New paper - Phosphorus balances and legacy soil pressures in two catchments

This paper looked at the phosphorus (P) inputs, outputs, balances and trends in the soil over a 4 year period. The two study catchments were Dunleer and Castledockerell. Although they had both different characteristics – drainage and soil P changes - there is one key message: the scope to improve nutrient distribution. According to the lead author Noeleen McDonald “This emphasises why good nutrient management planning needs to be advocated and supported through knowledge transfer, to optimise agronomic needs on farms and reduce nutrient losses to the environment.” The below chart from the paper shows the soil P index distribution for the two catchments in each year and the entire open access paper is available here for download.