Nitrogen runoff dominates water nitrogen pollution from rice-wheat rotation in the Taihu Lake region of China

Zhao, X. and Zhou, Y. and Min, J. and et al, . (2012) Nitrogen runoff dominates water nitrogen pollution from rice-wheat rotation in the Taihu Lake region of China. Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment, 156 (1). pp. 1-11.

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Abstract

Nitrogen (N) runoff and leaching are two direct pathways of N pollution from agricultural land to water systems. It is not yet conclusive whether intensive rice-wheat rotation system contributes to N pollution in the surrounding water systems in the Taihu Lake region (TLR). We conducted a three-year field experiments to monitor N runoff and leaching from rice-wheat paddy soil. Annual N runoff and leaching was in the range of 55.3–93.1 kg N ha−1, with a mean of ca. 69.2 kg N ha−1. Of the total N export to water systems, 82–93% was from N runoff and only 7–18% was from N leaching. For seasonal distribution, the wheat season contributed 57–85% of total N, while the rice season contributed 15–43%. Because of different water practices, N runoff and leaching exhibited completely different patterns in two crop seasons. Considerable N runoff in wheat season can mainly be attributed to moderately heavy rainfall and accelerated water flow in existing drainage ditches. Large variations in N runoff during rice season were predominantly due to variable natural precipitation and irregular artificial draining. N leaching appeared to be related to fertilization and precipitation in wheat season, while it was associated with fertilization and soil depth during rice season. These field data suggest that runoff dominated N export from rice-wheat rotation under conventional N and water management contributes potentially to water pollution in the TLR

Item Type: Article
Author Affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Soil and Sustainable Agriculture, Key Laboratory of Soil Environment and Pollution Remediation, Institute of Soil Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nanjing 210008, China, Resource and Environmental College, Anhui Agricultural University, Hefei 230036, China
Subjects: Plant Protection
Divisions: Other Crops
Depositing User: Mr. SanatKumar Behera
Date Deposited: 26 May 2012 06:53
Last Modified: 26 May 2012 06:54
Official URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.agee.2012.04.024
URI: http://eprints.icrisat.ac.in/id/eprint/5781

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