Assessing the topographic distribution of legacy soil phosphorus in agricultural fields of the Delmarva Peninsula, Mid-Atlantic Coastal Plain, USA

Journal of Environmental Quality
By: , and 

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Abstract

Phosphorus (P) management remains a challenge in agricultural watersheds. The Choptank River Conservation Effects Assessment Project watershed, located in Maryland and Delaware and draining to the Chesapeake Bay, contains legacy soil P from historical dairy and poultry manure applications. These practices elevated soil P beyond crop needs, contributing to persistent P export to aquatic ecosystems. We assessed spatial P distribution and analyzed GIS (Geographic Information Systems)-derived landscape features driving legacy P movement on a farm (47 ha). We hypothesized that P accumulates in drained lowlands and depressional areas due to gravity-driven processes that accelerate P-enriched water to receiving waters via overland flow. In collaboration with the US Department of Agriculture Legacy P project, we collected 105 soil samples (0- to 5-cm and 5- to 15-cm depths) and 14 ditch sediment samples across five topographic openness classes from a farm with >100 years of dairy manure application. Average Mehlich-III P concentrations were 218 and 179 mg kg−1 at 0- to 5-cm and 5- to 15-cm depths, respectively, with legacy areas defined by P content > 100 mg kg−1. Soil P and clay particle size were positively correlated (r = 0.42, p < 0.05), increased as landscape openness decreased, and were negatively correlated with topographic openness (ranging from −0.2 to −0.4, p < 0.05), indicating accumulation of P and clay in low-lying areas. These patterns suggest that historical field-level managements have primarily shaped P distribution, while hydrologic and landscape properties further influence its redistribution via transport pathways and drainage. These findings support the development of landscape models to map critical source areas in low-relief watersheds and guide targeted mitigation in high-risk P export zones.

Publication type Article
Publication Subtype Journal Article
Title Assessing the topographic distribution of legacy soil phosphorus in agricultural fields of the Delmarva Peninsula, Mid-Atlantic Coastal Plain, USA
Series title Journal of Environmental Quality
DOI 10.1002/jeq2.70101
Volume 55
Issue 1
Publication Date November 29, 2025
Year Published 2026
Language English
Publisher American Society of Agronomy, Crop Science Society of America, and Soil Science Society of America
Contributing office(s) Lower Mississippi-Gulf Water Science Center
Description e70101, 15 p.
Country United States
State Maryland
Other Geospatial Tuckahoe Creek watershed
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