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Project title

Eutrophication from Agriculture Sources (Phosphorus and Nitrogen) - Environmental Soil P Test

Primary Funding Agency

Environmental Protection Agency

Co-Funding Organisation(s)

n/a

Lead Organisation

Teagasc

Lead Applicant

Kim Reilly

Project Abstract

Relating soil P testing to losses in overland flow requires a closer look at some of the environmental aspects of soil P extractions and P concentrations in overland flow. Dissolved reactive P (DRP) concentrations in overland flow can vary during and between runoff events (Kurz pers comm). This is possibly due to soil chemical and biological factors (drying and re-wetting mineralisation of organic P precipitation of inorganic P) and hydrological factors (rainfall intensity soil hydraulic conductivity). Extractable soil P can also vary temporally and changes in soil biology namely mineralisation and immobilisation of organic P can lead to variations in soil P testing results in conjunction with spatial variations on soil P at field level (Herlihy and OiKeeffe 1993).This work examined aspects of soil P testing that could be measured under laboratory conditions in the context of losses to water. It focussed on the chemistry of P loss from soils and how it related to observed DRP values from field measurements. Soil P desorption was assumed to account for losses to water other than incidental losses and factors affecting P desorption such as soil sample depth drying and re-wetting of soil and water-to-soil ratio were examined.

Grant Approved

�31,155.56

Research Hub

Natural Environment

Research Theme

Improve our Knowledge on the State of our Water Resources and Pressures

Start Date

n/a

Initial Projected Completion Date

n/a