Nitrate retention under sugarcane in wet tropical Queensland deep soil profiles

Soil Research ◽  
2003 ◽  
Vol 41 (6) ◽  
pp. 1145 ◽  
Author(s):  
V. Rasiah ◽  
J. D. Armour ◽  
N. W. Menzies ◽  
D. H. Heiner ◽  
M. J. Donn ◽  
...  

Nitrate leaching below the crop root-zone in variable charge soils may be adsorbed at anion exchange sites, thereby temporarily reducing the risk of contamination of water bodies. The objectives of this study were (i) to investigate whether nitrate adsorption, accumulation, and retention in the Johnstone River Catchment of Far North Queensland wet tropics is widespread; (ii) to assess the capacity of soil in the Johnstone River Catchment to retain nitrate; and (iii) to deduce the consequences of nitrate adsorption/desorption on contamination of water bodies. Soil cores ranging from 8 to 12.5 m depth were taken from 28 sites across the catchment, representing 9 Ferrosol soil types under sugarcane (Saccharum officinarum-S) cultivation for at least 50 years and from rainforest. The cores were segmented at 0.5-m depth increments and subsamples were analysed for nitrate-N, cation and anion exchange capacities, pH, exchangeable cations (Ca, Mg, K, Na), soil organic C, electrical conductivity, sulfate-S, and chloride. Nitrate-N concentration under sugarcane ranged from 0 to 72.5 mg/kg, compared with 0 to 0.31 mg/kg under rainforest, both Pin Gin soils. The average N load in 1–12 m depth across 19 highly oxidic profiles of the Pin Gin soil series was 1550 kg/ha, compared with 185 kg/ha under 8 non-Pin Gin soils and 11 kg/ha in rainforest on a Pin Gin soil. Most of the nitrate retention was observed at depth of 2–12 m, particularly at 4–10 m, indicating that the accumulation was well below the crop root-zone. The average maximum potential nitrate retention capacity was 10.8 t/ha for the Pin Gin and 4.7 t/ha for the non-Pin Gin soil. Compared with the current N load, the soils still possess a large capacity to adsorb and retain nitrate in profiles. Retention of large quantities of the leached nitrate deep in most of the profiles has reduced the risk of contamination of water bodies. However, computations show that substantial quantities of the nitrate leached below the root-zone were not adsorbed and remain unaccounted for. This unaccounted nitrate might have entered both on- and off-site water bodies and/or have been denitrified.

Soil Research ◽  
2001 ◽  
Vol 39 (2) ◽  
pp. 329 ◽  
Author(s):  
V. Rasiah ◽  
J. D. Armour

Recent research on the fate of applied fertiliser N in the Ferrosols of the wet tropics of Far North Queensland (FNQ) has shown that the nitrate leaching below the crop root-zone is a major pathway of N loss from paddocks. Information on the fate of this nitrate is essential to develop best N fertiliser management practices and for the long-term sustainability of land and water resources. Because of the ability of Ferrosols to adsorb anions in the soil matrix, it was speculated that the leached nitrate may be accumulating at depth in the Ferrosol profiles. The objectives of this study were to (i) verify whether the leached nitrate has been accumulating in the Ferrosols under the major cropping systems in the Johnstone River Catchment (JRC) of FNQ, and (ii) provide preliminary estimates for nitrate retention capacity of the Ferrosols. Soil cores to a depth of 10 m were taken from under sugarcane (Saccharum officinarum-S), banana (Musa (AAA group, Cavendish subgroup) cv. Williams), dairy pasture, and rainforest in JRC during August 1995. The cores were segmented at 0.5-m depth increments and soil samples were analysed for nitrate- and ammonium-N, cation- (CEC) and anion- (AEC) exchange capacities, pH, Ca2+ , Mg 2+ , K + , Na + , and Cl – . Nitrate-N concentration under sugarcane was as high as 33 mg/kg, compared with 6.9 mg/kg for banana, 0.3 mg/kg under rainforest, and that under pasture was below detection limit. Nitrate-N load in the top 10 m of the profiles under sugarcane ranged from 345 to 1875 kg nitrate-N/ha compared with 145 kg/ ha for banana, and 21 kg/ha under rainforest. Most of the nitrate accumulation was found between 2 and 8 m, i.e. well below the crop root-zone. From 7% to 70% of the nitrate that leached below crop root-zone was retained at depths >1 m. In general, Cl – and total cation (TC = sum of Ca2+ , Mg 2+ , K + , and Na + ) concentrations in the profiles under cropping were higher than those under rainforest, and the pH under sugarcane was more acidic. Simple correlation analysis indicated associations existed between the accumulated nitrate and Cl – , pH, AEC, or TC. The estimated nitrate holding capacity of the Ferrosols ranged from 17 to 32 t N/ha. The results show that large quantities of the nitrate that leached below crop root-zone have accumulated at depth under long-term sugarcane and banana cropping in the Ferrosols of FNQ.


