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TURFGRASS SCIENCE

Phosphorus and Potassium Leaching under Contrasting Residential Landscape Models Established on a Sandy Soil

^a Forest Ecology and Management, Univ. of Wisconsin-Madison, 1630 Linden Dr., Madison, WI 53706
^b Environmental Horticulture, Univ. of Florida, Fort Lauderdale Research and Education Center, 3205 College Ave., Fort Lauderdale, FL 33314
^c Soil and Water Science, Univ. of Florida, Everglades Research and Education Center, 3200 East Palm Beach Road, Belle Glade, FL 33430
^d Biological Sciences, Florida Atlantic Univ., 2912 College Ave., Davie, FL 33314

^* Corresponding author (ericksonj{at}si.edu)

The quantity of fertilizer applied to residential land use is increasing rapidly with urban expansion. Phosphorus (P) and potassium (K) are essential plant nutrients often included in fertilizers used on residential landscapes. As a result, the potential exists for substantial P and K losses to ground and surface waters via runoff and leaching. Landscape vegetation and maintenance protocols play important roles in mitigating nutrient losses. Therefore, the objectives of this comparative study were to examine fertilizer P and K leaching losses from contrasting residential landscape models established on a sandy soil. Four replications each of a St. Augustinegrass [Stenotaphrum secundatum (Walt.) Kuntze] monoculture (SA) and a mixed-species (MS) landscape were randomly assigned to 47.5-m² plots. The use of common management practices was part of each landscape model, as granular fertilizers were applied to the SA monoculture routinely (bimonthly) throughout the study (61 kg P ha^–1 and 424 kg K ha^–1) but only during establishment for the MS landscape (105 kg P ha^–1 and 630 kg K ha^–1). Losses of P and K in surface runoff were negligible. However, during the 45 mo of data collection, cumulative mean P leached was 37.8 kg ha^–1 on the MS model and 22.9 kg ha^–1 on the SA model, while cumulative mean K leached was 346 kg ha^–1 on the MS landscape and 185 kg ha^–1 on the SA landscape. Notably, leaching losses were high during establishment and following intense precipitation, but the SA landscape model minimized these losses compared with the MS model. Regardless of landscape, leaching losses of P, and perhaps K, were high enough to raise concern over ecological impacts on neighboring hydrologically linked systems.

Abbreviations: MS, mixed-species • SA, St. Augustinegrass

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THIS ISSUE IN CROP SCIENCE

Crop Science 2005 45: vi. [Full Text]  

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