Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Spatial distribution of soil phosphorous fractions following 1-year farrowing sows in an outdoor hog-rearing farm in Eastern Canada

  • Published:
Environmental Monitoring and Assessment Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Outdoor hog-rearing operations are of interest for both producers and consumers due to high product quality, animal welfare status, and low input and potential environmental risks. However, hog manure is rich in phosphorus (P), an environmentally sensitive nutrient, and distribution of different P fractions down the soil profile in these production systems is not well understood. The objective of this study was to determine the spatial variability of soil P in different soil depth intervals following 1-year outdoor farrowing sows in a 0.5-ha paddock in cold-temperate climate of Eastern Canada. Soil samples were collected with 0–15, 15–30, and > 30 cm depth intervals (up to 60 cm or the depth that sampling was possible) in grazing/rooting, feeding, wallow, and farrowing hut areas. Soil samples were analyzed for Olsen P (Pol), organic P (PO), and total P (PT). Areas with more frequent presence of hogs showed 45–80% greater Pol concentrations, and movement of soluble PO down the soil profile was higher in these areas compared with the grazing/rooting area. The PO formed 80% of PT throughout the paddock, and the spatial distribution of PO was similar to PT in all soil depth intervals but different from Pol. Results also showed that PO concentrations in the paddock decreased at > 30 cm depth except for the feeding area. Findings of this study reveal that farrowing sow cycle in an outdoor hog-rearing farm setting can result in hot spots of P, which enhance the risk of environmental pollution.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Aillery, M., Gollehon, N., Johansson, R., Kaplan, J., Key, N., & Ribaudo, M. (2005). Managing manure to improve air and water quality. 9, Washington. DC.

  • Alvarez, R., Evans, L. A., Milham, P. J., & Wilson, M. A. (2004). Effects of humic material on the precipitation of calcium phosphate. Geoderma, 118, 245–260.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Andresen, N. (2000). Foraging pigs, Schwedish University of agricultural sciences (227 pp). Uppsala: Acta Universitatis Agriculturae Sueciae.

    Google Scholar 

  • Andresen, N., & Redbo, I. (1999). Foraging behaviour of growing pigs on grassland in relation to stocking rate and feed crude protein level. Applied Animal Behaviour Science, 62, 183–197.

    Google Scholar 

  • Arétouyap, Z., Nouck, P. N., Nouayou, R., Kemgang, F. E. G., Toko, A. D. P., & Asfahani, J. (2016). Lessening the adverse effect of the semivariogram model selection on an interpolative survey using kriging technique. SpringerPlus, 5, 1–11.

    Google Scholar 

  • Atkinson, D., & Watson, C. A. (1996). The environmental impact of intensive systems of animal production in the lowlands. Animal Science, 63, 353–361.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ayoubi, S., Zamani, S., & Khormali, F. (2007). Spatial variability of some soil properties for site specific farming in northern Iran. International Journal of Plant Production, 1(2), 225–236.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bernués, A., Ruiz, R., Olaizola, A., Villalba, D., & Casasús, I. (2011). Sustainability of pasture-based livestock farming systems in the European Mediterranean context: synergies and trade-offs. Livestock Science, 139, 44–57.

    Google Scholar 

  • Blanchar, R. W. (1986). Measurements of sulfur in soils and plants. Sulfur in Agriculture, 27, 455–490.

    Google Scholar 

  • Chapman, H. D. (1965). Cation exchange capacity. Methods of soil analysis: part 2 chemical and microbiological properties, 9, 891-901.

  • Corning, K. E., Duthie, H. C., & Paul, B. J. (1989). Phosphorus and glucose uptake by seston and epilithon in boreal forest streams. Journal of the North American Benthological Society, 8, 123–133.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dalai, R. C. (1977). Soil organic phosphorus. Advances in Agronomy, pp. 83–117.