2020 ◽  
Vol 27 (2) ◽  
pp. 2217-2225 ◽  
Author(s):  
Poomadathil Mohammed Shafeeq ◽  
Pramila Aggarwal ◽  
Prameela Krishnan ◽  
Vikas Rai ◽  
Pragati Pramanik ◽  
...  

1997 ◽  
Vol 40 (5) ◽  
pp. 1321-1327 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Katupitiya ◽  
D. E. Eisenhauer ◽  
R. B. Ferguson ◽  
R. F. Spalding ◽  
F. W. Roeth ◽  
...  

Weed Science ◽  
1985 ◽  
Vol 33 (S2) ◽  
pp. 25-32 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. J. Wagenet ◽  
P.S.C. Rao

Modeling is increasingly being used as a tool for the evaluation of the environmental fate of pesticides. Sorption, leaching, degradation, and volatilization are some of the processes being integrated through the use of simulation modeling techniques. Several research programs are focusing their attention on such issues (16, 17, 18, 32, 35), with regulatory agencies involved in management of pesticides also taking a modeling approach (3, 7). Because of the extreme complexity of agroecosystems, it is obvious that the use of simulation models will continue to be the most expeditious, reliable, and cost-effective means of integrating the various processes acting upon a pesticide to determine its fate. For example, modeling will help to summarize and interpret efficacy trials and will provide the vehicle for transferring experimental results to unstudied situations, such as the potential environmental fate of an applied herbicide. However, proper development, testing, and responsible use of a modeling approach must be based upon a thorough, comprehensive understanding of interdependent and dynamic natural processes.


2017 ◽  
Vol 43 (1) ◽  
pp. 112-123
Author(s):  
Łukasz Chabudziński ◽  
Dominik Szulc ◽  
Teresa Brzezińska-Wójcik ◽  
Zdzisław Michalczyk

Author(s):  
Aladdin Halbert-Howard ◽  
Franziska Häfner ◽  
Stefan Karlowsky ◽  
Dietmar Schwarz ◽  
Ariane Krause

Abstract Soilless culture systems offer an environmentally friendly and resource-efficient alternative to traditional cultivation systems fitting within the scheme of a circular economy. The objective of this research was to examine the sustainable integration of recycling fertilizers in hydroponic cultivation—creating a nutrient cycling concept for horticultural cultivation. Using the nutrient film technique (NFT), three recycling-based fertilizer variants were tested against standard synthetic mineral fertilization as the control, with 11 tomato plants (Solanum lycopersicum L. cv. Pannovy) per replicate (n = 4) and treatment: two nitrified urine-based fertilizers differing in ammonium/nitrate ratio (NH4+:NO3−), namely (1) “Aurin” (AUR) and (2) “Crop” (CRO); as well as (3) an organo-mineral mixture of struvite and vinasse (S+V); and (4) a control (NPK). The closed chamber method was adapted for gas fluxes (N2O, CH4, and CO2) from the root zone. There was no indication in differences of the total shoot biomass fresh matter and uptake of N, P and K between recycling fertilizers and the control. Marketable fruit yield was comparable between NPK, CRO and S+V, whereas lower yields occurred in AUR. The higher NH4+:NO3− of AUR was associated with an increased susceptibility of blossom-end-rot, likely due to reduced uptake and translocation of Ca. Highest sugar concentration was found in S+V, which may have been influenced by the presence of organic acids in vinasse. N2O emissions were highest in S+V, which corresponded to our hypothesis that N2O emissions positively correlate with organic-C input by the fertilizer amendments. Remaining treatments showed barely detectable GHG emissions. A nitrified urine with a low NH4+:NO3– (e.g., CRO) has a high potential as recycling fertilizer in NFT systems for tomato cultivation, and S+V proved to supply sufficient P and K for adequate growth and yield. Alternative cultivation strategies may complement the composition of AUR.


