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TECHNICAL REPORTS

Surface Water Quality

Evaluating Aeration Techniques for Decreasing Phosphorus Export from Grasslands Receiving Manure

^a Univ. of Georgia, Dep. of Crop and Soil Sciences, 3111 Miller Plant Sciences Bldg., Athens, GA 30602
^b Natural Resource Conservation Center, USDA-ARS, 1420 Experiment Station Rd., Watkinsville, GA 30677
^c Univ. of Georgia, Agricultural and Environmental Services Lab., 2400 College Station Rd., Athens, GA 30602
^d Mississippi State Chemical Lab., Mississippi State, MS 39762

^* Corresponding author (dory.franklin{at}ars.usda.gov).

Received for publication June 1, 2007. Because surface-applied manures can contribute to phosphorus (P) in runoff, we examined mechanical aeration of grasslands for reducing P transport by increasing infiltration of rainfall and binding of P with soil minerals. The effects of three aeration treatments and a control (aeration with cores, continuous-furrow "no-till" disk aeration perpendicular to the slope, slit aeration with tines, and no aeration treatment) on the export of total suspended solids, total Kjeldahl P (TKP), total dissolved P (TDP), dissolved reactive P (DRP), and bioavailable P (BAP) in runoff from grasslands with three manure treatments (broiler litter, dairy slurry, and no manure) were examined before and after simulated compaction by cattle. Plots (0.75 x 2 m) were established on a Cecil soil series with mixed tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea Schreb.)-bermudagrass [Cynodon dactylon (L.) Pers.] vegetation on 8 to 12% slopes. Manures were applied at a target rate of 30 kg P ha^–1, and simulated rainfall was applied at a rate of 85 mm h^–1. Although the impact of aeration type on P export varied before and after simulated compaction, overall results indicated that core aeration has the greatest potential for reducing P losses. Export of TKP was reduced by 55%, TDP by 62%, DRP by 61%, total BAP by 54%, and dissolved BAP by 57% on core-aerated plots with applied broiler litter as compared with the control (p < 0.05). Core and no-till disk aeration also showed potential for reducing P export from applied dairy slurry (p < 0.10). Given that Cecil soil is common in pastures receiving broiler litter in the Southern Piedmont, our results indicate that pairing core aeration of these pastures with litter application could have a widespread impact on surface water quality.

Abbreviations: BAP, bioavailable phosphorus • DBAP, dissolved bioavailable phosphorus • DRP, dissolved reactive phosphorus • STP, soil test phosphorus • TBAP, total bioavailable phosphorus • TDP, total dissolved phosphorus • TKP, total Kjeldahl phosphorus • TSS, total suspended solids • WSP, water-soluble phosphorus