  • Dankoub, Z., Ayoubi, S., Khademi, H., & Gao Lu, S. G. (2012). Spatial distribution of magnetic properties and selected heavy metals in calcareous soils as affected by land use in the Isfahan region, Central Iran. Pedosphere, 22(1), 33–47.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Deering, J., & Shepherd, C. M. (1985). Outdoor pig production in England. Pig News and Information, 6, 445–447.

    Google Scholar 

  • Eriksen, J., & Kristensen, K. (2001). Nutrient excretion by outdoor pigs: a case study of distribution, utilization and potential for environmental impact. Soil Use and Management, 17, 21–29.

    Google Scholar 

  • Eriksen, J., Hermansen, J. E., Strudsholm, K., & Kristensen, K. (2006). Potential loss of nutrients from different rearing strategies for fattening pigs on pasture. Soil Use and Management, 22, 256–266.

    Google Scholar 

  • Eshetu, Z., Giesler, R., & Högberg, P. (2004). Historical land use pattern affects the chemistry of forest soils in the Ethiopian highlands. Geoderma, 118, 149–165.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Gérard, F. (2016). Clay minerals, iron/aluminum oxides, and their contribution to phosphate sorption in soils - a myth revisited. Geoderma, 262, 213–226.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gerritse. R. (1977). Phosphorus compounds in pig slurry and their retention in the soil. Utilization of manure by land spreading. pp. 257–266.

  • Gillespie, J. E., & Acton, C. J. (1981). Soils of Peterborough county, Ontario Institute of Pedology.

  • Goovaerts, P. (1999). Geostatistics in soil science: state-of-the-art and perspectives. Geoderma, 89, 1–45.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hacker, R., Ogilvie, J., Morrison, W., & Kains, F. (1994). Factors affecting excretory behavior of pigs. Journal of Animal Scoence, 72, 1455–1460.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Haynes, R. J., & Mokolobate, M. S. (2001). Amelioration of Al toxicity and P deficiency in acid soils by additions of organic residues: a critical review of the phenomenon and the mechanisms involved. Nutrient Cycling in Agroecosystems, 59, 47–63.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Helmerichs, J. (2014). Paddock management systems for organic growing pigs: effect of land allocation strategies on foraging activity and excretory behaviour, Aarhus University, 45 pp.

  • Hengl, T., Heuvelink, G. B. M., & Stein, A. (2004). A generic framework for spatial prediction of soil variables based on regression-kriging. Geoderma, 120, 75–93.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hermansen, J. E., Strudsholm, K., & Horsted, K. (2004). Integration of organic animal production into land use with special reference to swine and poultry. Livestock Production Science, 90, 11–26.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hilal, M. H. M. (1966). A characterization of Mobile forms of phosphorus in a calcareous soil. Doctoral dissertation, University of Arizona. pp 86.

  • Horsted, K., Kongsted, A. G., Jørgensen, U., & Sørensen, J. (2012). Combined production of free-range pigs and energy crops—animal behaviour and crop damages. Livestock Science, 150, 200–208.

    Google Scholar 

  • Keeney, D. R., & Nelson, D. W. (1982). Nitrogen in organic forms. In A. L. Page (Ed.), Methods of soil analysis, Pt. 2 (pp. 643–698). Madison: American Society of Agronomy.

    Google Scholar 

  • Khiari, L., & Parent, L. E. (2005). Phosphorus transformations in acid light-textured soils treated with dry swine manure. Canadian Journal of Soil Science, 85, 75–87.

    Google Scholar 

  • Koopmans, G. F., Chardon, W. J., & McDowell, R. W. (2007). Phosphorus movement and speciation in a sandy soil profile after long-term animal manure applications. Journal of Environmental Quality, 36, 305–315.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Krull, E. S., Baldock, J. A., & Skjemstad, J. Q. (2003). Importance of mechanisms and processes of the stabilisation of soil organic matter for modelling carbon turnover. Functional Plant Biology, 30, 207–222.

    Google Scholar 

  • MacDonald, K. M. (2016). Corporate swine: a global value chain analysis of pork production, processing, and retailing in Southwestern Ontario, Doctoral dissertation, University of Guelph.

