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5/21/2018 | 2:30 PM - 2:45 PM | LAND COVER CHANGE THROUGH THE PLANTING OF COVER CROPS REDUCES PHOSPHORUS LOSS FROM AN AGRICULTURAL WATERSHED | 420 B

LAND COVER CHANGE THROUGH THE PLANTING OF COVER CROPS REDUCES PHOSPHORUS LOSS FROM AN AGRICULTURAL WATERSHED

Tile drainage systems in the agricultural Midwestern US facilitate the transport of soluble reactive phosphorus (SRP) to adjacent streams and ditches, contributing to harmful and nuisance algal blooms. Winter cover crops increase nutrient retention in watersheds by retaining nutrients when fields would otherwise be fallow. However, previous studies on the effect of cover crops on SRP loss have been inconsistent at the field-scale and are understudied at the watershed-scale. In this study, cover crops were planted on >65% of croppable land in the Shatto Ditch Watershed (13.3km2) for 3yrs. Before and during cover crops, we quantified SRP loss from tile drains and the watershed outlet. We found that median SRP loss was 75-92% lower from tiles draining fields with cover crops compared to those without. Across multiple tile drains, the magnitude of SRP loss was controlled by tile flows. Watershed SRP yields were temporally variable, but were 18-20% lower at elevated flows (>60th percentile) during years with watershed-scale planting of cover crops. Results suggest that cover crop planting has the potential to increase SRP retention in agricultural fields and effectively decrease SRP export to downstream waters.

Phosphorous
Landuse
Ecosystem

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Presenters/Authors

Brittany Hanrahan (), USDA Agricultural Research Service, br.hanrahan@gmail.com;