2013 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 59-68 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhao Lixi ◽  
Shui Pengbo ◽  
Jiang Fang ◽  
Qiu Hengqing ◽  
Ren Shumei ◽  
...  

2016 ◽  
Vol 96 (2) ◽  
pp. 105-121 ◽  
Author(s):  
W. Daniel Reynolds ◽  
Craig F. Drury ◽  
Gary W. Parkin ◽  
John D. Lauzon ◽  
Joseph K. Saso ◽  
...  

The nitrogen (N) index for humid temperate southern Ontario, Canada (Ontario N index) incorporates previous and current crop type, fertilizer and (or) manure management, and hydrologic soil group (HSG) to estimate risk for contamination of tile drainage water and groundwater by nitrate leached below the primary crop root zone (top 60 cm of soil). The Ontario N index has received limited ground-truthing, and the leaching component was assessed using chloride tracer (ClTR) on five soils (one sandy loam, two loams, and two clay loams) representing four HSG-based risk levels (HSG-A, high risk; HSG-B, medium risk; HSG-C, low risk; HSG-D, very low risk). A square-wave pulse of ClTR was applied to the soil surfaces in fall 2007 as KCl, and movement and loss of ClTR was tracked over 1–1.2 years using monthly soil core samples collected from the top 60–80 cm. For all five soils, 60–96% of ClTR was leached out of the primary crop root zone (below 60 cm depth) during the noncropping period (October 2007 to March 2008 inclusive), and >80% was leached out of the root zone within 1 year. The percentage of ClTR that leached did not correlate with precipitation or HSG designation, but produced significant (P < 0.05) power function regressions with minimum and harmonic mean saturated soil hydraulic conductivity (Ksat) measured in the top 50–60 cm. ClTR leaching rate appeared to be controlled primarily by Ksat in a manner consistent with infiltration and solute transport theory. It was consequently proposed that solute leaching loss versus Ksat relationships may improve N index risk estimates for both southern Ontario and other humid temperate regions.


2005 ◽  
Vol 56 (12) ◽  
pp. 1415
Author(s):  
Y. J. Kliese ◽  
R. C. Dalal ◽  
W. M. Strong ◽  
N. W. Menzies

