Phosphorus Loss from Soil to Water

by H Tunney, P C Brookes, A E Johnston

Overview

Phosphorus is an essential element for plant growth and its input has long been recognised as necessary to maintain profitable crop production. However, phosphorus inputs can also increase the biological activity of surface waters and this can lead to the destruction of such aquatic ecosystems. Advanced eutrophication of surface water leads to problems with its use for fisheries, recreation, industry and drinking, due to the increased growth of undesirable algae and aquatic weeds, and oxygen shortages caused by their death and decomposition. It is therefore important to have a good understanding of the causes and mode of phosphorus loss from soil to water, to enable the problems to be controlled and managed. This book has been developed from an international workshop held in Ireland in late 1995. It is the first comprehensive consideration of the topic, and many leading researchers in the area have contributed to it. It is essential reading for all soil scientists and freshwater biologists, as well as for environmentalists, ecologists and agriculturalists concerned with sustainable land management and pollution. The book is also recommended to fisheries managers, fertilizer manufacturers and biologists working for water utilities.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780851991566
Publisher:	CABI
Publication date:	05/01/1997
Series:	CABI Series
Pages:	352
Product dimensions:	6.75(w) x 9.25(h) x 1.30(d)

About the Author

both at Teagasc Johnstown Castle Research Centre, Wexford

both at IACR, Rothamsted

Table of Contents

1. Phosphorus in agriculture and its environmental implications

Editorial Reviews

"[This book] provides a comprehensive reference resource on the state of knowledge concerning the processes and mechanisms associated with phosphorus losses from fields and catchments....The book is essential reading for all soil scientists and agronomists as well as those in the fertilizer industry. It is also a thought-provoking resource for environmentalists, ecologists, and agriculturalists concerned with sustainable land management."—Journal of the American Water Resources Association

"I recommend this book for those scientists and managers interested in the biogeochemistry of phosphorus, the movement of P and other pollutants through the landscape, nonpoint-source pollution, and the role of agriculture in aquatic eutrophication. The book provides an interesting mix of process-level studies, landscape and watershed analysis, and management concerns. The book succeeds in making a strong case for the importance of agriculture in P losses to aquatic ecosystems, and discusses management alternatives to deal with the issue. Recommendations are strongly backed up by data throughout the book. . .Agricultural studies have a long history of making important contributions to ecosystem science, and this volume continues in that tradition." —Ecology

"Contamination of surface waters by phosphorus is a concern in many regions of high population density and intensive agriculture. In the past, municipal and industrial effluents were largely held responsible for such contamination, and many of these point sources have been controlled. The emphasis has now shifted to identifying and controlling the more diffuse P sources, which are largely attributed to agricultural activities. This task is more difficult, and [this] volume attests to the large amount of research that has gone into this problem. The book's 18 chapters and 44 posters under three headings represent the proceedings of a conference held in Ireland in 1995. . . . the main papers cover the topic exhaustively. The posters contribute case studies, but also some conceptual approaches such as the P indexing system for estimation of export potential. . . . In summary, this volume is a mine of information."—Soil Science

From the Publisher