Soil and Phosphorus Loss from Conservation and Conventional Tillage in Corn Production

Abstract

AbstractConservation tillage is encouraged in southwestern Ontario by concern for soil erosion and compaction. The contribution of agriculture to eutrophication of the Great Lakes by P is also at issue. Soil loss and ortho‐P transport were measured from a conventional and two conservation tillage treatments (zero and ridge tillage) from January 1988 to 30 Sept. 1990 to evaluate their impact on meeting Great Lakes water quality objectives for P. Sediment concentration from the poorly drained, Brookston clay loam (clayey, mixed, mesic Typic Haplaquolls), cropped to corn (Zea mays L.) was 2.1 times larger in surface runoff than tile discharge (0.20 g L−1) but tile discharge contributed 44 to 65% of the soil loss probably from preferential flow. Conservation tillage reduced average soil loss 49% from conventional tillage (899 kg ha−1). Conservation tillage increased ortho‐P concentrations in runoff 2.2 times from conventional tillage (0.25 mg L−1). Orthophosphate transport decreased in the order zero>ridge>conventional tillage. Average ortho‐P loss was 1.7 to 2.7 times greater from conservation than conventional tillage (559 g ha−1 yr−1). Subsurface drainage accounted for 55 to 68% of the ortho‐P transported. Transport of total soluble P and total P (sum of sediment‐attached P and soluble P, only measured in 1990) increased 2.2 and 2.0 times, respectively, with conservation than conventional tillage. Dissolved P accounted for 84 to 93% of the P transported from the three tillage treatments. Sediment‐attached P constituted 7 to 16% of total P loss. Conservation tillage effectively reduced soil erosion but increased P loss.