Development of BBSRC's capacity to use 18O-PO4 isotopes to better understand phosphorus cycling in agricultural systems
Lead Research Organisation:
Rothamsted Research
Department Name: Sustainable Soils and Grassland Systems
Abstract
Switzerland
Organisations
- Rothamsted Research, United Kingdom (Lead Research Organisation)
- James Hutton Institute (Collaboration)
- Smithsonian Institution, United States (Collaboration)
- University of Bristol, United Kingdom (Collaboration)
- Lancaster University (Collaboration)
- Westcountry Rivers Trust (Collaboration)
- Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology (Collaboration)
- Natural England, United Kingdom (Collaboration)
- Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH), Zurich (Project Partner)
Publications
Blackwell, MSA
(2014)
Changes in wheat root morphology under different phosphorus fertiliser supply rates
Darch T
(2014)
A Meta-Analysis of Organic and Inorganic Phosphorus in Organic Fertilizers, Soils, and Water: Implications for Water Quality
in Critical Reviews in Environmental Science and Technology
Giles CD
(2017)
Response-based selection of barley cultivars and legume species for complementarity: Root morphology and exudation in relation to nutrient source.
in Plant science : an international journal of experimental plant biology
Granger SJ
(2018)
The stable oxygen isotope ratio of resin extractable phosphate derived from fresh cattle faeces.
in Rapid communications in mass spectrometry : RCM
Granger SJ
(2017)
Phosphate stable oxygen isotope variability within a temperate agricultural soil.
in Geoderma
Granger SJ
(2017)
The oxygen isotopic composition of phosphate in river water and its potential sources in the Upper River Taw catchment, UK.
in The Science of the total environment
HASLAM R
(2019)
Phosphorus use efficiency and fertilizers: future opportunities for improvements
in Frontiers of Agricultural Science and Engineering
Johnston A
(2016)
Determining the longer term decline in plant-available soil phosphorus from short-term measured values
in Soil Use and Management
| Description | 1) That under certain specific situations the d18O-PO4 tool can be used to trace/identify sources on PO4 in water. That animal wastes appear to have a distinct and separate d18O-PO4 to most other PO4 sources. 2)Land management may have an effect on soil d18O-PO4 values. Tentative evidence indicates that d18O-PO4 within a long term grassland soil profile may vary with depth, in a similar way to the way P concentrations vary with depth, and also other stable isotopes i.e. C and N 3) |
| Exploitation Route | 1 ) This work may help identify animal wastes as sources of PO4 within water courses 2)A global soil survey is planned, investigating comparable fertilized and unfertilized grassland plots to understand how different environmental conditions affect the d18O-PO4 (i.e. the d18O-H2O, temperature, geology etc). |
| Sectors | Agriculture, Food and Drink,Environment,Other |
| Description | EU-COST FA0905 Mineral improved crop production for healthy food and feed |
| Geographic Reach | Asia |
| Policy Influence Type | Membership of a guideline committee |
| URL | http://www.cost.eu/COST_Actions/fa/Actions/FA0905manual |
| Description | Houses of Parliment POSTNOTE 477: Phosphate Resources |
| Geographic Reach | Multiple continents/international |
| Policy Influence Type | Implementation circular/rapid advice/letter to e.g. Ministry of Health |
| Description | NERC Isotope Geosciences Laboratory support grant (North Wyke Farm Platform) |
| Amount | £47,500 (GBP) |
| Funding ID | IP-1564-1115 |
| Organisation | Natural Environment Research Council |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | |
| Description | NERC Isotope Geosciences Laboratory support grant (TRIP and Camel projects) |
| Amount | £33,700 (GBP) |
| Funding ID | IP-1375-0513 |
| Organisation | Natural Environment Research Council |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | |
| Description | Rothamsted Research Internal Fellowship |
| Amount | £300,000 (GBP) |
| Organisation | Rothamsted Research |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 11/2015 |
| End | 11/2018 |
| Description | BBSRC Partnering Award - Building Phosphorus Research Potential: Developing existing methods and exploring the potential of emerging techniques. |
| Organisation | James Hutton Institute |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
| PI Contribution | Host a workshop and stakeholder meeting at Rothamsted comprising delegates from all three institutes to exchange knowledge, ideas and develop programs of work and future proposals focussing on phosphorus cycling in agricultural systems to support the BBSRC priority area of Food Security. To develop and carry out together a preliminary program of work on two BBSRC National Capabilities, namely the Rothamsted Long Term Experiments (LTEs) and the North Wyke Farm Platform (NWFP). This will pump-prime BBSRC responsive mode grant proposals into phosphorus acquisition by arable crops and in grassland systems respectively. