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ARS Home » Southeast Area » Fayetteville, Arkansas » Poultry Production and Product Safety Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #86067
Title: VEGETATIVE FILTER STRIP PERFORMANCE WITH VARYING POLLUTANT SOURCE AND FILTER STRIP LENGTHS

Author
item SRIVASTAVA, P. - UNIVERSITY OF ARKANSAS
item EDWARDS, D. - UNIVERSITY OF KENTUCKY
item DANIEL, T. - UNIVERSITY OF ARKANSAS
item Moore, Philip
item COSTELLO, T. - UNIVERSITY OF ARKANSAS
item NICHOLS, D. - UNIVERSITY OF ARKANSAS

Submitted to: Transactions of the ASAE
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 1/15/1996
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary: Vegetative filter strips (VFS) can greatly reduce the runoff of pollutants, such as phosphorus (P) and nitrogen (N), from agricultural lands. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of varying lengths of pollutant source area (amount of fescue fertilizer with poultry litter) and varying lengths of VFS on nutrient content in runoff water. Pollutant concentrations in runoff were unaffected by source length, but decreased i a dramatic fashion with increasing lengths of VFS. Runoff loads transport of nutrients did increase with increasing VFS length (due to more volume) and decreased with increasing VFS.

Technical Abstract: Vegetative filter strips (VFS) can reduce runoff losses of pollutants such as nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) from land areas treated with fertilizers. While VFS effectiveness is considered to depend on lengths of pollutant source and VFS areas, there is little experimental evidence of this dependence, particularly when the pollutant source is manure-treated pasture. This study assessed the effects of pollutant source area (fescue pasture treated with poultry litter) length and VFS (fescue pasture) length on VFS removal of nitrate N (NO3-N), total Kjeldahl N (TKN), ortho-P (PO4-P tal P (TP). Total organic carbon (TOC), total suspended solids (TSS), and fecal coliform (FC) from incoming runoff. This research examined poultry litter-treated lengths of 6.1, 12.2, and 18.3 m, with corresponding VFS lengths of up to 18.3 m, 12.2 m, and 6.1 m, respectively. Runoff was produced from simulated rainfall applied to both the litter-treated and VFS Sareas at 50 mm h**-1 for 1 h of runoff. Pollutant concentrations in runof were unaffected by litter-treated length but demonstrated a first-order exponential decline with increasing VFS length except for TSS and FC. Runoff mass transport of NH3-N, TKN, PO4-P, TP and TOC increased with increasing litter-treated length (due to increased runoff) and decreased (approximately first-order exponential decline) with increasing VFS length when affected by VFS length. Effectiveness of the VFS in terms of NH3-N, TKN, PO4-P, TP, and TOC removal from runoff ranged from 12-75, 22-67, 22-82 66, and 8-30% respectively. The data from this study can help in developing and testing models that simulate VFS performance and thus aid in the design of VFS installed downslope of pasture areas treated with animal manure.