scholarly journals Analysis of Nitrate Pollution Pathways on a Vulnerable Agricultural Plain in Slovenia: Taking the Local Approach to Balance Ecosystem Services of Food and Water

Water ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 707 ◽  
Author(s):  
Miha Curk ◽  
Matjaž Glavan ◽  
Marina Pintar
Keyword(s):  
Soil Moisture ◽  
Land Management ◽  
Nitrate Leaching ◽  
Agricultural Land ◽  
Swat Model ◽  
Nitrate Pollution ◽  
Soil Types ◽  
Management Scenarios ◽  
Local Approach ◽  
Vegetable Rotation

Groundwater pollution with nitrate of agricultural origin is a major problem in many countries. A great deal of effort is focused on finding ways to reduce leaching from agricultural land. In this study, different land management scenarios were evaluated with the SWAT model in order to determine which are the most effective in reducing nitrate leaching on specific soil types in the Krška kotlina alluvial plain (Slovenia). The area is very important both for agriculture production and drinking water resources. The model was calibrated for three soil moisture field trial sites, each representing one major soil type of the area. Simulated soil moisture values were in good agreement with the observed values (PBIAS (percent bias) ±25%). Of the nine land management scenarios that were evaluated, vegetable rotation caused the most nitrate leaching on all soil types, but it fared better on Cambisol than on Fluvisol. Orchards on the other hand leached the least amount of nitrate, but also fared better on Cambisol. Presented studies should be considered as a preliminary stage in the study of nitrate pollution in the investigated area. Results show that nitrate leaching varies for different land management scenarios on different soil types. Further work should concentrate on field trials to evaluate the impacts of reduced fertilization on nitrate leaching and both crop yield and quality on different soil types.

Multi-Variable Sensitivity Analysis, Calibration, and Validation of a Field-Scale SWAT Model: Building Stakeholder Trust in Hydrologic and Water Quality Modeling

2020 ◽  
Vol 63 (2) ◽  
pp. 523-539 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ritesh Karki ◽  
Puneet Srivastava ◽  
David D. Bosch ◽  
Latif Kalin ◽  
Jasmeet Lamba ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Water Quality ◽  
Soil Moisture ◽  
Crop Yield ◽  
Swat Model ◽  
Nutrient Transport ◽  
Agricultural Productivity ◽  
Water Quality Modeling ◽  
Field Scale ◽  
Management Scenarios ◽  
Model Robustness

HighlightsSWAT can adequately simulate runoff, soil moisture, cotton and peanut yields, and nitrate at field scale.Muskingum routing and adjusting DIS_STREAM are important to simulate fields as watersheds rather than HRUs.Crop yield calibration is critical for improving SWAT model robustness in nutrient transport simulations and for building stakeholder trust.SWAT can quantify the impacts of different management scenarios at the field scale.Abstract. Multi-variable calibration of a field-scale Soil and Water Assessment (SWAT) model is critical for understanding the true impacts of irrigation and nutrient best management practices (BMPs) on hydrology, water quality, and agricultural productivity and for building stakeholder trust for eventual BMP implementation at the watershed scale. This study evaluated the ability of SWAT to simulate runoff, soil moisture, cotton and peanut yields, and nitrate in conventionally tilled and strip-tilled plots while also evaluating the differences in hydrological and nutrient simulation parameters for the two tillage practices. Modeling results showed that SWAT adequately simulated runoff, soil moisture, cotton and peanut yields, and nitrate at the field scale and that calibrated values for the curve number of operation (CNOP) were different for the conventionally tilled and strip-tilled plots and critical to runoff calibration. It was also important to change the routing method from variable storage to Muskingum and to adjust DIS_STREAM for runoff simulation if the field was to be simulated as a watershed rather than as an HRU. Sequential calibration of surface runoff, soil moisture, crop yield, and nitrate showed that crop yield can be an important consideration for improving SWAT model robustness in nutrient transport simulations. Soil moisture calibration did not have a significant effect on runoff simulations. Evaluation of the impacts of different management scenarios showed that soil moisture sensor-based irrigation, cover crop, and strip tillage had the highest potential for reducing nutrient loss and conserving water while maintaining agricultural productivity in southern Georgia. This study also demonstrated to stakeholders that the SWAT model can successfully quantify the impacts of different management scenarios on their farm fields. Keywords: Agricultural BMPs, Field-scale SWAT, Multi-variable calibration, SWAT, SWAT-CUP.