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Workshop held at Rothamsted in October 2014 Stakeholder meeting held at Rothamsted October 2014 Disciplines involved are STRI - Dr Ben Turner is Director of the Soils Department at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI) in Panama. He is widely acknowledged as being one of the leading world experts in the field of soil and water phosphorus cycling, with particular expertise in organic phosphorus and its measurement. He has expertise in the measurement of organic phosphorus in waters and soil extracts using 31P-NMR and enzyme hydrolysis techniques, and has been fundamental in the development of these methods over the past 10 years. Ms Dayana Agudo is the laboratory superintendent of the STRI soils laboratory, and an expert in a wide range of techniques in phosphorus analysis, including enzyme hydrolysis and 31P-NMR sample preparation. Ms Alex Bielnicka is a research chemist with expertise in all aspects of phosphorus analysis. Rothamsted Research - Dr Martin Blackwell is PI on the BBSRC organic phosphorus project (BB/K018795/1) with Lancaster University, and is leading studies within Rothamsted which are utilising 31P-NMR and d18O-PO4 stable isotope techniques. Prof Steve McGrath is a PI on Rothamsted's Institute Strategic Programme (ISP) on Delivering Sustainable Systems, and leads the workpackage on "Optimisation of nutrients in soil-plant systems - Determining how phosphorus availability is regulated in soils" (BBS/E/C/00005197), which involves all the Rothamsted staff mentioned in this proposal. Dr Steve Granger is an early career scientist with expertise in the use and application of the d18O-PO4 stable isotope technique for the tracing of phosphate sources and is currently developing this methodology as a tool for indicating enzymatic processes in plants. Dr Jane Hawkins has expertise in the use of HPLC techniques for the analysis of organic compounds, and will work with Prof Haygarth and the postdoc appointed on the new BBSRC project at Lancaster University on the development of this method for measuring organic phosphorus compounds in solution. Lancaster University - Prof Phil Haygarth is an expert on soils and their interactions with connected water-bodies, from catchment to coast and plant to planet. He is lead PI on the BBSRC organic phosphorus project (BB/K018795/1) and currently the President of the British Society of Soil Science. Prof Hao Zhang has expertise in advanced environmental analytical techniques, and developed the DGT (Diffusive Gradients in Thin Films) method for measuring elements and compounds in soils. Dr Ben Surridge has expertise in the use of d18O-PO4 isotope tracers to investigate biological and geochemical controls on phosphorus cycling within freshwater. |
| Impact | none as yet |
| Start Year | 2014 |
| Description | BBSRC Partnering Award - Building Phosphorus Research Potential: Developing existing methods and exploring the potential of emerging techniques. |
| Organisation | Lancaster University |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | Host a workshop and stakeholder meeting at Rothamsted comprising delegates from all three institutes to exchange knowledge, ideas and develop programs of work and future proposals focussing on phosphorus cycling in agricultural systems to support the BBSRC priority area of Food Security. To develop and carry out together a preliminary program of work on two BBSRC National Capabilities, namely the Rothamsted Long Term Experiments (LTEs) and the North Wyke Farm Platform (NWFP). This will pump-prime BBSRC responsive mode grant proposals into phosphorus acquisition by arable crops and in grassland systems respectively. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Workshop held at Rothamsted in October 2014 Stakeholder meeting held at Rothamsted October 2014 Disciplines involved are STRI - Dr Ben Turner is Director of the Soils Department at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI) in Panama. He is widely acknowledged as being one of the leading world experts in the field of soil and water phosphorus cycling, with particular expertise in organic phosphorus and its measurement. He has expertise in the measurement of organic phosphorus in waters and soil extracts using 31P-NMR and enzyme hydrolysis techniques, and has been fundamental in the development of these methods over the past 10 years. Ms Dayana Agudo is the laboratory superintendent of the STRI soils laboratory, and an expert in a wide range of techniques in phosphorus analysis, including enzyme hydrolysis and 31P-NMR sample preparation. Ms Alex Bielnicka is a research chemist with expertise in all aspects of phosphorus analysis. Rothamsted Research - Dr Martin Blackwell is PI on the BBSRC organic phosphorus project (BB/K018795/1) with Lancaster University, and is leading studies within Rothamsted which are utilising 31P-NMR and d18O-PO4 stable isotope techniques. Prof Steve McGrath is a PI on Rothamsted's Institute Strategic Programme (ISP) on Delivering Sustainable Systems, and leads the workpackage on "Optimisation of nutrients in soil-plant systems - Determining how phosphorus availability is regulated in soils" (BBS/E/C/00005197), which involves all the Rothamsted staff mentioned in this proposal. Dr Steve Granger is an early career scientist with expertise in the use and application of the d18O-PO4 stable isotope technique for the tracing of phosphate sources and is currently developing this