TITLE:
Analysis Methods for the Determination of Anthropogenic Additions of P to Agricultural Soils
AUTHORS:
Richard L. Haney, Virginia L. Jin, Mari-Vaughn V. Johnson, Elizabeth B. Haney, R. Daren Harmel, Jeffrey G. Arnold, Michael J. White
KEYWORDS:
Phosphorus, Anthropogenic Additions, Biosolids, Rapid-Flow Analyzer (RFA), Inductively Coupled Plasma (ICP), Texas Commission of Environmental Quality (TCEQ), Soil Organic C (SOC), Total N (TN), Water-Soluble Organic C (WSOC), Water Soluble Organic N (WSON)
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Soil Science,
Vol.5 No.2,
February
10,
2015
ABSTRACT: Phosphorus loading and measurement is of concern on lands where biosolids
have been applied. Traditional soil testing for plant-available P may be
inadequate for the accurate assessment of P loadings in a regulatory environment
as the reported levels may not correlate well with environmental
risk. In order to accurately assess potential P runoff and leaching, as well as
plant uptake, we must be able to measure organic P mineralized by the biotic
community in the soil. Soils with varying rates of biosolid application were
evaluated for mineralized organic P during a 112-day incubation using the
difference between P measured using a rapid-flow analyzer (RFA) and an axial
flow Varian ICP-OES. An increase in the P mineralized from the treated soils
was observed from analysis with the Varian ICP-OES, but not with the RFA. These
results confirm that even though organic P concentrations have increased due to
increasing biosolid application, traditional soil testing using an RFA for
detection, would not accurately portray P concentration and potential P loading
from treated soils.