The potential impact of soil carbon content on ground water nitrate contamination

1996 ◽  
Vol 33 (4-5) ◽  
pp. 227-232 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. D. Adelman ◽  
M. A. Tabidian
Keyword(s):  
Ground Water ◽  
Soil Carbon ◽  
Nitrate Leaching ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Root Zone ◽  
Denitrifying Bacteria ◽  
Farm Management ◽  
Nitrate Contamination ◽  
Risk Calculation ◽  
Carbon Level

A potential buildup of nitrate in the ground water resources of the eastern Sandhills of Nebraska has been projected to occur due to the intensive use of nitrogen fertilizer on irrigated cropland. A root-zone nitrate leaching study in this area revealed that soils with a high carbon concentration had minimal leaching compared to soils with lower concentrations. Soils high in carbon have an active population of denitrifying bacteria possibly causing denitrification and in turn reduction of nitrate leaching. Denitrifying bacteria are principally heterotrophic using soil organic carbon for both an energy and carbon source. The objective of this research was to interpret how root-zone denitrification affected nitrate leaching and ground water contamination by nitrate. A modified version of a solute transport model developed for the Eastern Sandhills was used to assess the risk of nitrate contamination for combinations of fertilizer and irrigation rates and for various soil carbon levels. The first attempt was to make risk assessment with eight farm management practices for cells with increasingly greater carbon levels until only those cells with the greatest carbon level were kept in production. Results of this assessment showed that even with excessive fertilizer and irrigation rates, risk of nitrate leaching was reduced as the minimum carbon level was increased. However, since less cropland was leaching nitrate with each successive risk calculation, the impact that root-zone denitrification had in nitrate leaching reduction could not be definitively determined. This prompted a model modification of the risk calculation procedure which kept all cropland in production and computed nitrate leachate risk for increasingly higher artificial carbon levels during successive risk calculations. Changing carbon levels was still more detrimental on nitrate leaching rates than changing farm management practices.

scholarly journals Biological Denitrification of Nitrate Contaminated Ground Water with Elementary Sulfur

2019 ◽  
Vol 5 ◽  
pp. 63-69
Author(s):  
Madan Gorathoki ◽  
Iswar Man Amatya
Keyword(s):  
Ground Water ◽  
Elemental Sulfur ◽  
Health Effect ◽  
Denitrifying Bacteria ◽  
Nitrate Contamination ◽  
Treated Wastewater ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Elementary Sulfur ◽  
Biological Denitrification ◽  
N Removal

Extensive utilization of synthetic fertilizer and release of improperly treated wastewater from industrial or municipal facilities are the causes of nitrate contamination in natural water systems. Nitrate is one of the main contributors to eutrophication of surface water bodies which can cause severe ecological and environmental problems. Consumption of nitrates can have several detrimental health effects. One adverse health effect is methemoglobinemia or “blue-baby" syndrome. Sulfur based biological denitrification process is autotrophic denitrification using Thiobacillus denitriflcans, in which process is conducted by denitrifying bacteria which require inorganic carbon for carbon source. These denitrifying bacteria oxidizes elemental sulfur to sulphate while reducing nitrate to nitrogen gas, thereby eliminating the need for addition of organic carbon compounds as energy sources to drive denitrification. This Study was conducted on biological denitrification with elemental sulfur packed small-scale bed columns and it was found to be maximum 39 percent efficiency of NO3-N removal at 1.5 hours HRT having bicarbonate range 153.72 to 207.40 mg/l and that of TIN removal was up to 35 percent removal efficiency. In this biological process, elemental sulfur is converted into sulfate, and this renders the method unsuitable for the treatment of ground water containing high levels of endogenous sulfate.

