Spatial and seasonal variability of phosphorus risk indexes in cultivated organic soils

Abstract

Guérin, J. É., Parent, L.-É. and Si, B. C. 2011. Spatial and seasonal variability of phosphorus risk indexes in cultivated organic soils. Can. J. Soil Sci. 91: 291–302. Many reports have attributed phosphorus (P) leaching from cultivated organic soils and the eutrophication of adjacent surface waters to P fertilization exceeding the P sorption capacity of the soil. The index of phosphorus saturation (IPS) using the Mehlich III method (M-III) has been proposed to define an agri-environmental threshold of P saturation in cultivated organic soils. The spatial and temporal variability of IPSM-IIImust be documented and related to the risk of P pollution to recommend more efficient fertilization practices. The objective of this research was to measure spatial and seasonal variation patterns of P in cultivated organic soils and to evaluate the losses of soil test extractable P between autumn and the following spring. Composite soil samples were taken on a 25-× 25-m grid within 7-ha areas in three representative types of cultivated organic soils of southwestern Quebec in fall 2006 and spring 2007. Soil P, iron, and aluminum were extracted in duplicate using the M-III and the acid ammonium oxalate methods (OX). The spatial analysis of organic soils showed that the PM-IIIand the IPSM-IIIwere spatially autocorrelated and that the experimental semivariograms can be described by linear to sill or spherical models with ranges of 68 to 168 m. There was a high seasonal variability among the PM-IIIand the IPSM-IIIvalues. The IPSM-IIIvalues were generally higher than the environmental threshold of 0.05 across sites and sampling periods. Losses of M-III and OX extractable P averaged 41 kg PM-IIIha−1and 84 kg POXha−1, respectively, between fall and the following spring, suggesting substantial contribution of cultivated organic soils to the pollution of downstream surface waters.