O. O. Akinremi

Phosphorus fractions in soil amended with organic and inorganic phosphorus sources

Information on the P fractions in soils treated with different organic amendments is needed to better manage land application of organic amendments to agricultural soils. This study investigated the forms and distribution of P after 1, 4 and 16 wk in a Lakeland silty clay loam soil using a sequential fractionation procedure. Phosphorus was added at rates of 0, 123, 307 and 614 mg P kg-1 in the form of biosolids, hog manure, cattle manure and fertilizer P. The largest difference among the amendments was in the water-extractable P fraction, which was significantly lower in soil amended with biosolids. Regression analysis showed that the slope of P increment in the H2O fraction as a function of P application rate was four times lower for biosolids (0.06) than for hog manure (0.24) and seven times lower than for fertilizer (0.42) amended soils. In the biosolids-amended soil, there was a net increase of H2O-P, NaOH-Pi and HCl-P fractions at the expense of organic P (NaOH-Po) and residual P fractions after 16 w...

Phosphorus sorption capacity of alkaline Manitoba soils and its relationship to soil properties

The establishment of the P retention capacity of soil in Manitoba is essential for effective management of P in the region. However, the methods for determining the P retention capacity for neutral to calcareous soils in the Eastern Prairies are not well developed. The objectives of this study were to determine the P retention capacity of Manitoba soils and to generate equations that relate these capacities to other soil properties. One hundred and fifteen archived surface soils were selected and their physico-chemical properties were measured. These soils were used to generate a single-point P adsorption index by equilibrating 2 g of soil in 20 mL of 0.01 M KCl solution containing either 150 (P150) or 400 (P400) mg P L-1. A subset of 26 of these soils was used for multipoint isotherms with P concentrations in the range of 0–1000 mg P L-1. The data obtained were fitted to the Langmuir isotherm and the adsorption indices were correlated with the various soil properties that were then used to developed pred...

Soil responses to topsoil replacement depth and organic amendments in wellsite reclamation

Changes in soil properties reflect the success or failure of reclamation practices on abandoned wellsites. We examined the effect on soil properties of four (0, 50, 100 and 150%) topsoil replacement depths (TRD) and five amendment treatments [compost, manure, wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) straw, alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) hay, check] aimed at reclaiming three wellsites (Strathmore, Hesketh and Rosedale) in southcentral Alberta. TRD treatment differences were consistent across all wellsites, with 30 to 32% higher soil organic carbon (SOC) on the 150% TRD compared to the 0% TRD. Initially, the alfalfa treatment showed higher levels of nitrate-nitrogen (e.g., 26 mg kg-1 vs. 3 to 7 mg kg-1 for the other amendment treatments in the 15- to 30-cm depth at Strathmore in fall 1998), which was related to its rapid breakdown and mineralization of organic N. After 40 mo (June 1997-October 2000), the average amounts (n = 3 wellsites) of added C conserved near the soil surface were: compost (65 ±10% SE) > manure (45 ±...

Evaluation of Analytical Methods for Total Phosphorus in Organic Amendments

Increased environmental concern regarding the build‐up of soil phosphorus following application of organic amendments based on plant nitrogen (N) requirements will lead to an application strategy that is based on plant phosphorus (P) requirements. This will create demand for a rapid method of analyzing for total P in organic amendments in order to match application rates to plant P requirements. The wet oxidation method was evaluated in comparison with dry ashing technique for measuring total P in six organic amendments (hog, dairy cattle, beef cattle and poultry manures, municipal biosolids, and composted cattle manure) that ranged in P content from 0.25% to 4.5%. The wet oxidation method produced P concentration that was within 7% of that measured by the dry ashed method in 18 of the 24 samples analyzed and within 15% in the remaining samples. The experimental errors associated with both methods were small and the agreement between the two methods leads us to the conclusion that the wet oxidation method can be used for analysis of total P in a wide range of organic amendments. Each amendment was subjected to air drying, freeze drying, and oven drying in order to evaluate the effect of pre‐treatment on the total P content of amendments relative to fresh sample. The effect of pre‐treatment on the P content of organic amendments was small. In general, the P content of fresh sample was the highest with that of oven dry sample being the lowest. In studies where quantitative recovery of P is important, oven drying is not recommended as a method of removing water. In such cases, where samples cannot be analyzed in the fresh form, freeze drying or air drying is recommended.

Crop response to topsoil replacement depth and organic amendment on abandoned natural gas wellsites

The reclamation success of abandoned wellsites in agricultural areas depends on their capacity to sustain levels of biomass production similar to those which existed prior to soil disturbance. We examined the effect of four (0, 50, 100 and 150%) topsoil replacement depths (TRD) and five amendment treatments [compost, manure, alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) hay, wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) straw, check) in the reclamation of three wellsites in south-central Alberta. The largest incremental effect of TRD on spring wheat response in the 4 yr (1997-2000) study occurred between the 0 and 50% treatments. Increasing TRD from 100 to 150% had little impact on crop response. Of the 20 treatments (four TRD × five amendments), the reclamation capacity of the 100% TRD-compost treatment ranked highest, being 19% higher than the baseline treatment (100% TRD-check). The lowest-ranking treatment overall , was the 0% TRD-straw treatment, which yielded 64% of the baseline treatment. Crop yield responses to organic amendments ...

Response of canola, wheat and green beans to leonardite additions.

