Nitrate Leaching Through Sandy Soil as Affected by Sprinkler Irrigation Management

Integrated water management has become a priority for cropping systems where subirrigation is possible. Compared to conventional sprinkler irrigation, the controlling water table can lead to a substantial increase in yield and water use efficiency with less pumping energy requirements. Knowing the spatiotemporal distribution of water table depth (WTD) and soil properties should help perform intelligent, integrated water management. Observation wells were installed in cranberry fields with different water management systems: Bottom, with good drainage and controlled WTD management; Surface, with good drainage and sprinkler irrigation management; Natural, without drainage, or with imperfectly drained and conventional sprinkler irrigation. During the 2017–2020 growing seasons, WTD was monitored on an hourly basis, while precipitation was measured at each site. Multi-frequential periodogram analysis revealed a dominant periodic component of 40 days each year in WTD fluctuations for the Bottom and Surface systems; for the Natural system, periodicity was heterogeneous and ranged from 2 to 6 weeks. Temporal cross correlations with precipitation show that for almost all the sites, there is a 3 to 9 h lag before WTD rises; one exception is a subirrigation site. These results indicate that automatic water table management based on continuously updated knowledge could contribute to integrated water management systems, by using precipitation-based models to predict WTD.

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Factors affecting nitrate leaching from sewage sludges applied to a sandy soil in arable agriculture

Agriculture Ecosystems & Environment ◽

10.1016/0167-8809(96)01018-3 ◽

1996 ◽

Vol 58 (2-3) ◽

pp. 171-185 ◽

Cited By ~ 28

Author(s):

M.A. Shepherd

Keyword(s):

Sandy Soil ◽

Nitrate Leaching ◽

Sewage Sludges ◽

Factors Affecting

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Using Soil Solution Monitoring to Determine the Effects of Irrigation Management and Fertigation on Nitrogen Availability in High-density Apple Orchards

Journal of the American Society for Horticultural Science ◽

10.21273/jashs.123.4.706 ◽

1998 ◽

Vol 123 (4) ◽

pp. 706-713 ◽

Cited By ~ 16

Author(s):

D. Neilsen ◽

P. Parchomchuk ◽

G.H. Neilsen ◽

E.J. Hogue

Keyword(s):

Soil Solution ◽

Irrigation Water ◽

Root Zone ◽

Irrigation Management ◽

Sprinkler Irrigation ◽

Loamy Sand ◽

N Availability ◽

Silt Loam ◽

N Concentration ◽

Loam Soil

Direct application of fertilizers in irrigation water (fertigation) is an efficient method of supplying nutrients to fruit trees. Information is needed on the relationship between irrigation and N inputs on N availability in order to target nutrient applications to meet plant demands. Soil solution was collected from permanently installed suction lysimeters and NO3-N concentration was measured over the growing season in three experiments: 1) comparison of sprinkler irrigation + broadcast fertilizer with weekly fertigation + daily drip irrigation; 2) comparison of (NH4)2SO4 or Ca(NO3)2 as N sources under daily fertigation; and 3) comparisons of combinations of irrigation applied at either fixed rates or to meet evaporative demand and fertilizer (Ca(NO3)2) applied daily either at fixed rates or to maintain a given concentration in the fertigation solution in two soil types—loamy sand and silt loam. Trials are located in high density apple plantings of either `Gala' or `Empire' apple (Malus × domestica Borkh.) on M.9 rootstock. Nitrate-N concentration in the soil solution measured at 30 cm deep remained higher, over more of the growing season, for weekly fertigation + daily drip irrigation than for a single broadcast fertilizer application + sprinkler irrigation. With daily Ca(NO3)2 fertigation, soil solution NO3- N concentrations increased and decreased rapidly with the onset and end of fertigation respectively, remained relatively constant during the intervening period and were directly proportional to either the amount of N or the amount of irrigation water added. Daily fertigation with (NH4)2SO4 resulted in less control of NO3-N availability in the root-zone than with Ca(NO3)2, which may be problematic for precise timing of N nutrition. Except for the fixed irrigation rate applied to the loamy sand soil, soil solution NO3-N concentrations at 30 cm beneath the emitter were similar to average concentrations in the fertigating solution, for all methods of irrigation management in both soil types. Elevated NO3-N concentrations in soil solution below the root zone (75 cm deep) were detected in the loamy sand regardless of methods of N application and irrigation although there was some evidence of less leaching to this depth, under scheduled irrigation. In the silt loam soil, considerably lower concentrations of NO3-N were found beneath the root zone than at 30 cm deep for all of irrigation procedures and frequently there was insufficient water moving to 75 cm to provide sample. Tree growth in the loamy sand was less than in the silt loam soil; was limited by low application of irrigation water in 1992 and 1993; was unaffected by NO3-N concentration in the root zone, indicating that N inputs could be minimized by adding N to maintain concentrations of 75 μg·mL-1 or possibly less. Nitrogen inputs may also be reduced if fertilizer N and irrigation water could be retained within the root zone. For coarse-textured soils this will require precise additions of water and possibly soil amendments to improve water holding capacity.

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Bentonite Clay Mixed With Different N Sources Have Variable Effect on Nitrate Leaching From Sandy Soil

10.21203/rs.3.rs-1081687/v1 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Zahid Hussain ◽

Cheng Tang ◽

Muhammad Irshad ◽

Riaz A. Khattak ◽

Chen Yao ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Sandy Soil ◽

Nitrate Leaching ◽

Groundwater Pollution ◽

Soil Amendment ◽

Calcium Nitrate ◽

Bentonite Clay ◽

Crop Productivity ◽

Variable Effect ◽

N Sources ◽

Leaching Fraction

Abstract Nitrate (NO3) leaching from soils results in lower soil fertility, reduced crop productivity and groundwater pollution. The present study determined NO3 leaching from bentonite [0, 2 and 4% (m/m)] treated sandy soil, under three N sources (calcium nitrate [Ca(NO3)2], ammonium chloride [NH4Cl], urea [CO(NH2)2] @ 300 kg N ha-1) with a leaching fraction of 0.3-0.4. Bentonite markedly reduced NO3 release in leachate, while 4% bentonite retained higher NO3 in soil. The NO3 leaching varied with N sources as Ca(NO3)2>NH4Cl>(CO(NH2)2. This study indicated that soil amendment with bentonite could efficiently mitigate NO3 leaching from soil and hence prevent N fertilizer losses and groundwater pollution.

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