{"id":1333494,"date":"2024-06-20T14:00:00","date_gmt":"2024-06-20T13:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.agriland.ie\/?p=1333494"},"modified":"2024-06-20T13:46:37","modified_gmt":"2024-06-20T12:46:37","slug":"land-in-wexford-had-nearly-double-its-yearly-p-loss-after-day-of-rain","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lightsail.agriland.ie\/farming-news\/land-in-wexford-had-nearly-double-its-yearly-p-loss-after-day-of-rain\/","title":{"rendered":"Land in Wexford had nearly double its yearly P loss after day of rain"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Nearly double the annual phosphorous (P) loss on an area of land in Co. Wexford occurred after one night of rain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On May 21 this year, David Ryan of the Agricultural Catchments Programme (ACP) detailed that there were very localised torrential downpours in Co. Wexford.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He said that one such shower occurred in Castledockrell, Co. Wexford, which is one of six areas in the country being closely monitored by Teagasc\u2019s ACP.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The catchment area of 1,200ha has numerous pieces of automated equipment that continuously monitor rainfall, river flow and nutrient content, and there is now over 15 years of data collected. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Castledockrell for example, phosphorous losses <\/a>are small and concentrations are usually below that required under environmental regulations (WFD).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The average amount of P measured\/year in the stream is 0.37 kg\/ha.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

On May 21, just over 32mm of rain fell on the land that day, most of it over a very short period of time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some 20mm fell in 20 minutes and the remaining 10mm over the following 40 minutes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the following 12 hours, the flood event took with it 0.61 kg\/ha of P, which Ryan said was “close to twice what would normally leave in a year”.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He added that this level of detail would not be achievable without the up-to-date and functioning equipment installed in the catchment with the co-operation of over 300 farmers across the six locations. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ryan stated: “The ACP would like to acknowledge the funding from the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine which enables this research to take place.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The ACP commenced in 2008 and is coordinated and managed from the Teagasc environmental research centre in Johnstown Castle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ryan, a technologist with the ACP said that “many people are surprised to hear the amount of phosphorous (P) that we measure which is lost to our rivers and streams.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“From an agricultural perspective it is very small, but is often significant from an ecological impact in rivers and lakes,” he added.<\/p>\n\n\n