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