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Fluctuating water table effect on phosphorus release and availability from a Florida Spodosol

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Abstract

Spodosols in Florida exhibit a unique hydrology including a fluctuating water table that can often reach the surface horizon during the summer months. This paper evaluated the effects of fluctuating water table on P fluxes and availability in a typical Florida Spodosol. The study was conducted on an established bahiagrass (Paspalum notatum Flügge) pasture grown on a Smyrna sand (sandy, siliceous, hyperthermic Aeric Alaquods). Phosphorus fluxes were measured using suction cup lysimeters installed at depths of 15, 30, 60, 90, and 150 cm. The 15- and 30-cm deep lysimeters were located above the spodic (Bh) horizon, whereas the remaining lysimeters (60-, 90- and 150-cm) were below the Bh horizon. A pressure transducer was installed at the center of the experimental site to monitor changes in water table depth. Two anion exchange membranes (2 × 6 cm) were buried in each plot at a 15-cm depth to estimate in situ P availability. During the 2-year study, leachate P concentrations in the lysimeters above the Bh horizon increased as water tables rose in the months of August and September. Conversely, P concentration measured in the lysimeters below the Bh horizon remained relatively constant (0.02 mg L−1). Soil P availability also increased (from 3.2 μg cm−2 in June to 9.2 μg cm−2 in August) in response to rising water table. Results showed that the fluctuating water table conditions experienced during the summer months in Florida cause upward flux of P from the Bh horizon, which increased soil P availability and susceptibility to off-site transport.

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Abbreviations

AEM:

Anion exchange membranes

EPCO :

Equilibrium P concentration

M1-P, M1-Al, M1-Fe, respectively:

Mehlich 1 P, Al, and Fe concentrations

PSR:

Phosphorus saturation ratio

SPSC:

Soil P storage capacity

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Range Cattle Research and Education Center, University of Florida, 3401 Experiment Station, Ona, FL, 33865, USA

    Augustine K. Obour, Maria L. Silveira & Joao M. B. Vendramini

  2. Agronomy Department, University of Florida, 2185 McCarty, Gainesville, FL, 32611, USA

    Lynn E. Sollenberger

  3. Soil and Water Science Department, University of Florida, 106 Newell Hall, Gainesville, FL, 32611, USA

    George A. O’Connor

Authors
  1. Augustine K. Obour
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  2. Maria L. Silveira
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  3. Joao M. B. Vendramini
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  4. Lynn E. Sollenberger
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  5. George A. O’Connor
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Correspondence to Maria L. Silveira.

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Obour, A.K., Silveira, M.L., Vendramini, J.M.B. et al. Fluctuating water table effect on phosphorus release and availability from a Florida Spodosol. Nutr Cycl Agroecosyst 91, 207–217 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10705-011-9456-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10705-011-9456-y

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