scholarly journals Nitrogen leaching losses from fodder beet and kale crops grazed by dairy cows in southern SouthlandNitrogen leaching losses from fodder beet and kale crops grazed by dairy cows in southern Southland

2020 ◽  
Vol 82 ◽  
pp. 61-71
Author(s):  
L. Chris Smith ◽  
Ross M. Monaghan
Keyword(s):  
Dairy Cows ◽  
Nitrogen Leaching ◽  
N Leaching ◽  
First Year ◽  
Leaching Losses ◽  
Fodder Beet ◽  
Previous Season ◽  
Crop Type ◽  
Dairy Animals ◽  
Urinary Nitrogen

Fodder beet has become increasingly common as both a winter forage and as a supplement at the shoulders of the dairy season in southern New Zealand. One advantage over the more traditional kale crop option is that fodder beet results in less urinary nitrogen (N) excretion in dairy animals, potentially reducing N leaching. Two trials were undertaken to measure nitrogen leaching losses under both autumn-grazed or autumn-lifted fodder beet crops. Leaching losses were also measured from winter-grazed fodder beet and winter-grazed kale treatments. Results from Trial 1 show that leaching losses from autumn-lifted or autumn-grazed fodder beet  treatments were large (108–131 kg N ha-1) relative to losses measured in the winter-grazed fodder beet treatment (82 kg N ha-1). This indicates that autumn-grazed fodder beet crops have a greater potential for N leaching than winter-grazed fodder beet. The practice of lifting and removing fodder beet during autumn appeared to reduce N leaching somewhat, but losses were still relatively large, perhaps due to carryover of N from the previous season as a result of the dry summer conditions that preceded the drainage season in in the first year of Trial 1. The amount of N leached from the winter-grazed fodder beet treatment from Trial 1 at 82 kg N ha-1 was 50% less than the 176 kg N ha-1 observed for the kale crop. Results from Trial 2 using larger plots showed a similar trend, with winter-grazed fodder beet leaching 42% less N than winter-grazed kale (41 vs 70 kg N ha-1; P<0.001), despite not all the urine N being collected by the end of the drainage season. These losses are relatively large compared to the annual N leaching losses measured from pasture paddocks on the same farm, which ranged from 13–23 kg N ha-1. Considerations of grazing and/or harvest timing (autumn vs winter) as well as crop type appear to be important factors that determine N leaching losses from Southland dairy systems.

scholarly journals Response of Vertical Migration and Leaching of Nitrogen in Percolation Water of Paddy Fields under Water-Saving Irrigation and Straw Return Conditions

Water ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 868 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chengxin Zheng ◽  
Zhanyu Zhang ◽  
Yunyu Wu ◽  
Richwell Mwiya
Keyword(s):  
Vertical Migration ◽  
Growth Stage ◽  
Nitrogen Leaching ◽  
Water Saving ◽  
Paddy Fields ◽  
N Leaching ◽  
Leaching Losses ◽  
Leaching Loss ◽  
Straw Return ◽  
Percolation Water

The use of water-saving irrigation techniques has been encouraged in rice fields in response to irrigation water scarcity. Straw return is an important means of straw reuse. However, the environmental impact of this technology, e.g., nitrogen leaching loss, must be further explored. A two-year (2017–2018) experiment was conducted to investigate the vertical migration and leaching of nitrogen in paddy fields under water-saving and straw return conditions. Treatments included traditional flood irrigation (FI) and two water-saving irrigation regimes: rain-catching and controlled irrigation (RC-CI) and drought planting with straw mulching (DP-SM). RC-CI and DP-SM both significantly decreased the irrigation input compared with FI. RC-CI increased the rice yield by 8.23%~12.26%, while DP-SM decreased it by 8.98%~15.24% compared with FI. NH4+-N was the main form of the nitrogen leaching loss in percolation water, occupying 49.06%~50.97% of TN leaching losses. The NH4+-N and TN concentration showed a decreasing trend from top to bottom in soil water of 0~54 cm depth, while the concentration of NO3−-N presented the opposite behavior. The TN and NH4+-N concentrations in percolation water of RC-CI during most of the rice growth stage were the highest among treatments in both years, and DP-SM showed a trend of decreasing TN and NH4+-N concentrations. The NO3−-N concentrations in percolation water showed a regular pattern of DP-SM > RC-CI > FI during most of the rice growth stage. RC-CI and DP-SM remarkably reduced the amount of N leaching losses compared to FI as a result of the significant decrease of percolation water volumes. The tillering and jointing-booting stages were the two critical periods of N leaching (accounted for 74.85%~86.26% of N leaching losses). Great promotion potential of RC-CI and DP-SM exists in the lower reaches of the Yangtze River, China, and DP-SM needs to be further optimized.