Study of groundwater vulnerability in three unconfined aquifers in Slovenia

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Miha Curk ◽  
Matjaž Glavan ◽  
Joseph Adu-Gyamfi ◽  
Janine Halder ◽  
Sonja Cerar ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Groundwater Recharge ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Agricultural Land ◽  
Shallow Groundwater ◽  
Nitrate Pollution ◽  
Soil Types ◽  
Nitrate Sources ◽  
Groundwater Levels ◽  
Unconfined Aquifers

<p>Groundwater is the main source of drinking water in Slovenia, but nitrate pollution originating from agriculture and urban areas is threatening its quality in several areas of the country. The aim of this study is to assess the vulnerability of three different unconfined aquifers in Slovenia (Ljubljansko polje, Dravsko-ptujsko polje and Krško-brežiško polje). All three study areas are located on alluvial plains with shallow groundwater levels and similar soil types, but different ratios of urban and agricultural land use. Soil types and land use were analyzed in each area as they contribute strongly to leaching of nitrate. Along with this we performed the analysis of stable isotopes of O, H and N to determine the origin of groundwater recharge and trace the possible sources of nitrate pollution. Results will give us an overview of nitrate pollution pathways through better understanding of nitrate sources, vulnerable areas, and groundwater recharge characteristics.</p>

Phosphorus Leaching Under Cut Grassland

1999 ◽  
Vol 39 (12) ◽  
pp. 63-67 ◽  
Author(s):  
B. L. Turner ◽  
P. M. Haygarth
Keyword(s):  
Surface Waters ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Agricultural Land ◽  
Algal Growth ◽  
Soil Types ◽  
P Fractions ◽  
Inorganic P ◽  
Potential Source ◽  
Significant Mechanism ◽  
Total P

Phosphorus (P) transfer from agricultural land to surface waters can contribute to eutrophication, excess algal growth and associated water quality problems. Grasslands have a high potential for P transfer, as they receive P inputs as mineral fertiliser and concentrates cycled through livestock manures. The transfer of P can occur through surface and subsurface pathways, although the capacity of most soils to fix inorganic P has meant that subsurface P transfer by leaching mechanisms has often been perceived as negligible. We investigated this using large-scale monolith lysimeters (135 cm deep, 80 cm diameter) to monitor leachate P under four grassland soil types. Leachate was collected during the 1997–98 drainage year and analysed for a range of P fractions. Mean concentrations of total P routinely exceeded 100 μg l−1 from all soil types and, therefore, exceeded P concentrations above which eutrophication and algal growth can occur. The majority of the leachate P was in algal-available Mo-reactive (inorganic) forms, although a large proportion occurred in unreactive (organic) forms. We suggest that subsurface transfer by leaching can represent a significant mechanism for agricultural P transfer from some soils and must be given greater consideration as a potential source of diffuse P pollution to surface waters.

scholarly journals How Can We Represent Seasonal Land Use Dynamics in SWAT and SWAT+ Models for African Cultivated Catchments?

Water ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (6) ◽  
pp. 1541
Author(s):  
Albert Nkwasa ◽  
Celray James Chawanda ◽  
Anna Msigwa ◽  
Hans C. Komakech ◽  
Boud Verbeiren ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Land Cover ◽  
Agricultural Land ◽  
Swat Model ◽  
Agricultural Practices ◽  
Area Index ◽  
Land Use Dynamics ◽  
Cropping Seasons ◽  
Decision Tables ◽  
Land Cover Maps

In SWAT and SWAT+ models, the variations in hydrological processes are represented by Hydrological Response Units (HRUs). In the default models, agricultural land cover is represented by a single growing cycle. However, agricultural land use, especially in African cultivated catchments, typically consists of several cropping seasons, following dry and wet seasonal patterns, and are hence incorrectly represented in SWAT and SWAT+ default models. In this paper, we propose a procedure to incorporate agricultural seasonal land-use dynamics by (1) mapping land-use trajectories instead of static land-cover maps and (2) linking these trajectories to agricultural management settings. This approach was tested in SWAT and SWAT+ models of Usa catchment in Tanzania that is intensively cultivated by implementing dominant dynamic trajectories. Our results were evaluated with remote-sensing observations for Leaf Area Index (LAI), which showed that a single growing cycle did not well represent vegetation dynamics. A better agreement was obtained after implementing seasonal land-use dynamics for cultivated HRUs. It was concluded that the representation of seasonal land-use dynamics through trajectory implementation can lead to improved temporal patterns of LAI in default models. The SWAT+ model had higher flexibility in representing agricultural practices, using decision tables, and by being able to represent mixed cropping cultivations.

