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Impact of variable rate nitrogen and reduced irrigation management on nitrate leaching for potato.
- Source :
- Journal of Environmental Quality; Mar/Apr2020, Vol. 49 Issue 2, p281-291, 11p
- Publication Year :
- 2020
-
Abstract
- Nitrogen (N) loss from cropping systems has important environmental implications, including contamination of drinking water with nitrate. A 2‐yr study evaluated the effects of six N rate, source, and timing treatments, including a variable rate (VR) N treatment based on the N sufficiency index approach using remote sensing, and two irrigation rate treatments, including conventional and reduced rate, on nitrate leaching, residual soil nitrate, and plant N uptake for potato (Solanum tuberosum L. cv. Russet Burbank) production in 2016 and 2017 on a Hubbard loamy sand. Nitrate leaching losses measured with suction‐cup lysimeters varied between 2016 and 2017 with flow‐weighted mean nitrate N concentrations of 5.6 and 12.8 mg N L−1, respectively, and increased from 7.1 to 10.4 mg N L−1 as N rate increased from 45 to 270 kg N ha−1. Despite reductions in N rate of 22 and 44 kg N ha−1 in 2016 and 2017, respectively, for the VR N treatment, there was no significant difference in nitrate leaching compared with the existing N best management practices (BMPs). Reducing irrigation rate by 15% decreased nitrate leaching load by 17% through a reduction in percolation. Residual soil nitrate N in the top 60 cm across all treatments (7.9 mg N kg−1) suggests a risk for nitrate leaching during the nongrowing season, and plant N uptake did not explain yearly variation in nitrate leaching and residual soil nitrate. Although existing N BMPs are effective at controlling N losses, development of alternative practices is needed to further reduce the risk of groundwater contamination. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 00472425
- Volume :
- 49
- Issue :
- 2
- Database :
- Supplemental Index
- Journal :
- Journal of Environmental Quality
- Publication Type :
- Academic Journal
- Accession number :
- 143304402
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.1002/jeq2.20028