Phosphorus inputs can increase the biological activity of surface waters and this can lead to the destruction of such acquatic ecosystems. This book examines the causes and modes of phosphorus loss from soil to water, aiming to enable the problem to be controlled and managed.

Phosphorus is an essential element for plant growth and its input has long been recognized as necessary to maintain profitable crop production. However, phosphorus inputs can also increase the biological acvitity of surface waters and this can lead to the destruction of such aquatic ecosystems. Advanced eutrophication of surface water leads to problems with its use for fisheries, recreation, industry and drinking, due to the increased growth of undesirable algae and aquatic weeds, and oxygen shortages caused by their death and decomposition. It is therefore important to have a good understanding of the causes and mode of phosphorus loss from soil to water, to enable the problem to be controlled and managed. This book has been developed from an international workshop held in Ireland. It is suitable reading for all soil scientists and freshwater biologists. It is also a resource for environmentalists, ecologists and agriculturalists concerned with sustainable land management. The book is also recommended to fisheries managers, fertilizer manufacturers and biologists working for water utilities.

Phosphorus in agriculture and its environmental implications
estimating the contribution from agriculture to the phosphorus load in surface water
phosphorus losses from agriculture to surface waters in the Nordic countries
reconstructing historical phosphorus concentrations in rural lakes using diatom models
the dynamics of phosphorus in freshwater and marine environments
the behaviour of soil and fertilizer phosphorus
setting and justifying upper critical limits for phosphorus in soils
phosphorus fertilizer strategies - present and future
sources and pathways of phosphorus loss from agriculture
hydrologic and chemical controls on phosphorus loss from catchments
loss of phosphorus in drainage water
sustainable phosphorus management in agriculture
phosphorus requirements for animal production
nutrient management planning
a European fertilizer industry view on the retention and loss of phosphorus in and from agricultural soils
the European perspective
phosphorus loss in surface runnoff, leaching and erosion
catchment studies, modelling and management
phosphorus status of soils and fertilizer recommendations.