Using stable isotope tracers to assess flow pathways for P transport in tile-drained landscapes

Abstract:

Throughout the Midwestern US and other poorly drained agricultural regions, phosphorus (P) transport in tile drainage is of increasing environmental concern. Significant P loads are often measured in subsurface drainage water despite the normally high P adsorption capacity of subsoils, which suggest that the high P loadings observed in tile drainage water during storm events are the result of P bypassing the soil matrix via macropore flow. The objectives of this study were to quantify event water delivery to tile drains via macropore flow paths during storm events and to determine the effect of tillage practices on event water and P delivery to tiles. Tile discharge, total dissolved P (DP) and total P (TP) concentrations, and stable oxygen and deuterium isotopic signatures were measured from two adjacent tile-drained fields in Ohio, USA during seven spring storms. Fertilizer was surface-applied to both fields and disk tillage was used to incorporate the fertilizer on one field while the other remained in no-till. Results showed that event water accounted for between 26 and 69% of total tile discharge from both fields, with tillage substantially reducing the maximum contributions of event water. Following fertilizer application, median DP concentration was significantly greater in the no-tilled fields (1.19 mg/L) compared to the tilled field (0.66 mg/L). Concentrations remained significantly greater in the no-tilled field compared to the tilled field for the five monitored storms (>1 month) after fertilizer application. Both DP and TP concentrations in the no-tilled fields were significantly related to event water contributions to tile discharge, while only TP concentration was significantly related to event water in the tilled field. Collectively, results suggest that macropore flow is an important flow pathway in tile-drained landscapes and that incorporating surface-applied fertilizers has the potential to substantially reduce the risk of P loss from tile-drained fields.