A 10‐year study of phosphorus balances and the impact of grazed grassland on total P redistribution within the soil profile

Phosphorus (P) inputs (wet deposition and fertilizer P) and outputs (animal product and drainflow) were studied on reseeded grazed grassland swards receiving different nitrogen (N) inputs (100–500 kg N ha^?1 year^?1) for 10 years (March 1989–February 1999), at an experimental site in Northern Ireland. All plots received the same maintenance application of P fertilizer (8.5 kg P ha^?1 year^?1) to meet grass requirements, to minimize the P surplus and to quantify the impact on P losses to land drainage water. The annual flow weighted mean total P concentrations in drainflow ranged from 187 to 273 μg P litre^?1 and were well above the concentrations believed to trigger eutrophication. Annual total P lost to drainage water ranged from 0.28 to 1.73 kg P ha^?1, but was unaffected by N input. As the average annual P balance was zero, there was no significant change in total P in the top 15 cm of soil. However, there was a highly significant redistribution of P to the soil surface from the 10–15 cm depth, possibly as a result of root acquisition and earthworm activity. Total P in the top 5 cm of soil increased from 0.85 g kg^?1 to 1.04 g kg^?1, over the 10 years of the study, despite there being no net P input. This P accumulation in the top few cm of soil is likely to exacerbate P losses in overland flow and make improvements in water quality difficult to achieve.