Risk versus Economic Return in Managing Groundwater Nitrate Contamination

1993 ◽  
Vol 28 (3-5) ◽  
pp. 55-63 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. D. Adelman ◽  
M. F. Dahab
Keyword(s):  
Management Practices ◽  
Transport Model ◽  
Management Practice ◽  
Farm Management ◽  
Nitrate Contamination ◽  
Nitrate Transport ◽  
Domestic Water ◽  
Economic Return ◽  
Irrigation Rate ◽  
The Impact

A nitrate transport model was developed to project the impact of a substantial buildup of nitrate in the groundwater in the eastern Sandhills region of Nebraska. Predicted nitrate levels were evaluated using a Multi-Criteria Decision Making technique. Two criteria were used to determine optimum farm management practices: economic return to the irrigators and risk to domestic water users. The optimum farm management practice consisted of an above average irrigation rate and a below average nitrogen fertilizer rate. The low fertilization rate had one of the lowest risks of excessive ground water nitrate levels, while the high irrigation rate maximized the economic return. Therefore, this practice was optimal because it was the best compromise between minimum risk and maximum economic return. The risk of excessive groundwater nitrate for the optimum practice was 51 percent and for the other seven practices simulated ranged up to 54 percent.

Relative effect of climate, soil, and management on risk of nitrateleaching under wheat production in Canterbury, New Zealand

Soil Research ◽  
2003 ◽  
Vol 41 (4) ◽  
pp. 699 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. R. Lilburne ◽  
T. H. Webb ◽  
G. S. Francis
Keyword(s):  
Nitrate Leaching ◽  
Soil Type ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Soil Depth ◽  
Sowing Date ◽  
Relative Effect ◽  
Farm Management ◽  
Wheat Production ◽  
Fertiliser Application ◽  
Shallow Soils

The GLEAMS simulation model was used to determine the relative effects of climate (19 years of data), soil type (4 soils distinguished by effective soil depth), and farm management (6 sowing dates and 5 levels of nitrogen fertiliser) on leaching of nitrate under wheat production. All combinations of inputs were simulated and the effects of each input were estimated with sensitivity analysis software (SimLab). Soil type, climate, and sowing date explained about equal amounts of the variance in nitrate leaching, whereas fertiliser application explained only about one-third of the variance of the other inputs. The 2 most significant results were: (1) the importance of having plant uptake of nitrogen during autumn and winter to limit nitrate availability for leaching, and (2) the recognition that leaching of nitrate becomes increasingly sensitive to farm management practices with decreasing soil depth. The risk of nitrate leaching was found to be very low on deep soils when the crop was sowed in the autumn or winter. These results help with identifying areas where management changes might be effective in reducing the long-term risk of nitrate leaching. Crop growth over winter and judicious use of fertiliser are particularly recommended for cropping on shallow soils.

Managing Landscape Irrigation to Avoid Soil and Nutrient Losses

EDIS ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 2013 (11) ◽  
Author(s):  
George Hochmuth ◽  
Laurie Trenholm ◽  
Don Rainey ◽  
Esen Momol ◽  
Claire Lewis ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Natural Environment ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Root Zone ◽  
Irrigation Management ◽  
Critical Factor ◽  
Nutrient Losses ◽  
County Agents ◽  
The Right ◽  
Soil And Water

Proper irrigation management is critical to conserve and protect water resources and to properly manage nutrients in the home landscape. How lawns and landscapes are irrigated directly impacts the natural environment, so landscape maintenance professionals and homeowners must adopt environmentally-friendly approaches to irrigation management. After selecting the right plant for the right place, water is the next critical factor to establish and maintain a healthy lawn and landscape. Fertilization is another important component of lawn and landscape maintenance, and irrigation must be applied correctly, especially following fertilization, to minimize potential nutrient losses. This publication supplements other UF/IFAS Extension publications that also include information on the role of soil and the root zone in irrigation management. This publication is designed to help UF/IFAS Extension county agents prepare materials to directly address nutrient losses from lawns and landscapes caused by inadequate irrigation management practices. This 6-page fact sheet was written by George Hochmuth, Laurie Trenholm, Don Rainey, Esen Momol, Claire Lewis, and Brian Niemann, and published by the UF Department of Soil and Water Science, October 2013. http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ss586

ВОДНЫЙ РЕЖИМ ОРОШАЕМЫХ СОЛОНЦОВЫХ КОМПЛЕКСНЫХ ПОЧВ И ОСОБЕННОСТИ ЕГО РЕГУЛИРОВАНИЯ

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Valery Yashin
Keyword(s):  
Soil Moisture ◽  
Ground Water ◽  
Irrigation Water ◽  
Surface Runoff ◽  
Root Zone ◽  
Irrigation Methods ◽  
Salt Flats

