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Release and migration of colloidal phosphorus from a typical agricultural field under long-term phosphorus fertilization in southeastern China

  • Soils, Sec 2 • Global Change, Environ Risk Assess, Sustainable Land Use • Research Article
  • Published:
Journal of Soils and Sediments Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Purpose

Colloid-facilitated migration of phosphorus (P) is a widely accepted phenomenon in surface and subsurface environment. Release and migration of colloidal P (Pcoll) in agricultural fields are closely related to P fertilization regimes. In this study, a site-specific experiment with rice/oilseed rape rotation was conducted to determine the export potential of Pcoll from the field and literatures reporting the impact of P fertilization regimes on release and migration of Pcoll in other agricultural fields were compared.

Materials and methods

In this 2-year field experiment, four P fertilization regimes (no fertilizer control, inorganic P fertilizer of low and high rates, and swine manure treatment) with three replicates were conducted. Floodwater and runoff samples were collected in flooding season and the 100-cm-depth soil samples were collected after both crops’ harvest seasons. Colloidal particles were separated by microfiltration and ultracentrifugation processes and determined gravimetrically. The Pcoll value was calculated as the difference between the concentration of total P in non-ultracentrifuged and ultracentrifuged samples. The same method was applied for the colloidal mineral elements (Fe and Al) and organic carbon.

Results and discussion

Total P concentration in paddy floodwater significantly increased after fertilization but decreased quickly in the following days, maintaining at 6.0 mg m−2. In soil extracts, concentration of Pcoll was low but stable, which ranged from 6 to 22 % of total P after oilseed rape season and from 7 to 18 % after rice season. In runoff samples, there were positive correlations between Pcoll, colloidal Fe (Fecoll), colloidal Al (Alcoll), and colloidal TOC (TOCcoll); the majority of P forms was molybdate reactive P. In both crops’ seasons, the amount of colloids increased with soil depth. Content of soil Pcoll was low and occupied 0.1–2 % of total P. The literature review showed that Pcoll in soil solution, runoff, and leachate ranged from 1.4 to 94 % of total P.

Conclusions

These results suggested that although the concentrations of Pcoll were not high, they widely distributed in paddy floodwater, runoff, and soil profile. Fertilization regimes and planting systems had a significant influence on the contents of Pcoll. Moreover, the Pcoll binding with Fe/Al minerals and organic carbon might be an alternative route of P loss in paddy field.

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Acknowledgments

This research was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (41522108, 41271314), Natural Science Foundation of Zhejiang Province (LR16B070001), and Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Environmental and Resource Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310058, China

    Xinqiang Liang, Yi Jin, Yue Zhao, Rongqiang Yin & Guangming Tian

  2. Key Laboratory for Water Pollution Control and Environmental Safety, Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, 310058, China

    Zhibo Wang

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  1. Xinqiang Liang
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  2. Yi Jin
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  3. Yue Zhao
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Correspondence to Xinqiang Liang.

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Responsible editor: Chengrong Chen

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Liang, X., Jin, Y., Zhao, Y. et al. Release and migration of colloidal phosphorus from a typical agricultural field under long-term phosphorus fertilization in southeastern China. J Soils Sediments 16, 842–853 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11368-015-1290-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11368-015-1290-4

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