methodology as a tool for indicating enzymatic processes in plants. Dr Jane Hawkins has expertise in the use of HPLC techniques for the analysis of organic compounds, and will work with Prof Haygarth and the postdoc appointed on the new BBSRC project at Lancaster University on the development of this method for measuring organic phosphorus compounds in solution. Lancaster University - Prof Phil Haygarth is an expert on soils and their interactions with connected water-bodies, from catchment to coast and plant to planet. He is lead PI on the BBSRC organic phosphorus project (BB/K018795/1) and currently the President of the British Society of Soil Science. Prof Hao Zhang has expertise in advanced environmental analytical techniques, and developed the DGT (Diffusive Gradients in Thin Films) method for measuring elements and compounds in soils. Dr Ben Surridge has expertise in the use of d18O-PO4 isotope tracers to investigate biological and geochemical controls on phosphorus cycling within freshwater. |
| Impact | none as yet |
| Start Year | 2014 |
| Description | BBSRC Partnering Award - Building Phosphorus Research Potential: Developing existing methods and exploring the potential of emerging techniques. |
| Organisation | Smithsonian Institution |
| Department | Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute |
| Country | Panama |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | Host a workshop and stakeholder meeting at Rothamsted comprising delegates from all three institutes to exchange knowledge, ideas and develop programs of work and future proposals focussing on phosphorus cycling in agricultural systems to support the BBSRC priority area of Food Security. To develop and carry out together a preliminary program of work on two BBSRC National Capabilities, namely the Rothamsted Long Term Experiments (LTEs) and the North Wyke Farm Platform (NWFP). This will pump-prime BBSRC responsive mode grant proposals into phosphorus acquisition by arable crops and in grassland systems respectively. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Workshop held at Rothamsted in October 2014 Stakeholder meeting held at Rothamsted October 2014 Disciplines involved are STRI - Dr Ben Turner is Director of the Soils Department at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI) in Panama. He is widely acknowledged as being one of the leading world experts in the field of soil and water phosphorus cycling, with particular expertise in organic phosphorus and its measurement. He has expertise in the measurement of organic phosphorus in waters and soil extracts using 31P-NMR and enzyme hydrolysis techniques, and has been fundamental in the development of these methods over the past 10 years. Ms Dayana Agudo is the laboratory superintendent of the STRI soils laboratory, and an expert in a wide range of techniques in phosphorus analysis, including enzyme hydrolysis and 31P-NMR sample preparation. Ms Alex Bielnicka is a research chemist with expertise in all aspects of phosphorus analysis. Rothamsted Research - Dr Martin Blackwell is PI on the BBSRC organic phosphorus project (BB/K018795/1) with Lancaster University, and is leading studies within Rothamsted which are utilising 31P-NMR and d18O-PO4 stable isotope techniques. Prof Steve McGrath is a PI on Rothamsted's Institute Strategic Programme (ISP) on Delivering Sustainable Systems, and leads the workpackage on "Optimisation of nutrients in soil-plant systems - Determining how phosphorus availability is regulated in soils" (BBS/E/C/00005197), which involves all the Rothamsted staff mentioned in this proposal. Dr Steve Granger is an early career scientist with expertise in the use and application of the d18O-PO4 stable isotope technique for the tracing of phosphate sources and is currently developing this methodology as a tool for indicating enzymatic processes in plants. Dr Jane Hawkins has expertise in the use of HPLC techniques for the analysis of organic compounds, and will work with Prof Haygarth and the postdoc appointed on the new BBSRC project at Lancaster University on the development of this method for measuring organic phosphorus compounds in solution. Lancaster University - Prof Phil Haygarth is an expert on soils and their interactions with connected water-bodies, from catchment to coast and plant to planet. He is lead PI on the BBSRC organic phosphorus project (BB/K018795/1) and currently the President of the British Society of Soil Science. Prof Hao Zhang has expertise in advanced environmental analytical techniques, and developed the DGT (Diffusive Gradients in Thin Films) method for measuring elements and compounds in soils. Dr Ben Surridge has expertise in the use of d18O-PO4 isotope tracers to investigate biological and geochemical controls on phosphorus cycling within freshwater. |
| Impact | none as yet |
| Start Year | 2014 |
| Description | Phosphate source identification in the River Camel catchment using d18O-PO4 isotopic tracing techniques |
| Organisation | Natural England |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
