FROM TURFGRASS. A Dissertation. Presented to the Faculty of the Graduate School. of Cornell University. Doctor of Philosophy. Douglas James Soldat

Transcription

1 THE CONTRIBUTION OF SOIL PHOSPHORUS TO PHOSPHORUS IN RUNOFF FROM TURFGRASS A Dissertation Presented to the Faculty of the Graduate School of Cornell University In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy by Douglas James Soldat January 2007

2 2007 Douglas James Soldat

3 THE CONTRIBUTION OF SOIL PHOSPHORUS TO PHOSPHORUS IN RUNOFF FROM TURFGRASS Douglas James Soldat, Ph. D. Cornell University 2007 Urban and suburban areas have been identified as major contributors to declining surface water quality. Because turfgrass areas account for a large percentage of pervious land use in suburban areas, it is important to understand the potential water quality impacts of these areas under various management scenarios. A review of the literature pertaining to P fate in turfgrass systems revealed that the effect of soil P level on P fate is unknown. An analysis of 3,800 soil samples from home lawns and athletic fields in New York revealed that 59% of samples were high or very high in Morgan-extractable soil P. These categories were calibrated based on turfgrass yield and visual quality, and therefore do not necessarily represent a risk (or lack of risk) to water quality. Therefore, a study was designed to investigate how soil P levels influence P in runoff from turfgrass. Six study locations were selected to represent the climatic and soil diversity found throughout New York. Across the entire range of the study sites, soil P levels predicted P concentration in runoff from turfgrass well (r 2 values from 0.42 to 0.64). However, within the range of soil P levels common to home lawns in New York (< 50 mg kg -1 Morgan), r 2 values ranged from 0.02 to 0.23 for the various extractants and sampling depths. In this study, plots that had received applications of composted manure had substantially greater available soil P levels that those that had not. An analysis of the effect of composted manure additions to soil P levels and vertical distribution revealed that compost additions increased soil P levels up to 1,000 times in the upper 0 5 cm. Significant downward movement of P in these plots was

4 also evident. Conversely, plots fertilized with traditional inorganic P-containing fertilizers showed comparatively small increases in available soil P in the 0 5 cm layer of soil ( times greater) and very little downward movement. These results indicate that the risk to water quality posed by large composted manure additions may outweigh the benefits.

5 BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH Douglas J. Soldat was born in Eau Claire, WI in He grew up in Janesville, WI where he developed his interest in turfgrass while golfing with his father, David. After graduating from high school, Doug decided to pursue his interests in turfgrass management at the University of Wisconsin Madison where he received his Bachelor and Master of Science degrees in Soil Science in 2001 and 2003, respectively. During his undergraduate days, Doug worked on the maintenance crews of Riverside Golf Course in Janesville, the Janesville Country Club, and Northmoor Country Club in Highland Park, IL. Doug came to Cornell University in 2003 to continue his graduate education. iii

6 To Oliver iv

7 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS The completion of this dissertation would not have been possible without the support of my wife, Sarah. Many thanks are also due to Marty Petrovic for his guidance, mentorship, and patience during this process. The completion of this work would have been much more difficult without the help of Jeff Barlow and Zach Easton; both of whom gave substantial support during the data collection phase. I sincerely appreciate the support and suggestions of the members of my Special Committee, Douglas Haith, Frank Rossi, and Harold van Es. I would also like to thank Quirine Ketterings for her valuable suggestions and insight provided during our discussions. I would like to extend my appreciation towards the folks who helped to make my graduate school experience an entirely pleasant one, especially on Friday afternoons. And last but not least, a big thank you goes out to Wayne Kussow. I often wonder where I d be if it was not for his support and encouragement over the past 9 years. v

8 TABLE OF CONTENTS Biographical Sketch. iii Dedication. iv Acknowledgements. v List of Figures. vii List of Tables. ix Chapter 1. The fate and transport of phosphorus in turfgrass systems... 1 Chapter 2. Summary of soil phosphorus levels of home lawns and athletic fields in New York State 41 Chapter 3. The effect of soil phosphorus levels on phosphorus runoff concentrations from turfgrass. 56 Chapter 4. The effects of soil phosphorus and nitrogen and phosphorus fertilization on phosphorus runoff losses from turfgrass. 82 Chapter 5. Soil phosphorus levels and stratification as affected by fertilizer and compost applications. 103 vi

