Nutrient and contaminant profiles of soil, herbage and dung from sheep grazed pastures with varying phosphorus fertiliser histories
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.33584/jnzg.2025.87.3774Abstract
country pastures improves productivity and increases the risk of contaminants, particularly cadmium (Cd), that accumulate in soil. This study explores the macronutrient and Cd profiles of soil, herbage, and sheep dung as influenced by contrasting P fertiliser histories: no fertiliser (NF), low fertiliser (LF), and high fertiliser (HF) input. Soil samples from HF showed higher Olsen P, total P, sulphate-S and total Cd
compared with NF and LF. Herbage from HF contained higher concentrations of P, K, S, and Cd, with a shift in botanical composition favouring perennial ryegrass. Compared with NF, dung samples from HF had higher concentrations of N (2.4 vs 2.2%), P (0.97 vs 0.54%), indicating greater cycling of nutrients and contaminants through the animal. These findings highlight the legacy effects of P fertiliser use on nutrient and contaminant cycling in hill country systems and support efforts to model their long-term agroecological impact.
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