Представлены материалы исследований формирования режима влажности и динамики грунтовых вод орошаемых солонцовых комплексных почв при различных способах полива, проведенные в Волгоградском Заволжье. Установлена значительная неравномерность распределения влажности почвы при поливах дождеванием. Отмечается поверхностный сток по микрорельефу до 30% от поливной нормы, что приводит к недостаточности увлажнения корневой зоны на солонцах и переувлажнению почв в понижениях микрорельефа и потере оросительной воды на инфильтрационное питание грунтовых вод.The article presents the materials of research on the formation of the humidity regime and dynamics of ground water of irrigated saline complex soils under various irrigation methods, conducted in the Volgograd Zavolzhye. A significant unevenness in the distribution of soil moisture during irrigation with sprinkling has been established. There is a surface runoff on the microrelief of up to 30% of the irrigation norm, which leads to insufficient moisture of the root zone on the salt flats and waterlogging of the soil in the microrelief depressions and loss of irrigation water for infiltration feed of ground water.

Field Measurements and Simulation of Nitrogen Fate under Citrus Production

HortScience ◽  
1998 ◽  
Vol 33 (3) ◽  
pp. 498c-498
Author(s):  
A. Fares ◽  
A.K. Alva ◽  
S. Paramasivam
Keyword(s):  
Mass Balance ◽  
Best Management Practices ◽  
Rainy Season ◽  
Crop Production ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Root Zone ◽  
Field Measurements ◽  
Irrigation Scheduling ◽  
N Leaching ◽  
Citrus Production

Water and nitrogen (N) are important inputs for most crop production. The main objectives of nitrogen best management practices (NBMP) are to improve N and water management to maximize the uptake efficiency and minimize the leaching losses. This require a complete understanding of fate of N and water mass balance within and below the root zone of the crop in question. The fate of nitrogen applied for citrus production in sandy soils (>95% sand) was simulated using a mathematical model LEACHM (Leaching Estimation And Chemistry Model). Nitrogen removal in harvested fruits and storage in the tree accounted the major portion of the applied N. Nitrogen volatilization mainly as ammonia and N leaching below the root zone were the next two major components of the N mass balance. A proper irrigation scheduling based on continuous monitoring of the soil water content in the rooting was used as a part of the NBMP. More than 50% of the total annual leached water below the root zone was predicted to occur in the the rainy season. Since this would contribute to nitrate leaching, it is recomended to avoid N application during the rainy season.

Influence of Crop Management Practices on Nutrient Movement Below the Root Zone in Nebraska Soils

1976 ◽  
Vol 5 (3) ◽  
pp. 255-259 ◽  
Author(s):  
John Muir ◽  
J. S. Boyce ◽  
E. C. Seim ◽  
P. N. Mosher ◽  
E. J. Deibert ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Management Practices ◽  
Root Zone ◽  
Crop Management

Using Gleams to Evaluate the Agricultural Waste Application Rule-Based Decision Support (AWARDS) Computer Program

1993 ◽  
Vol 28 (3-5) ◽  
pp. 625-634 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. A. Ford ◽  
A. P. Kruzic ◽  
R. L. Doneker
Keyword(s):  
Surface Water ◽  
Ground Water ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Agricultural Waste ◽  
Rule Base ◽  
Rule Based ◽  
Pollutant Loading ◽  
Physical Features ◽  
To Receive ◽  
Complex Computer

AWARDS is a rule-based program that uses artificial intelligence techniques. It predicts the potential for fields receiving agricultural waste applications to degrade water quality. Input data required by AWARDS include the physical features, management practices, and crop nutrient needs for all fields scheduled to receive these nutrients. Based on a series of rules AWARDS analyzes the data and categorizes each field as acceptable or unacceptable for agricultural waste applications. The acceptable fields are then ranked according to their potential for pollutant loading. To evaluate the validity of the AWARDS field ranking system, it was compared to pollutant loading output from GLEAMS, a complex computer model. GLEAMS simulated the characteristics of each field ranked by AWARDS. Comparison of the AWARDS field ranking to the GLEAMS pollutant loading was favorable where ground water and both surface and ground water were to be protected and less favorable where surface water was to be protected. The rule base in AWARDS may need to be refined to provide more reasonable results where surface water is the resource of concern.

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