKHOLM 1992)
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