  • Mehlich, A. (1984). Mehlich-3 soil test extractant: a modification of Mehlich-2 extractant. Communication in Soil Science and Plant Analysis, 15, 1409–1416.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Mert, B. A., & Dag, A. (2017). A computer program for practical semivariogram modeling and ordinary kriging: a case study of porosity distribution in an oil field. Open Geosciences, 9, 663–674.

    Google Scholar 

  • Motavalli, P., & Miles, R. (2002). Soil phosphorus fractions after 111 years of animal manure and fertilizer applications. Biology and Fertility of Soils, 36(1), 35–42.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Murphy, J., & Riley, J. P. (1962). A modified single solution method for the determination of phosphate in natural waters. Analytica Chimica Acta, 27, 31–36.

  • Nelson, N. S. (1987). An acid-persulfate digestion procedure for determination of phosphorus in sediments. Communicants in Soil Science and Plant Analysis, 18, 359–369.

  • Nelson, N. O., Parsons, J. E., & Mikkelsen, R. L. (2005). Field-scale evaluation of phosphorus leaching in acid sandy soils receiving swine waste. Journal of Environmental Quality, 34, 2024–2035.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Ohmer, M., Liesch, T., Goeppert, N., & Goldscheider, N. (2017). On the optimal selection of interpolation methods for groundwater contouring: an example of propagation of uncertainty regarding inter-aquifer exchange. Advances in Water Resources, 109, 121–132.

    Google Scholar 

  • Olsen, S. R. (1954). Estimation of available phosphorus in soils by extraction with sodium bicarbonate. US Department of Agriculture Circ. 939. US Gov. Print. Office, Washington, DC.

  • Olsen, A. W., Dybkjær, L., & Simonsen, H. B. (2001). Behaviour of growing pigs kept in pens with outdoor runs: II. Temperature regulatory behaviour, comfort behaviour and dunging preferences. Livestock Production Science, 69, 265–278.

    Google Scholar 

  • Onyejekwe, S., Kang, X., & Ge, L. (2016). Evaluation of the scale of fluctuation of geotechnical parameters by autocorrelation function and semivariogram function. Engineering Geology, 214, 43–49.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pasini, M. P. B., Lúcio, A. D., & Filho, A. C. (2014). Semivariogram models for estimating fig fly population density throughout the year. Pesquisa Agropecuária Brasileira, 49, 493–505.

    Google Scholar 

  • Peterson, B. J., Wollheim, W. M., Mulholland, P. J., Webster, J. R., Meyer, J. L., Tank, J. L., Marti, E., Bowden, W. B., Valett, H. M., Hershey, A. E., McDowell, W. H., Dodds, W. K., Hamilton, S. K., Gregory, S., & Morrall, D. D. (2001). Control of nitrogen export from watersheds by headwater streams. Science, 292, 86–90.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Poulsen, H. D. (2000). Phosphorus utilization and excretion in pig production. Journal of Environmental Quality, 29, 24–27.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Pyrcz, M. J., & Deutsch, C. V. (2003). The whole story on the hole effect. Geostatistical Association of Australasia Newsletter, 18, 3–5.

    Google Scholar 

  • Röös, E., Mie, A., Wivstad, M., Salomon, E., Johansson, B., Gunnarsson, S., Wallenbeck, A., Hoffmann, R., Nilsson, U., Sundbeg, C., & Watson, C. A. (2018). Risks and opportunities of increasing yields in organic farming. A review. Agronomy for Sustainable Development, 38, 1–22.

    Google Scholar 

  • Salomon, E., Åkerhielm, H., Lindahl, C., & Lindgren, K. (2007). Outdoor pig fattening at two Swedish organic farms—spatial and temporal load of nutrients and potential environmental impact. Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment, 121, 407–418.

    Google Scholar 

  • SAS-Institute. (2011). SAS OnlineDoc. Version 9.3. Cary: SAS Institute Inc.