| PI Contribution | The River Camel has been identified as failing WFD good status for phosphate and fish. In order that the most important pollution sources can be targeted and appropriate Programmes of Measures (PoMs) can be implemented, it is important that the specific key sources of phosphate are identified. There are a number of approaches that can be used to do this, all of which have their advantages and disadvantages, and which may, or may not, be applicable in particular circumstances. We will use the _18O-PO4 tracing technique to attempt to identify specific sources of phosphate within the Camel catchment. Up to five potentially important sources of phosphate (e.g. milk factory waste, slurry, septic tanks, mineral fertiliser P, sewage treatment plants) will be identified in each sub-catchment and the _18O-PO4 isotopic signal from these will be identified. During periods of baseflow, river water will be sampled for isotopic signature identification, along with up to eight samples from strategic locations within the catchment. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Expertise, equipment and facilities. |
| Impact | 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2016.09.007 |
| Start Year | 2013 |
| Description | Soil chemical properties affecting selenium retention in soil and uptake in wheat grain |
| Organisation | Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology |
| Country | Switzerland |
| Sector | Public |
| PI Contribution | We provided the samples from the Sample Archive |
| Collaborator Contribution | They analysed the samples |
| Impact | Papers will be written |
| Start Year | 2015 |
| Description | The Taw River Improvement Partnership |
| Organisation | Westcountry Rivers Trust |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
| PI Contribution | We propose to use the _18O-PO4 tracing technique to attempt to identify specific sources of phosphate within the Taw catchment. Up to five potentially important sources of phosphate (e.g. milk factory waste, slurry, septic tanks, mineral fertiliser P, sewage treatment plants) will be identified in each sub-catchment and the _18O-PO4 isotopic signal from these will be identified along with the isotopic signal within the river system. |
| Start Year | 2012 |
| Description | The spatial variability of soil P and its stable oxygen isotope values |
| Organisation | University of Bristol |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | There is growing interest in the potential for using the d18OPO4 values of different phosphate sources in the environment to enable identification of sources of phosphate in surface waters. However, the application of this approach to identifying phosphate sources is still very much at the developmental stage, and there are many fundamental questions that require answering. One such question is how variable soil d18OPO4 is at different scales and under different managements. An MSc project collaboration with Bristol University was initiated to examine this variability. |
| Start Year | 2013 |
| Description | Arsenic in Rice South-South Exchange Network International Collaboration |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Arsenic in Rice South-South Exchange Network International Collaboration no actual impacts realised to date |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2010 |
| URL | http://irri.org/index.php?option=com_k2&view=item&id=9423%3Abangladesh-international-workshop-on-ars... |
| Description | European Sustainable Phosphorus Platform |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Other academic audiences (collaborators, peers etc.) |
| Results and Impact | ESPP brings together partners in industry, knowledge institutes and public establishments to promote and implement phosphorus sustainability in Europe Unknown |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2013,2014 |
| URL | http://www.phosphorusplatform.eu/ |
| Description | International Year of Soils |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an open day or visit at my research institution |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | Yes |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Received lots of positive feedback from the public unknown |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2015 |
| Description | Selenium and arsenic in cereal grains. PHIME symposium, Vouliagemeni, Greece |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Type Of Presentation | paper presentation |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Talk sparked questions and discussions afterwards NA |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2010 |
| Description | Stakeholder meeting on the Sustainable Use of Phosphorus Resources in Agriculture |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | 25 participants from various backgrounds- industry , policy makers and research attended a round table meeting including research presentations from Scientists and feedback what the challenges of Phosphorus in agriculture are from industry perception. Discussion included: Industry Challenges Prediction of long-term availability of phosphorus (P) to crops under prevailing and future P supply Science to guide best management practices for recycling P Research required to improve fertiliser recommendations for more efficient use of P Meeting help to highlight where possible research should follow next |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2014 |