DRAINAGE WATER QUALITY AND ITS EFFECTS ON SOIL PROPERTIES AND CHEMICAL COMPOSITION OF PLANTS

Wild greens can contribute to the human diet as an important source of essential nutrients and drugs. Since environmental factors, including soil properties, may affect the chemical composition of plants, it is necessary among others to assess various habitats in terms of their usefulness for wild plant harvesting and to study impact of environmental factors on the qualitative and quantitative chemical composition of plants. This study was aimed at (1) examining the mineral composition of leaves of three dandelion microspecies, (2) determining the variability of macro- and microelement concentrations in dandelion leaves from populations growing on salty, brackish and non-saline coastal meadows, and (3) assessing the effects of different habitat conditions on the mineral composition of dandelion leaves. It was hypothesized that dandelion microspecies would differ significantly in the mineral composition of leaves. It was also expected that soil conditions would significantly affect nutrient concentrations in dandelion leaves, with soil salinity being the most important factor that differentiated studied populations. Leaves of three dandelion microspecies (Taraxacum balticum, T. nordstedtii, T. haematicum) were harvested in Baltic costal grasslands, along the soil salinity gradient, to determine macro- and microelement concentrations. Soil samples collected in the closest vicinity of the harvested plants showed the study sites to differ significantly in their soil properties. Moderately saline and organic soils, rich in potassium (K), magnesium (Mg), and calcium (Ca), supported T. balticum. Moderately or weakly saline and non-saline, organic or mineral soils, with lower median values of K, Mg, and Ca, were typical of T. nordstedtii sites, while the lowest median values of all the soil properties studied were found for T. haematicum sites. Our results proved that dandelion microspecies differ significantly in the mineral composition of their leaves. The between-microspecies differences were significant for all the macroelements except magnesium and all the microelements except molybdenum. Most of the macro- and microelements in leaves of the dandelion microspecies correlated positively and significantly with the soil properties, the strongest correlations being found for soil salinity and the leaf Na, Mn, Ca, Fe, K and Zn contents, followed by soil pH and the leaf Na, Mn, Fe, K, Ca, Zn and Mg. Moreover, the impact of soil properties on the mineral contents in leaves of the dandelions we examined seems to be stronger than the genetic differences between dandelion microspecies. Results of our studies on mineral composition of dandelion leaves lend support to the contention that wild greens provide essential mineral nutrients to the diet. Coastal meadows, fed by the brackish water of the Baltic Sea and free of anthropogenic pollution, are a good habitat to collect wild greens from.

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The effect of bottom sediment supplement on changes of soil properties and on the chemical composition of plants

Geology Geophysics & Environment ◽

10.7494/geol.2015.41.3.285 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 41 (3) ◽

pp. 285 ◽

Cited By ~ 8

Author(s):

Marek Tarnawski ◽

Agnieszka Baran ◽

Tomasz Koniarz

Keyword(s):

Chemical Composition ◽

Bottom Sediment ◽

Soil Properties ◽

Chemical Composition Of Plants

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The Use of Water Quality Index Technique to Assess Ground Water and Drainage Water for Irrigation in Al-yusufyiah Area – Baghdad Governorate –Central Iraq

Iraqi Journal of Science ◽

10.24996/ijs.2017.58.4a.9 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 58 (4A) ◽

Keyword(s):

Water Quality ◽

Ground Water ◽

Water Quality Index ◽

Quality Index ◽

Drainage Water

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Impact of Fertigation versus Controlled-release Fertilizer Formulations on Nitrate Concentrations in Nursery Drainage Water

HortTechnology ◽

10.21273/horttech.21.2.176 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 21 (2) ◽

pp. 176-180 ◽

Cited By ~ 10

Author(s):

P. Chris Wilson ◽

Joseph P. Albano

Keyword(s):

Water Quality ◽

Controlled Release ◽

Drainage Water ◽

Plant Production ◽

Fertilization Program ◽

Median Concentration ◽

Nitrate N ◽

Production Area ◽

Foliage Plant ◽

Production Areas

Nitrate-nitrogen (N) losses in surface drainage and runoff water from ornamental plant production areas can be considerable. In N-limited watersheds, discharge of N from production areas can have negative impacts on nontarget aquatic systems. This study monitored nitrate-N concentrations in production area drainage water originating from a foliage plant production area. Concentrations in drainage water were monitored during the transition from 100% reliance on fertigation using urea and nitrate-based soluble formulations (SF) to a nitrate-based controlled-release formulation (CRF). During the SF use period, nitrate-N concentrations ranged from 0.5 to 322.0 mg·L−1 with a median concentration of 31.2 mg·L−1. Conversely, nitrate-N concentrations during the controlled-release fertilization program ranged from 0 to 147.9 mg·L−1 with a median concentration of 0.9 mg·L−1. This project demonstrates that nitrate-N concentrations in drainage water during the CRF program were reduced by 94% to 97% at the 10th through 95th percentiles relative to the SF fertilization program. Nitrate-N concentrations in drainage water from foliage plant production areas can be reduced by using CRF fertilizer formulations relative to SF formulations/fertigation. Similar results should be expected for other similar containerized crops. Managers located within N-limited watersheds facing N water quality regulations should consider the use of CRF fertilizer formulations as a potential tool (in addition to appropriate application rates and irrigation management) for reducing production impacts on water quality.

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Impact of Controlled Drainage and Subirrigation on Water Quality in the Red River Valley

Water ◽

10.3390/w13030308 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (3) ◽

pp. 308

Author(s):

Kristen Almen ◽

Xinhua Jia ◽

Thomas DeSutter ◽

Thomas Scherer ◽

Minglian Lin

Keyword(s):

Water Quality ◽

Surface Water ◽

Surface Water Quality ◽

Drainage Water ◽

River Valley ◽

Red River ◽

Nutrient Loss ◽

Controlled Drainage ◽

Red River Valley ◽

The Impact

The potential impact of controlled drainage (CD), which limits drainage outflow, and subirrigation (SI), which provides supplemental water through drain tile, on surface water quality are not well known in the Red River Valley (RRV). In this study, water samples were collected and analyzed for chemical concentrations from a tile-drained field that also has controlled drainage and subirrigation modes in the RRV of southeastern North Dakota from 2012–2018. A decreasing trend in overall nutrient load loss was observed because of reduced drainage outflow, though some chemical concentrations were found to be above the recommended surface water quality standards in this region. For example, sulfate was recommended to be below 750 mg/L but was reported at a mean value of 1971 mg/L during spring free drainage. The chemical composition of the subirrigation water was shown to have an impact on drainage water and the soil, specifically on salinity-related parameters, and the impact varied between years. This variation largely depended on the amount of subirrigation applied, soil moisture, and soil properties. Overall, the results of this study show the benefits of controlled drainage on nutrient loss reduction from agricultural fields.

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