Agricultural Land Management Options Following Large-Scale Environmental Contamination: Evaluation for Fukushima Affected Agricultural Land

2013 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hildegarde Vandenhove
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Land Management ◽  
Nuclear Power ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Agricultural Land ◽  
Agricultural Practices ◽  
Management Option ◽  
Management Options ◽  
Fukushima Daiichi ◽  
Agricultural Land Management

The accident at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant has raised questions about the accumulation of radionuclides in soils, the transfer in the foodchain and the possibility of continued restricted future land use. This paper summarizes what is generally understood about the application of agricultural countermeasures as a land management option to reduce the radionuclides transfer in the food chain and to facilitate the return of potentially affected soils to agricultural practices in areas impacted by a nuclear accident.

Possibilities for Reducing Nitrate Leaching from Agricultural Land

AMBIO ◽  
2002 ◽  
Vol 31 (5) ◽  
pp. 404-408 ◽  
Author(s):  
Holger Kirchmann ◽  
A. E. Johnny Johnston ◽  
Lars F. Bergström
Keyword(s):  
Nitrate Leaching ◽  
Agricultural Land

Implementation of Transfer Control Protocol(TCP) Sockets to Monitor Soil Moisture Using Star Topology on Agricultural Land

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ari Sriyanto Nugroho ◽  
Shafa Auliya Arfiyani ◽  
Arief Nursyahid ◽  
Thomas Agung Setyawan ◽  
Helmy ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Soil Moisture ◽  
Agricultural Land ◽  
Star Topology ◽  
Control Protocol

Agroecological Characteristics of lands spread in the territory of Mil-Karabakh cadastry district (in the example of Agdam district)

2021 ◽  
Vol 07 (02) ◽  
pp. 4-7
Author(s):  
Vüqar İmanəli oğlu Cəfərov ◽  
◽  
Rəşad Mais oğlu Qubatov ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Land Management ◽  
National Economy ◽  
Agricultural Sector ◽  
Agricultural Land ◽  
Agrarian Sector ◽  
Agrochemical Properties ◽  
Phosphorus And Potassium ◽  
Agricultural Land Management ◽  
Modern Form ◽  
Nitrogen Phosphorus

Fundamental reforms are being carried out in many spheres of the national economy in our republic. In particular, the development of the agricultural sector in the liberated territories is one of the main goals today. It is very important to reorganize the agrarian sector on the basis of the adopted laws, to use lands efficiently, and to organize agricultural land management in a modern form. The article studied the agrochemical properties of meadow-gray soils in the territory of Aghdam region and determined that the 0-100 cm layer of soils is poorly supplied with common and active forms of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium elements. Key words: Mil-Garabagh, Ağdam district, nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, meadow-gray soils, cadastre, fertility

scholarly journals A Review of Industrial Crop Yield Performances on Unfavorable Soil Types

Agronomy ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (12) ◽  
pp. 2382
Author(s):  
Jana Reinhardt ◽  
Pia Hilgert ◽  
Moritz Von Cossel
Keyword(s):  
Agricultural Land ◽  
Field Trials ◽  
Yield Potential ◽  
Soil Types ◽  
Potential Yield ◽  
Indirect Land Use Change ◽  
Industrial Crop ◽  
Large Yield ◽  
Marginal Agricultural Land ◽  
The Impact

Industrial crop cultivation on marginal agricultural land limits indirect land-use change effects that pose a threat to food security. This review compiles results from 91 published crop-specific field trial datasets spanning 12 relevant industrial crops and discusses their suitability for cultivation on unfavorable soil types (USTs). It was shown that the perennial species Miscanthus (Miscanthus Andersson) and reed canary grass (Phalaris arundinacea L.) performed well on USTs with both high clay and/or high sand contents. Information on stoniness (particles sizes > 2 mm), where mentioned, was limited. It was found to have only a small impact on biological yield potential, though it was not possible to assess the impact on mechanization as would be used at a commercial scale. For soils with extreme clay or sand contents, half of the crops showed moderate suitability. The large yield variations within and between crops revealed large knowledge gaps in the combined effects of crop type and agronomy on USTs. Therefore, more field trials are needed on diverse USTs in different climates with better equipment and more consistent measurements to improve the accuracy of potential yield predictions spatially and temporally. Additionally, larger trials are needed to optimize cultivation and harvesting.

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