Managing multi-functional peri-urban landscapes: Impacts of horse-keeping on water quality

Eutrophication assessments in water management to quantify nutrient loads and identify mitigating measures seldom include the contribution from horse facilities. This may be due to lack of appropriate methods, limited resources, or the belief that the impact from horses is insignificant. However, the recreational horse sector is growing, predominantly in multi-functional peri-urban landscapes. We applied an ecosystem management approach to quantify nutrient loads from horse facilities in the Stockholm Region, Sweden. We found that horses increased the total loads with 30-40% P and 20-45% N, with average area-specific loads of 1.2 kg P and 7.6 kg N ha-1 year-1. Identified local risk factors included manure management practices, trampling severity, soil condition and closeness to water. Comparisons of assessment methods showed that literature standard values of area-specific loads and water runoff may be sufficient at the catchment level, but in small and more complex catchments, measurements and local knowledge are needed

Mitigating phosphorus leaching from a clay loam through structure liming

Phosphorus (P) losses from clay soils can be mitigated by introducing measures for improving soil structure. These include structure liming, where a mixture of CaO or Ca(OH)2 and CaCO3 is added to the soil. In a field experiment with separately tile-drained plots on a clay loam in Sweden, we examined the effects of structure liming on leaching of total-P, phosphate P (PO4-P) and total nitrogen (N) during three years after initial application. The treatments included two application rates (8 and 16 t ha−1) of a common product in comparison with a control (no lime). Effects of structure liming emerged during the second and third year after application, with 45 and 38% lower total-P leaching than in the unlimed control. A significant effect of the application rate was found in the third year. Nitrogen leaching and crop yield were not affected. As expected, soil pH raised following structure lime addition. Measurements of aggregate stability did not confirm the reduction in P leaching, indicating that it is important to measure P concentrations in drainage water directly when assessing the effect of structure liming

Who enrols and graduates from web-based pharmacy education - Experiences from Northern Sweden

Introduction: As a response to the shortage of prescriptionists in Northern Sweden, a web-based Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy program was introduced at Umeå University in 2003. This study explored who is likely to enrol and graduate from the web-based bachelor program and whether the program has addressed the shortage of prescriptionists in rural Northern Sweden. Methods: Data from three different sources were included in this study; the initial cohort including students admitted to the program in 2003 (survey), the entire cohort including all people admitted to the program between 2003 and 2014 (university\u27s admissions data) and the alumni cohort including graduates who participated in an alumni survey in 2015. Results: A typical student of the web-based pharmacy program is female, over 30 years of age, married or in a de-facto relationship and has children. Furthermore, the students graduating before 2009 were more likely to live in Northern Sweden compared to those graduating later. Discussion and conclusion: The results indicate that the introduction of a web-based bachelor of pharmacy program at Umeå University was to some extent able to address the shortage of prescriptionists in Northern Sweden. Web-based education may potentially help address the maldistribution of health professionals by providing flexible education opportunities

Effects of spring and autumn tillage, catch crops, and pig manure application on long-term nutrient leaching from a loamy sand

A field experiment with separately tile-drained plots was established on a sandy loam soil in 1993 to investigate management practices that can reduce nutrient leaching. Practices tested included timing of tillage in autumn or spring (ploughing with or without preceding cultivation) and catch crops in systems with mineral fertilizer alone or in combination with pig manure. Drainage water from each plot was collected separately and analyzed for total nitrogen (tot-N), nitrate-N (NO3-N), total phosphorus (tot-P), phosphate-P (PO4-P), and potassium (K). Biomass of catch crops, soil mineral N content, and yield of the main crop were also determined. The experimental set-up was modified after 14 years, but the core research questions were the same and the results from the two periods (1993–2006, 2007–2021) were comparable. Spring tillage and undersown catch crops (perennial ryegrass, Lolium perenne L.) reduced tot-N leaching and concentrations in drainage water compared with autumn tillage. However, a combination of spring tillage and catch crop increased tot-P leaching and concentrations in drainage water compared with autumn tillage and no catch crop. Use of pig manure increased tot-N leaching and concentrations in drainage water compared with treatments without pig manure, both with and without a catch crop. Treatments without a catch crop showed substantial growth of biomass during autumn in terms of weeds and volunteer plants, but growing a catch crop resulted in more biomass in most years. A catch crop was more effective in reducing N leaching than only weeds and volunteer plants, probably mainly due to its ability to survive winter and take up and store N over a longer period. Leaching of K increased with a catch crop, while the other treatments did not influence K losses. Yield of main crops was not affected by the different treatments

Nutrient losses over time via surface runoff and subsurface drainage from an agricultural field in northern Sweden

Nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) losses, via both surface runoff and subsurface drainage water, were monitored in an agricultural field in northern Sweden for 32 yr. The objective was to determine losses of N and P in a long-term perspective in relation to meteorological factors and impacts of agricultural land use, with a focus on relative contributions of surface runoff and subsurface drainage water to N and P losses. In order to collect surface runoff water, an embankment was installed on three sides of the field, and the fourth side had an open ditch that drove runoff water to a measuring station. Subsurface water draining from the field was collected in a fishbone-shaped drainage system that terminated at the measuring station. In 50% of years (16/32), mean annual concentration of total N (TN) was significantly higher in subsurface drainage water than in surface runoff water. An opposing trend was seen for total P (TP), with mean annual concentration being significantly higher in surface runoff water than in subsurface drainage water in all but 3 of the 32 yr monitored. Years with a barley crop had higher TN concentration in subsurface drainage water but no difference in surface runoff compared with years with ley. In contrast, years with barley had lower TN concentration in surface runoff than years with ley, with no difference in TP in subsurface drainage water

Växtnäringsförluster från åkermark 2019/2020 : årsredovisning för miljöövervakningsprogrammet Observationsfält på åkermark

Inom programmet Observationsfält på åkermark undersöks avrinning, växtnäringsutlakning och odlingsåtgärder på ett antal fält (13 st) på olika platser i landet som ingår i gårdens normala drift. Programmet ingår i den nationella miljöövervakningen på Jordbruksmark med Naturvårdsverket som ansvarig myndighet och med SLU som ansvarig utförare. I denna rapport redovisas resultat för det agrohydrologiska året juli 2019 – juni 2020. Rapporten redovisar bl.a. flödesvägda årsmedelhalter (mg/l) och transporter av näringsämnen (kg/ha) samt avrinning (mm) för varje fält, medan klimatet redovisas översiktligt för olika delar av Sverige. Året 2019/2020 hade en mild vinter i stora delar av landet medan resten av året hade nära normala temperaturer. Nederbörden var nära det normala eller större än normalt vilket resulterade i att årsavrinningen var nära långtids-medelvärdet för de flesta av fälten. Både årsmedelhalter och årstransporter av kväve och fosfor varierade mellan fält jämfört med respektive långtidsmedelvärde, några fält över, några under och flertalet nära långtidsmedelvärdet. Rapporten redovisar data sedan mätningarnas början vilket sätter enskilda värden i ett större perspektiv. Ett till synes högt eller lågt värde ett enskilt år kanske inte är ovanligt för fältet i fråga om man ser till en längre tidsperiod. Därför är de långa mätserierna för observationsfälten ovärderliga. Ett särskilt kapitel ägnas åt en djupare genomgång av fält 16Z. Mer information och data från undersökningen finns på www.slu.se/mark/dv