Leonardite, an oxidized form of lignite obtained from coal mines, is readily available and high in humic acids (HA). It has potential as a soil amendment and may have positive effects on crop growth and yield. This greenhouse experiment evaluated the agronomic effect of leonardite on three crops: canola (Brassica napus), wheat (Triticum aestivum) and green beans (Phaseolus vulgare). The factorial design combined five rates of leonardite with five fertility treatments. The fertility treatments had a significant effect on the dry matter yield (DMY) of canola, wheat and green beans. There were also significant effects of fertility on the concentration and uptake of N, P and K by the three crops and S by canola. The application of leonardite had no significant effect on the DMY of wheat and green beans but that of canola was significantly increased. Application of 10 g of leonardite to 3 kg of soil caused a 27% increase in the DMY of canola when S was excluded from added nutrients, while 1 g of leonardite res...

Extractable phosphorus in alkaline soils amended with high rates of organic and inorganic phosphorus

Information on the extractable P in soils treated with different organic amendments and how it changes with time is important to a sound management of manure addition to agriculture soils. This laboratory study investigated the impact of adding municipal biosolids, hog and cattle manures and monoammonium phosphate (MAP) on extractable P in soils. Phosphorus was added at rates of 0, 110, 220, 440 and 880 mg P kg-1 for the Osborne soil (Gleysolic Humic Vertisol), and 0, 123, 307 and 614 mg P kg-1 for the Lakeland soil (Gleyed Rego Black Chernozem) in the form of biosolids, hog manure, cattle manure and MAP. The soils were incubated at field capacity for 1, 4, 16 and 32 wk after which they were extracted using H2O, NH4Cl, NaHCO3 (Olsen P), and the Kelowna and Mehlich-3 extracts. Regardless of extractant and soil, extractable P was small 1 wk after adding biosolids (17-93 mg kg-1 as Olsen P) and large with MAP (59-672 mg kg-1 as Olsen P) while hog and cattle manures were intermediate between biosolids and MAP...

Impact of manure phosphorus fractions on phosphorus loss from manured soils after incubation.

The risk of P loss from manured soils is more related to P fractions than total P concentration in manure. This study examined the impact of manure P fractions on P losses from liquid swine manure- (LSM), solid cattle manure- (SCM), and monoammonium phosphate- (MAP) treated soils. Manure or fertilizer was applied at 50 mg P kg soil, mixed, and incubated at 20°C for 6 wk to simulate the interaction between applied P and soil when P is applied well in advance of a high risk period for runoff. Phosphorus fractions in manure were determined using the modified Hedley fractionation scheme. We used simulated rainfall (75 mm h⁻¹ for 1 h) to quantify P losses in runoff from two soils (sand and clay loam). The proportion of total labile P (total P in water+NaHCO fractions) in manure was significantly greater in LSM (70%) than SCM (44%). Mean dissolved reactive P (DRP) load in runoff over 60 min was greatest from MAP-treated soil (18.1 mg tray⁻¹), followed by LSM- (14.0 mg tray⁻¹) and SCM- (11.0 mg tray⁻¹) treated soils, all of which were greater than mean DRP load from the check (5.2 mg tray⁻¹). Total labile P (water+NaHCO) in manure was a more accurate predictor of runoff DRP loads than water extractable P, alone, for these two soils. Therefore, NaHCO extraction of manure P may be a useful tool for managing the risk of manure P runoff losses when manure is applied outside a high risk period for runoff loss.

Evaluation of phosphorus retention equations for Manitoba soils

One of the key factors in phosphorus management is the P retention capacity (PRC) of the soil. In our previous study, we formulated several equations for estimating the phosphorus retention capacity of Manitoba soils. The objectives of the current study were to evaluate these equations using independent soil samples and to evaluate the influence of manure application on the predictive ability of these equations. Forty representative surface soil samples (20 soils with history of manure application and 20 without manure application history) were collected from across Manitoba. The P retention index (P150) and Langmuir adsorption maximum (Smax) were determined in the laboratory. The measured P retention capacities were then compared with those estimated using the formulated equations. Surprisingly, P150, which was obtained from a single measurement, was more robust than Smax that was obtained from at least 17 measurements as the equations provided a better estimate of P150 than Smax. Equations that were bas...

Topsoil replacement depth and organic amendment effects on plant nutrient uptake from reclaimed natural gas wellsites

Sustained plant nutrient a vailability on reclaimed wellsites is critical to the successful restoration of crop productivity. This study evaluated topsoil replacement depth (TRD) (0, 50, 100, and 150% of mandatory TRD) and organic amendment [beef cattle feedlot manure, compost derived from straw-bedded cattle feedlot manure, wheat (Triticum aestivumL.) straw, alfalfa (Medicago sativaL.) hay, and unamended control] effects on nutrient uptake by a wheat crop at three abandoned gas wellsites in south-central Alberta. Grain N uptake increased by 0.055 kg ha-1 for each percent increase in TRD, reflecting the corresponding linear increase in grain N concentration. Low carbon to nitrogen (C:N) ratio amendments, particularly compost and alfalfa, were the most effective for improving grain N concentration and uptake. Conversely, N concentration and uptake were lowest for the high C:N (53:1) wheat straw amendment. Reclamation programs should, therefore, consider incorporation of the low C:N alfalfa or compost in or...