Increasing the Effectiveness and Adoption of Agricultural Phosphorus Management Strategies to Minimize Water Quality Impairment

Abstract

Phosphorus (P) is essential for optimum agricultural production, but it also causes water quality degradation when lost through erosion (sediment‐attached P), runoff (soluble reactive P; SRP), or leaching (sediment‐attached P or SRP). Implementation of conservation practices (CP) affects P at the source (avoiding), during transport (controlling), or at the water resource edge (trapping). Trade‐offs often occur with CP implementation. For instance, multiple researchers have shown that conservation tillage reduces total P by over 50%, while increasing SRP by upward of 40%. Conservation tillage may increase water quality degradation as SRP is more bioavailable than is particulate P. Conservation practices must be implemented as a system of practices to increase redundancy and to address all loss pathways, such as P management with conservation tillage and a riparian buffer. Further, planning and adoption must be at a watershed scale to ensure practices are placed in critical source areas, thereby providing the most treatment for the least price. Farmers must be involved in watershed planning, which should include financial backstopping and educational outreach. It is imperative that CPs be used more effectively to reduce and retard off‐site P losses. New and innovative CPs are needed to improve control of P leaching, address legacy stores of soil test P, and mitigate increased P losses expected with climate change. Without immediate changes to CP implementation, P losses will increase due to climate change, with a concomitant degradation of water quality. These changes must be made at a watershed scale and in an intentional and transparent manner. Core Ideas Phosphorus‐reducing conservation practices must control all P pathways. Phosphorus‐reducing conservation practices must be utilized as systems. New and innovative conservation practices are needed to improve control of P. Farmer decision‐making must be considered when implementing conservation practices. Watershed planning and conservation practice implementation must be intentional.