Targeting phosphorus loss with carbon farming practices? Results from an on-farm study

Abstract

Agricultural soils lose P to waterbodies and C to the atmosphere. Reversing the C trend requires change in management (carbon farming), but what is the effect of carbon farming practices on P transport from soils to waterbodies? This was empirically studied by analyzing the P loss risks from 20 farms participating in a 5-year on-farm carbon farming experiment. We evaluated the effect of C farming practices on soil P balance, P stocks, and potential P loss through surface and subsurface runoff and erosion. Based on the results, carbon farming had only minor impacts on P loss compared with the current soil conservation practices already applied by the farms. The farmers did not utilize the opportunity to reduce P fertilization through some carbon farming practices which could improve soil P availability, therefore resulting in weak P balances. Furthermore, only a small fraction of the field area (18%) was responsible for the majority (50%) of the estimated P loss, indicating the importance of P loss hotspots. C farming practices do not seem to improve water quality unless they are tailored to target key processes of P loss such as maintaining a negative P balance on high-P sites, reducing runoff, and focusing on local critical source areas.