Nutrient runoff from a Korean rice paddy watershed during multiple storm events in the growing season

SummaryThe concentrations and loading characteristics of total nitrogen (TN) and total phosphorous (TP) in runoff from a 50.1-ha rice paddy field watershed in South Korea were investigated for eight storm events during the 1998–2001 growing seasons. TN concentrations in total runoff were inversely related to discharge, except in periods with high fertilization rates. In contrast, TP concentrations were strongly proportional to discharge under non-ponded paddy conditions, but not correlated with discharge under most ponded paddy conditions. Stormflow and irrigation return flow were separated from total runoff using the constant-discharge method. The flow-weighted mean TN concentration in stormflow was lower than that in irrigation return flow, mainly because of rainwater dilution, except for periods with a residual fertilizer effect. The flow-weighted mean TP concentration in stormflow, however, was always higher than that in irrigation return flow, likely a result of sediment-associated phosphorus transport. The ratio of mean TP concentration in stormflow to that in irrigation return flow under ponded paddy conditions (1.6) was approximately one-half that under non-ponded conditions (3.1), suggesting that ponding on paddy fields played an important role in reducing soil erosion-related phosphorus export. Relationships between TN loads and stormflow runoff volumes were found except during a storm event in the high fertilization period (p < 0.05). TP loads were also correlated with stormflow runoff volumes (p < 0.05), except for storm events under non-ponded and dry antecedent conditions. These results indicate that nitrogen runoff from paddy field watersheds depends on fertilization rates, while phosphorus runoff is controlled by ponding conditions.