The objective of this study was to apply the WEND model, a nutrient mass balance model, to the Castor watershed in southern Quebec to evaluate phosphorus movement, storage and export over time. The WEND model was customized to run on a field-scale and then individually applied to 266 fields on the watershed for a 30-year simulation period. Field-specific information for the period of 1997-1999, was used as basic inputs to the model. Climatic information was obtained from local sources. The additional information required to run the model was derived from the literature. Model outputs were analysed at three different levels: (i) the overall watershed impacts, (ii) by cropping system, and (iii) for field management practices presenting a high risk of P losses. Specific outputs examined were: soil test Mehlich-III P, soil P saturation with aluminium, RUSLE soil loss potential and TP export. / The model was used to examine the impacts of crop rotations, fertilizer application and tillage management on TP export. For the Castor watershed, the soil test P increased at a mean rate of 3.71 kg Mehlich-III P ha -1 yr-1, equivalent to a mean input of about 32 kg P2O5 ha-1 yr-1 in excess of plant requirements, assuming current field management practices remain constant. / If TP export is considered the most important parameter in terms of P contamination, crop rotations are a good alternative to continuous corn monocropping under which losses could reach as high as 3.36 kg TP ha-1 yr -1. Crop rotations were shown to be an important management practice that should be more carefully examined when establishing field management practices. Just one year of grassland within a rotation can greatly improve the overall environmental health of a watershed. The management of P inputs is also an important target for improvement, as fertiliser inputs often surpassed plant requirements by two- or three-fold.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:LACETR/oai:collectionscanada.gc.ca:QMM.81612 |
| Date | January 2005 |
| Creators | Choquette, Carolyne |
| Publisher | McGill University |
| Source Sets | Library and Archives Canada ETDs Repository / Centre d'archives des thèses électroniques de Bibliothèque et Archives Canada |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Coverage | Master of Science (Department of Bioresource Engineering.) |
| Rights | All items in eScholarship@McGill are protected by copyright with all rights reserved unless otherwise indicated. |
| Relation | alephsysno: 002210883, proquestno: AAIMR12415, Theses scanned by UMI/ProQuest. |
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