Abstract

The Baltic Sea is one of the most eutrophied water bodies in northern Europe and more than 50% of its total anthropogenic waterborne phosphorus (P) and nitrogen (N) loads derive from agricultural sources. Sweden is the second largest contributor of waterborne N and the third largest contributor of waterborne P to the Baltic Sea. Horse farms now occupy almost 10% of Swedish agricultural land, but are not well investigated with regard to their environmental impact. In this study, potential P, N and carbon (C) leaching losses were measured from two representative horse paddock topsoils (0-20 cm; a clay and a loamy sand) following simulated rainfall events in the laboratory. Results showed that the leachate concentrations and net release of P, N and dissolved organic C (DOC) from paddock topsoils were highest in feeding and excretion areas and considerably higher from the loamy sand than the clay paddock topsoil. Leaching losses of dissolved reactive P (DRP) were significantly (p < 0.05) correlated with concentrations of water-soluble P and ammonium acetate lactate-extractable P (P-AL) in the soil, while leaching losses of dissolved organic P and total organic N were significantly correlated with DOC concentration in leachate. Leaching loads of P and N from paddock topsoils greatly exceeded average figures for Swedish agricultural topsoils. It was concluded that: i) horse paddocks pose a potential threat to water quality via leaching of excess P and N, ii) feeding and excretion areas are potential hotspots for highly enhanced leaching losses, and iii) paddocks established on sandy soils are particularly susceptible to high N leaching losses.

Keywords

Animal grazing; Eutrophication; Horse keeping; Nitrogen and phosphorus; Nutrient losses

Published in

Journal of Environmental Management
2015, Volume: 147, pages: 306-313
Publisher: ACADEMIC PRESS LTD- ELSEVIER SCIENCE LTD

SLU Authors

• Parvage, Masud

  • Department of Soil and Environment, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
    

• Ulen, Barbro

  • Department of Soil and Environment, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
    

• Kirchmann, Holger

  • Department of Soil and Environment, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
    

Sustainable Development Goals

SDG6 Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all


UKÄ Subject classification

Environmental Sciences related to Agriculture and Land-use
Environmental Sciences


Publication identifier

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2014.09.019

Permanent link to this page (URI)

https://res.slu.se/id/publ/70071