9 LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1.1 Figure 2.1 Figure 2.2 Figure 3.1 Figure 3.2 Figure 3.3 Figure 3.4 Figure 3.5 Figure 3.6 Figure 4.1 Figure 4.2 Figure 4.3 Figure 4.4 Figure 4.5 Phosphorus cycle in turfgrass...6 Soil Management Groups of New York...45 Agronomic (a) and equal bin size (b) frequency distribution of all submitted soil samples Location of study sites Diagram of rainfall simulator Relationship between Mehlich-3 soil P levels at 0 2 cm and 0 15 cm sampling depths Relationships between various soil test P levels at 0 2 cm and dissolved inorganic phosphorus in runoff from plots with and without turfgrass Relationship between Morgan and Mehlich-3 soil P saturation at the 0 2 cm sampling depth and dissolved inorganic phosphorus in runoff from plots with and without turfgrass...72 Relationship between Morgan and Mehlich 3 soil P saturation and 0.01 M CaCl 2 extractable soil P at the 0 2 cm sampling depth..77 Frequency distribution of Morgan extractable soil P levels of research plots...86 Diagram of rainfall simulator...88 Layout of blocks on hillslope...90 Relationship between (a) dissolved or total P concentration and dissolved or total P mass loss and (b) relationship between runoff depth and dissolved or total P mass loss...95 Relationship between soil P level and average runoff total P And dissolved P mass losses for natural runoff events...98 vii

10 LIST OF TABLES Table 1.1 Table 1.2 Table 1.3 Table 2.1 Table 2.2 Table 2.3 Table 3.1 Table 3.2 Table 3.3 Table 3.4 Table 3.5 Summary of studies documenting sediment losses in runoff from turfgrass for both natural and simulated rain events...10 Summary of studies documenting runoff losses of P from turfgrass systems Summary of studies documenting leaching losses of P from turfgrass systems Descriptive statistics for soil samples from home lawns and athletic fields submitted to Cornell Nutrient Analysis Laboratory between 2001 and 2005 for soil phosphorus levels Mean and median soil P levels and classifications of soil samples from home lawns and athletic fields according to current Cornell University soil test interpretations for phosphorus levels Current Cornell University soil P interpretation and fertilizer recommendation for established home lawns and athletic fields Soil classifications and properties of study sites Properties of composted dairy manure used on plots in Clarence, Slate Hill, and Rochester Ranges and mean soil P values for three sampling depths and for the three soil P extractants Properties of the linear relationship between soil P levels and P in runoff for 3 soil P extractants, 3 soil sampling depths, and two ground cover Relationships between P in runoff and two measures of soil P saturation from bare soil and turfgrass plots viii

11 Table 3.6 Table 4.1 Table 4.2 Table 4.3 Table 4.4 Table 5.1 Table 5.2 Properties of the linear relationship between soil P levels and P in runoff for 3 soil P extractants, 3 soil sampling depths, and two ground covers. Data were selected to represent 96% of soil P variability in NY ANOVA table for total runoff depth, and average dissolved (DP) and total P (TP) concentrations in runoff Effect of N and P fertilization on mean dissolved P (DP) and total P (TP) concentrations and mass losses in runoff water Analysis of variance table for infiltration rate for simulated Events Analysis of variance table for dissolved P concentration in runoff from simulated events Soil classifications and properties of study sites Properties of composted dairy and poultry manure used on plots in Clarence and Rochester Table 5.3 Mehlich 3, Morgan, and 0.01 M CaCl 2 soil P levels for 3 sampling depths at two sites where various rates of P fertilizer were applied for 4 and 5 years at Farmingdale and Lake Placid, respectively Table 5.4 Mehlich 3, Morgan, and 0.01 M CaCl 2 soil P levels for 3 sampling depths at two sites where composted dairy and poultry manure were surface applied at 2 rates for 3 years ix