    Google Scholar 

  • Saunders, W. M. H., & Williams, E. G. (1955). Observations on the determination of total organic phosphorous in soils. Journal of Soil Science, 6, 254–267.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Simpson, G. (2012). An overview of organic pork production. Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA). URL: http://www.omafra.gov.on.ca/english/livestock/swine/facts/11-043.epub. Access Feb 10, 2019.

  • Sommer, S. G. (2001). Effect of composting on nutrient loss and nitrogen availability of cattle deep litter. European Journal of Agronomy, 14, 123–133.

    Google Scholar 

  • Stern, S., & Andresen, N. (2003). Performance, site preferences, foraging and excretory behaviour in relation to feed allowance of growing pigs on pasture. Livestock Production Science, 79, 257–265.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ver Hoef, J. M. (2018). Kriging models for linear networks and non-Euclidean distances: cautions and solutions. Methods in Ecology and Evolution, 9, 1600–1613.

    Google Scholar 

  • Watson, C. A., Atkins, T., Bento, S., Edwards, A. C., & Edwards, S. A. (2003). Appropriateness of nutrient budgets for environmental risk assessment: a case study of outdoor pig production. European Journal of Agronomy, 20, 117–126.

    Google Scholar 

  • Webb, J., Broomfield, M., Jones, S. S., & Donovan, B. (2014). Ammonia and odour emissions from UK pig farms and nitrogen leaching from outdoor pig production. A review. Science of the Total Environment, 470-471, 865–875.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Webster, J. (2016). Livestock production systems: animal welfare and environmental quality. In Routledge handbook of food and nutrition security (pp. 155–170). Routledge.

  • Wiedemann, S. G. (2015). Soil nitrate and phosphorus accumulates rapidly with a non-uniform distribution in two outdoor pig areas. Animal Production Science, 55, 1464–1464.

    Google Scholar 

  • Williams, J. R., Chambers, B. J., Hartley, A. R., Ellis, S., & Guise, H. J. (2000). Nitrogen losses from outdoor pig farming systems. Soil Use and Management, 16, 237–243.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wolf, B., & Snyder, G. (2003). Sustainable soils: the place of organic matter in sustaining soils and their productivity. Binghamton: Food Products Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Worthington, T., & Danks, P. (1992). Nitrate leaching and intensive outdoor pig production. Soil Use and Management, 8, 56–59.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

The in-kind support for this project from Harley Farms is highly appreciated. Dr. Mehdi Sharifi’s position was supported by Canada Research Chair Program of Canada Foundation for Innovation at the time of conducting this experiment and by Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada during the preparation of this manuscript. Authors appreciate the geostatistical support by Dr. Majid Ramazani. We thank Melissa Johnston for the technical assistance.

Funding

The funding for this study was provided by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) Engage program.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Summerland Research and Development Centre, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, 4200 Highway 97, Summerland, British Columbia, V0H 1Z0, Canada

    Mehdi Sharifi

  2. Agassiz Research and Development Centre, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, 6947 Lougheed Hwy, Agassiz, British Columbia, V0M 1A2, Canada

    Aime J. Messiga

  3. Department of Agrotechnology, College of Abouraihan, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran

    Keyvan Asefpour Vakilian

  4. Environmental and Resource Studies Program, Trent School of Environment, Trent University, 1600 West Bank Dr., Peterborough, Ontario, K9J 7B8, Canada

    Emily Stopford & Tom Hutchinson

Authors
  1. Mehdi Sharifi
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Aime J. Messiga
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Keyvan Asefpour Vakilian
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Emily Stopford
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Tom Hutchinson
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Mehdi Sharifi.

Additional information

Publisher’s note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Sharifi, M., Messiga, A.J., Asefpour Vakilian, K. et al. Spatial distribution of soil phosphorous fractions following 1-year farrowing sows in an outdoor hog-rearing farm in Eastern Canada. Environ Monit Assess 192, 322 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-020-08260-y

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10661-020-08260-y

Keywords

Search

Navigation