Effect of thatch on water-soluble phosphorus of pasture soil fertilized with broiler litter

Abstract

The presence of a thatch layer in established pastures could reduce the contact between broiler litter and soil, thus increasing the potential for surface runoff contamination with litter P. We conducted a laboratory study to evaluate the effect of a thatch layer on the dynamics of water-soluble P in undisturbed cores taken from a pasture. Cores with and without a thatch layer received a surface application of broiler litter (5 t hm⁻²) and were incubated at 25°C for 56 d. The result showed that on the soil surface the contents of water soluble-P (39 kg hm⁻²) of the cores with the thatch layer was higher than that (20 kg hm⁻²) of the cores without the thatch layer. Therefore on well-established pastures fertilized with broiler litter, the presence of a thatch layer might lead to high concentrations of water-soluble P on the soil surface.

Keywords

Pastures / Water-soluble phosphorus / Broiler litter / S714.8 / A

References

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