Location: Soil Dynamics Research
Title: Effectiveness of using FGD gypsum to reduce dissolved P losses from a corn field in the Southern Piedmont RegionAuthor
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Submitted to: American Society of Agronomy Branch Meeting
Publication Type: Abstract Only Publication Acceptance Date: 2/6/2017 Publication Date: 2/6/2017 Citation: Watts, D.B., Torbert III, H.A. 2017. Effectiveness of using FGD gypsum to reduce dissolved P losses from a corn field in the Southern Piedmont Region [abstract]. Southern Branch American Society of Agronomy Meeting. CDROM. Interpretive Summary: Technical Abstract: Research has shown that gypsum may be used as a soil amendment to reduce dissolved P loss from agricultural fields fertilized with poultry litter (PL). Most of this work has be conducted on pastures. There has been limited research evaluating gypsum’s influence on P loss under row crops. Also, can gypsum effectively reduce P loss when applied only to grass buffer strips at the edge of an agricultural field? Thus, a study was conducted to evaluate the influence of using FGD gypsum as a soil amendment for reducing P loss from corn plots fertilized with PL and with and without buffer strips. Phosphorus loss was evaluated using rainfall simulation from plots where gypsum was applied to corn plots (no buffer) vs. grass buffer strips only. The loss of P in runoff was evaluated immediately after applying PL and then 6 weeks later. The greatest amount of P was lost during rainfall simulations occurring immediately after PL applications. Amending soil with FGD gypsum greatly reduced dissolved P losses occurring immediately and 6 weeks after PL applications regardless of whether the gypsum was applied under corn or to the grass buffer strip. Results of this study show that gypsum may be used as a best management practice to reduce P loss from row cropping systems receiving PL applications. |
