Risk of phosphorus losses in surface runoff from agricultural land in the Baltic Commune of Puck in the light of assessment performed on the basis of DPS indicator

Abstract

Background In order to counteract the eutrophication of waterways and reservoirs, a basic risk assessment of phosphorus (P) losses in the surface runoff from agricultural land should be included in water management plans. A new method has been developed to assess the risk of P losses by estimating the degree of P saturation (DPS) based on the P concentration of the water extract water-soluble P. Methods The risk of P losses in surface runoff from agricultural land in the Puck Commune on the Baltic Sea Coast was assessed with the DPS method. The results were compared to an agronomic interpretation of the soil test P concentration (STP). Research was conducted on mineral and organic soils from 50 and 11 separate agricultural plots with a total area of 133.82 and 37.23 ha, respectively. Phosphorus was extracted from the collected samples using distilled water on all soil samples, acid ammonium lactate on mineral soils, and an extract of 0.5 mol HCl·dm−3 on organic soils. The organic matter content and pH values were also determined. The results of the P content in the water extracted from the soils were converted into DPS values, which were then classified by appropriate limit intervals. Results and discussion There was a high risk of P losses from the soil via surface runoff in 96.7% of the agricultural parcels tested (96% of plots with mineral soils and 100% of plots with organic soils). Simultaneously, a large deficiency of plant-available P was found in soils from 62% of agricultural plots. These data indicate that the assessment of P concentration in soils made on the basis of an environmental soil P test conflicts with the assessment made based on STP and create a cognitive dissonance. The risk level of P losses through surface runoff from the analyzed plots as determined by the DPS indicator is uncertain. This uncertainty is increased as the DPS index is not correlated with other significant factors in P runoff losses, such as the type of crop and area inclination.