HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS		QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Medalie, L. Articles by Smith, C. T. Search for Related Content PubMed Articles by Medalie, L. Articles by Smith, C. T. Agricola Articles by Medalie, L. Articles by Smith, C. T.

Nutrient Leaching following Land Application of Aerobically Digested Municipal Sewage Sludge in a Northern Hardwood Forest

Department of Natural Resources, University of New Hampshire, James Hall, Durham, NH 03824.

^* Corresponding author.

ABSTRACT

Concentrations of selected cations and anions were determined in soil solutions from a forested site in southern New Hampshire during the first growing season after surface application of an aerobically-digested, limed, liquid municipal sludge. Sludge was applied in June 1989 at 0, 3.3, 6.9, and 14.5 Mg ha^–1, which corresponded to 199, 396, and 740 kg N ha^–1 as total Kjeldahl N (TKN). Porous, suction-cup lysimeters were used to sample soil solutions below the rooting zone (60cm) within subplots designed to include (untrenched) exclude (trenched) uptake by vegetation. Following sludge application, measured solute concentrations remained low until September 1989, when NO₃, Cl, Ca, Mg, Na, and K in trenched subplots increased simultaneously to maximum values in October or November 1989, just before the soil froze for the winter. Nitrate was the dominant anion in soil solutions from trenched subplots and averaged in excess of 0.71 mmol L^–1 (10 mg L^–1 NO₃-N) at all loading rates. Highest concentrations of NO₃ occurred on subplots with the highest sludge application rates. In the untrenched areas, NO₃ concentrations rarely exceeded 0.001 mmol L^–1; Cl increased in treated areas and was the dominant anion by the end of the season. Soil solution NH₄, PO₄, SO₄, K, and pH did not change significantly for any sludge application rate. Comparison of results from trenched and untrenched areas suggests that, at application rates of up to 14.5 Mg ha^–1 (799 kg TKN ha^–1), a combination of physical, chemical, and biological factors (most likely plant uptake) limited the movement of sludge or sludge-derived constituents from the sites of application.

Scientific contribution no. 1746 from The New Hampshire Agricultural Experiment Station.

Received for publication November 12, 1991.

This article has been cited by other articles:

				A. L. Friend, S. D. Roberts, S. H. Schoenholtz, J. A. Mobley, and P. D. Gerard Poultry Litter Application to Loblolly Pine Forests: Growth and Nutrient Containment J. Environ. Qual., April 3, 2006; 35(3): 837 - 848. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]