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ARS Home » Pacific West Area » Kimberly, Idaho » Northwest Irrigation and Soils Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #225988
Title: Water treatment residuals and biosolids coapplications affect semiarid rangeland phosphorus cycling

Author
item BAYLEY, R - USDA-NRCS
item Ippolito, James
item STROMBERGER, M - COLORADO STATE UNIVERSITY
item BARBARICK, K - COLORADO STATE UNIVERSITY
item PASCHKE, M - COLORADO STATE UNIVERSITY

Submitted to: Soil Science Society of America Journal
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 10/24/2007
Publication Date: 5/1/2008
Citation: Bayley, R.M., Ippolito, J.A., Stromberger, M.E., Barbarick, K.A., Paschke, M.W. 2008. Water treatment residuals and biosolids coapplications affect semiarid rangeland phosphorus cycling. Soil Science Society of America Journal. 72(3):711-719.

Interpretive Summary: Land co-application of water treatment residuals (WTR) with biosolids research suggests that WTR sorbs excess biosolids-borne P. Here, Bayley et al. illustrates the long-term effects of a single co-application and the short-term impacts of a repeated co-application on soil P inorganic and organic transformations within and between these pools. Pathway analysis showed that humic, fulvic, and non-labile organic P did not play a role in P transformations. Biomass organic P and moderately labile organic P contributed to the transitory labile organic P pool. Labile organic P was a P source for Fe-bound and WTR-bound inorganic phases, with the Fe-bound phase transitory to the occluded P sink. The Al-bound phase also contributed to the occluded P sink. The Ca-bound phase weathered and released P to the Fe-bound and WTR-bound P phases. Overall, the WTR fraction acted as the major stable P sink.

Technical Abstract: Land co-application of water treatment residuals (WTR) with biosolids has not been extensively researched, but the limited studies performed suggest that WTR sorb excess biosolids-borne P. To understand the long-term effects of a single co-application and the short-term impacts of a repeated co-application on soil P inorganic and organic transformations, 7.5 × 15 m plots with treatments of three different WTR rates with a single biosolids rate (5, 10, and 21 Mg WTR/ha and 10 Mg biosolids/ha) surface co-applied once in 1991 or surface reapplied in 2002 were utilized. Soils from the 0-5-cm depth were collected in 2003 and 2004 and were sequentially fractionated for inorganic and organic P. Inorganic P fractionation determined 1) soluble and loosely bound, 2) Al-bound, 3) Fe-bound, 4) occluded, and 5) Ca-bound P, while organic P fractionation determined 1) labile, 2) biomass, 3) moderately labile, 4) fulvic acid, 5) humic acid, and 6) non-labile associated organic P. Pathway analysis showed that humic, fulvic, and non-labile organic P did not play a role in P transformations. Biomass organic P and moderately labile organic P contributed to the transitory labile organic P pool. Labile organic P was a P source for Fe-bound and WTR-bound inorganic phases, with the Fe-bound phase transitory to the occluded P sink. The Al-bound phase additionally contributed to the occluded P sink. The Ca-bound phase weathered and released P to both the Fe-bound and WTR-bound P phases. Overall, the WTR fraction, even 13 years after initial application, acted as the major stable P sink.