Phosphorus losses from grasslands in short-term ley rotations under boreal conditions : Doctoral Dissertation

• Main Author: Räty, Mari
• Other Authors: 4100210910, Luonnonvarakeskus
• Format: Text
• Language: English
• Published: Natural Resources Institute Finland
• Subjects: phosphorus; erosion; grassland; ley rotation; nutrient loading; surface runoff; winter; Northern Finland
• Online Access: https://jukuri.luke.fi/handle/10024/546547

Grasslands occupy 45% of agricultural land in Finland, but in provinces characterised by grassland-based dairy production the proportion can be 67%. Phosphorus (P) loads from grasslands to inland waters have received relatively little research attention. In the Finnish climate, soils are subjected to frost in winter and snowfall comprises a considerable part of total annual precipitation. Surface runoff is generated by limited infiltration of snowmelt water into partially frozen soil in spring, which is a crucial period for dissolved nutrient and soil particle transport, especially in central and northern Finland. This thesis examined the role of perennial grass vegetation in P dynamics in the soil-plant-water continuum and quantified P losses from grasslands under boreal conditions. Potential contributions of perennial vegetation to P losses were estimated indirectly, by determining changes in nutrient content of aboveground vegetation. Susceptibility of overwintering perennial ley regrowth to deliver P was assessed in a simulated snowmelt-induced surface runoff study. These approaches were complemented with five-year monitoring of a small (3.2 km2) agricultural and forested catchment, representing grassland-based dairy production areas in east-central Finland. Amount and inter-annual variation in P losses and erosion rate were quantified. The results showed that grasslands can release substantial amounts of plant-derived P when exposed to frost, freezing and thawing. Elevated P concentrations and losses of up to 0.69 kg ha-1 were detected in simulated snowmelt-induced runoff outflow. Higher P concentrations were also occasionally measured in early spring runoff at small catchment scale. More frequent freezing/thawing will enhance plant-derived P release, especially under a reduced snow layer and lack of insulating cover. In five-year monitoring of an agricultural sub-catchment with short-terms leys, where some fields were under grassland and others under cereals, mean annual total P (TP) losses were 1.0 kg ...