Narrow Grass Hedge Effects on Nutrient Transport Following Compost Application

Authors

• John E. Gilley, University of Nebraska-LincolnFollow
• B. Eghball, USDA‐ARS
• David B. Marx, University of Nebraska-LincolnFollow

Document Type

Article

Date of this Version

2008

Comments

Published in Transactions of the ASABE Vol. 51(3): 997-1005.

Abstract

The placement of stiff‐stemmed grass hedges on the contour along a hillslope has been shown to decrease nutrient transport in runoff. This study was conducted to measure the effectiveness of a narrow grass hedge in reducing runoff nutrient transport from plots with a range of soil nutrient values. Composted beef cattle manure was applied at dry weights of 0, 68, 105, 142, and 178 Mg ha^-1 to a silty clay loam soil and then incorporated by disking. Soil samples were collected 243 days later for analysis of water‐soluble phosphorus (WSP), Bray and Kurtz No. 1 phosphorus (Bray‐1 P), NO₃-N, and NH₄-N. Three 30 min simulated rainfall events, separated by 24 h intervals, were then applied. The transport of dissolved phosphorus (DP), total P (TP), NO₃-N, NH₄-N, total nitrogen (TN), runoff, and soil erosion were measured from 0.75 m wide × 4.0 m long plots. Compost application rate significantly affected soil measurements of WSP, Bray‐1 P, and NO3-N content. The transport of DP, TP, NO₃-N, NH₄-N, TN, runoff, and soil erosion was reduced significantly on the plots with a grass hedge. Mean runoff rates on the hedge and no‐hedge treatments were 17 and 29 mm, and erosion rates were 0.12 and 1.46 Mg ha^-1, respectively. Compost application rate significantly affected the transport of DP, TP, and NO₃-N in runoff. The experimental results indicate that stiff‐stemmed grass hedges, planted at selected downslope intervals, can significantly reduce the transport of nutrients in runoff from areas with a range of soil nutrient values.