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Grassland System Impacts on Spatial Variability of Soil Phosphorus in Eastern Canada
J. D. Nze Memiaghe, A. Cambouris
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada

Phosphorus (P) is an essential nutrient for plants, including grasslands. However, continuous applications of P fertilizer result in P accumulations in the soil, increasing the risk of P losses through runoff and erosion. Since 2008, more than 31 million tonnes of organic fertilizers, representing more than 95,000 tonnes of P2O5, were applied to agricultural fields in Eastern Canada. Thus, grassland systems were fertilized intensively using organic fertilizers with high P concentrations, increasing the risk of P environmental losses in runoff. The sustainable management of P is based on balanced fertilization between P supply and the real demand for soil P. It is important to well understand the spatial variability of P in grassland soils in order to improve the economic and rational use of P fertilizers and to promote the profitability and sustainability of agricultural companies, while reducing P environmental losses. The objective of this study was to investigate spatial variability of soil available P of two commercial fields under two contrasting grassland systems in Eastern Canada. Two commercial fields, referred as young grassland (YG; 2.4 ha; 2 years) and old grassland (OG; 2.5 ha; 10 years) were selected. Both soils of fields were classified as Humo-Ferric Podzols, and received organic fertilizers (manure, slurry manure) following local recommendations. Descriptive statistics and geostatistical tools were used to define spatial variability of soil P. A 16 m by 16 m triangular grid was performed to sample soils at two depths (0–5 and 5–20 cm). Soils were analyzed for available P and aluminum (Al) by the Mehlich-3 method (M3). The agri-environmental indicator (P/Al)M3 was calculated. Statistical and geostatistical analyzes were performed using SAS and GS+ software, respectively. Under YG, average PM3 (52 mg/kg) and (P/Al)M3 indices (3%) were similar  in both layers.  Under OG, these P indices were higher (125 mg/kg and 7%) in the 0–5 cm layer than 5–20 cm layer (75 mg/kg and 4%). Intensity of variation of P indices was high (CV> 50%) and moderate spatial structure (25–75%) was observed for PM3 and (P/Al)M3 on both fields. Repeated application of organic amendments can have a long-term impact on soil P accumulation, thereby reducing the variability and spatial dependence of P in permanent grasslands. A soil sampling strategy based on the 0–5 cm layer should be adopted in permanent grasslands for sustainable P recommendations in Eastern Canada.

 

Keyword: P extracted Mehlich-3; (P/Al)M3 index; organic fertilizer; geostatistics; spatial distribution maps, grasslands, P fertilization recommendation; precision agriculture