Water‐Leachable Nutrients from Frozen or Dried Prairie Vegetation

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Abstract
Runoff from agricultural lands in South Dakota is mainly from melting snow and spring rains. Nutrient enrichment of this water may be enhanced during the fall and winter by the rupturing of plant cells by freezing. Native prairie vegetation and mulch were sampled in late summer, early fall, and spring to determine the effect freezing, in comparison to drying, would have on nutrient release to water. Release of Ca, Mg, K, P, NO3‐N, and NH4‐N by freezing was related to stage of growth or decomposition of the vegetation. Freezing increased nutrient release if the vegetation were growing when it was frozen. Soil genesis, ecological relations between plant species, and runoff water quality could be affected by the relative release of different kinds of nutrients.

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