Piggery pond sludge (PPS) was applied, as-collected (Wet PPS) and following stockpiling for 12 months (Stockpiled PPS), to a sandy Sodosol and clay Vertosol at sites on the Darling Downs of Queensland. Laboratory measures of N availability were carried out on unamended and PPS-amended soils to investigate their value in estimating supplementary N needs of crops in Australia's northern grains region. Cumulative net N mineralised from the long-term (30 weeks) leached aerobic incubation was described by a first-order single exponential model. The mineralisation rate constant (0.057/week) was not significantly different between Control and PPS treatments or across soil types, when the amounts of initial mineral N applied in PPS treatments were excluded. Potentially mineralisable N (No) was significantly increased by the application of Wet PPS, and increased with increasing rate of application. Application of Wet PPS significantly increased the total amount of inorganic N leached compared with the Control treatments. Mineral N applied in Wet PPS contributed as much to the total mineral N status of the soil as did that which mineralised over time from organic N. Rates of CO2 evolution during 30 weeks of aerobic leached incubation indicated that the Stockpiled PPS was more stabilised (19.28% of applied organic C mineralised) than the Wet PPS (35.58% of applied organic C mineralised), due to higher lignin content in the former. Net nitrate-N produced following 12 weeks of aerobic non-leached incubation was highly correlated with net nitrate-N leached during 12 weeks of aerobic incubation (R2 = 0.96), although it was <60% of the latter in both sandy and clayey soils. Anaerobically mineralisable N determined by waterlogged incubation of laboratory PPS-amended soil samples increased with increasing application rate of Wet PPS. Anaerobically mineralisable N from field-moist soil was well correlated with net N mineralised during 30 weeks of aerobic leached incubation (R2 = 0.90 sandy soil; R2 = 0.93 clay soil). In the clay soil, the amount of mineral N produced from all the laboratory incubations was significantly correlated with field-measured nitrate-N in the soil profile (0.1.5 m depth) after 9 months of weed-free fallow following PPS application. In contrast, only anaerobic mineralisable N was significantly correlated with field nitrate-N in the sandy soil. Anaerobic incubation would, therefore, be suitable as a rapid practical test to estimate potentially mineralisable N following applications of different PPS materials in the field.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nde Samuel Che ◽  
Sammy Bett ◽  
Enyioma Chimaijem Okpara ◽  
Peter Oluwadamilare Olagbaju ◽  
Omolola Esther Fayemi ◽  
...  

The degradation of surface water by anthropogenic activities is a global phenomenon. Surface water in the upper Crocodile River has been deteriorating over the past few decades by increased anthropogenic land use and land cover changes as areas of non-point sources of contamination. This study aimed to assess the spatial variation of physicochemical parameters and potentially toxic elements (PTEs) contamination in the Crocodile River influenced by land use and land cover change. 12 surface water samplings were collected every quarter from April 2017 to July 2018 and were analyzed by inductive coupled plasma spectrometry-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). Landsat and Spot images for the period of 1999–2009 - 2018 were used for land use and land cover change detection for the upper Crocodile River catchment. Supervised approach with maximum likelihood classifier was used for the classification and generation of LULC maps for the selected periods. The results of the surface water concentrations of PTEs in the river are presented in order of abundance from Mn in October 2017 (0.34 mg/L), followed by Cu in July 2017 (0,21 mg/L), Fe in April 2017 (0,07 mg/L), Al in July 2017 (0.07 mg/L), while Zn in April 2017, October 2017 and April 2018 (0.05 mg/L). The concentrations of PTEs from water analysis reveal that Al, (0.04 mg/L), Mn (0.19 mg/L) and Fe (0.14 mg/L) exceeded the stipulated permissible threshold limit of DWAF (< 0.005 mg/L, 0.18 mg/L and 0.1 mg/L) respectively for aquatic environments. The values for Mn (0.19 mg/L) exceeded the permissible threshold limit of the US-EPA of 0.05 compromising the water quality trait expected to be good. Seasonal analysis of the PTEs concentrations in the river was significant (p > 0.05) between the wet season and the dry season. The spatial distribution of physicochemical parameters and PTEs were strongly correlated (p > 0.05) being influenced by different land use type along the river. Analysis of change detection suggests that; grassland, cropland and water bodies exhibited an increase of 26 612, 17 578 and 1 411 ha respectively, with land cover change of 23.42%, 15.05% and 1.18% respectively spanning from 1999 to 2018. Bare land and built-up declined from 1999 to 2018, with a net change of - 42 938 and − 2 663 ha respectively witnessing a land cover change of −36.81% and − 2.29% respectively from 1999 to 2018. In terms of the area under each land use and land cover change category observed within the chosen period, most significant annual change was observed in cropland (2.2%) between 1999 to 2009. Water bodies also increased by 0.1% between 1999 to 2009 and 2009 to 2018 respectively. Built-up and grassland witness an annual change rate in land use and land cover change category only between 2009 to 2018 of 0.1% and 2.7% respectively. This underscores a massive transformation driven by anthropogenic activities given rise to environmental issues in the Crocodile River catchment.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document