Long-Term Dynamics of Labile and Stable Phosphorus Following Poultry Litter Application to Pasture Soils

A major source of runoff phosphorus (P) from agricultural soils is land-applied animal manure. Our work reports P levels in pasture soils in northern Alabama affected by long-term (0–20 years) application of poultry litter (PL). Sequential fractionation revealed different buildup patterns of labile and stable P fractions in these soils. Phosphorus built up in subsurface (20–40 cm and 40–60 cm deep) soils with lower application rates than P accumulated in surface (0–20 cm deep) soils, indicating a greater potential for surface runoff than leaching from these pasture fields. Correlation analysis of the surface soils showed levels of stable P extractable by sodium hydroxide (NaOH) were related to the cumulative amount of PL applied. The level of water-extractable P increased because PL application was significantly related to the number of years the soil receiving PL, not the annual application rate or the cumulative amount of PL applied.