Soil health tradeoffs may be minimal in phosphorus‐enriched Coastal Plain soils

Soil health practices can improve soil conditions and provide ecosystem services, but increased risk of phosphorus (P) loss be an unintended consequence. We investigated conservation tillage cover crops effects on P stratification, accumulation at depth, aggregation for sandy Coastal Plain soils from the Mid-Atlantic United States cores 10 agricultural fields with 0–15 years or cropping were analyzed Mehlich-3 dry aggregate stability. found no evidence that caused stratification in study already enriched prior to implementation. Annual particulate, dissolved runoff, leachate loads decreased when estimated using North Carolina Phosphorus Loss Assessment Tool assuming no-till (soil health) compared conventional till winter fallow (conventional). suggest are unlikely exacerbate losses high beyond their initial profile.