Forage production and phosphorus phytoremediation in manure-impacted soils

Amounts of manure generated by concentrated animal operations often exceed the capacity of nearby land, and stricter environmental regulations lead to creation of pockets of highly impacted sites within a watershed basin. Linking forage production with manure utilization can be an effective approach for addressing both the problems of manure disposal and impact reductions on water quality. In general, cropping patterns, climate, topography, and fertilization practices affect concentrations of nutrients, including N and P in runoff waters. Forage plants include diverse groups of grasses and legumes adapted to different climatic zones and varying soil fertility. To optimize the P remediation in affected sites, knowledge of P forms and soil properties is crucial. Given the possibility of producing high quality and quantity of herbage from such impacted agricultural areas, it would be worthwhile to utilize existing knowledge of herbage production from differentially manured soils and optimize nutrient uptakes. This review attempts to consolidate the available information on the potentials and limitations of pasture usage for phytoremediation of Pin affected soils. Such herbage production systems may not only be environmentally sound for recycling of nutrients and minimizing nutrient loss to water bodies, but they may also help farmers/producers to maintain a profitable business enterprise.