Impact of variable rate nitrogen and reduced irrigation management on nitrate leaching for potato.

J Environ Qual

Dep. of Soil, Water, and Climate, Univ. of Minnesota, Upper Buford Circle, St. Paul, MN, 55108, USA.

Published: March 2020

AI Article Synopsis

  • Nitrogen loss from cropping systems can lead to nitrate contamination in drinking water, highlighting environmental concerns.
  • A 2-year study tested different nitrogen treatment methods for potato production, analyzing their effects on nitrate leaching and soil nitrate levels.
  • Results showed that while existing nitrogen management practices limited nitrate leaching, further strategies are necessary to mitigate risks for groundwater contamination, especially during the non-growing season.

Article 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 , respectively, and increased from 7.1 to 10.4 mg N L as N rate increased from 45 to 270 kg N ha . Despite reductions in N rate of 22 and 44 kg N ha 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 ) 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.

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http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/jeq2.20028DOI Listing

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