Nitrate leaching losses from lysimeters simulating winter grazing of fodder beet by dairy cows

2016 ◽  
Vol 59 (2) ◽  
pp. 194-203 ◽  
Author(s):  
BJ Malcolm ◽  
KC Cameron ◽  
GR Edwards ◽  
HJ Di ◽  
JM de Ruiter ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Dairy Cows ◽  
Nitrate Leaching ◽  
Leaching Losses ◽  
Fodder Beet ◽  
Winter Grazing

scholarly journals NITROGEN LEACHING LOSSES FROM CONTAINER-GROWN ROSES.

HortScience ◽  
1992 ◽  
Vol 27 (6) ◽  
pp. 583a-583 ◽  
Author(s):  
Raul I. Cabrera ◽  
Richard Y. Evans ◽  
J. L. Paul
Keyword(s):  
Nitrogen Leaching ◽  
N Leaching ◽  
Leaching Losses ◽  
Yield And Quality ◽  
Flower Yield ◽  
Use Efficiency ◽  
Leaching Fraction ◽  
Cut Flower Yield ◽  
One Year ◽  
Nutrient Solutions

Nitrogen leaching losses of 21, 40 and 49% were measured from container-grown `Royalty' roses irrigated for one year with nutrient solutions containing 77, 154 and 231 mg N/l. There were no significant differences in number of flowers per plant or dry matter per plant. The N present in the harvested flowers accounted for 43, 27 and 17% of the N applied for the 77, 154 and 231 mg N/l treatments, respectively. Plants receiving 154 mg N/l at leaching fractions of 0.1, 0.25 and 0.5 had corresponding N leaching losses of 22, 38 and 56%. In this experiment, however, the 0.5 leaching fraction produced yields significantly higher than those of the 0.1 and 0.25 treatments. The N recovered in the harvested flowers accounted for 28, 25 and 19% of that applied to the 0.1, 0.25 and 0.5 treatments, respectively. The results of these studies suggest that modifications in current irrigation and fertilization practices of greenhouse roses would result in a considerable reduction of N leaching losses and enhance N fertilizer use efficiency, without loss of cut flower yield and quality.

scholarly journals Effect of nitrogen fertiliser rate on production and nitrogen leaching from Italian ryegrass following a maize silage crop

2003 ◽  
pp. 133-137
Author(s):  
A.A. Judge ◽  
R.N. Jensen ◽  
M.S. Sprosen ◽  
S.F. Ledgard ◽  
E.R. Thom ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Dry Matter ◽  
Lolium Multiflorum ◽  
Nitrogen Leaching ◽  
Italian Ryegrass ◽  
Yield Response ◽  
N Leaching ◽  
Silt Loam ◽  
Significant Treatment ◽  
Leaching Losses ◽  
Yield Responses

Dry matter (DM) yield responses and field nitrogen (N) leaching losses were assessed following the application of 4 rates of N fertiliser to an Italian ryegrass (Lolium multiflorum) crop grown after maize. The trial was conducted on a free-draining Horotiu silt loam (typic orthic allophanic soil) at Dexcel's Scott Farm near Hamilton, New Zealand. The grass was direct dr illed into maize stubble on 13 April 2002. Small plots received a total of 0, 40, 100 or 160 kg N/ha as urea, split into 4 equal applications from May to July. Total DM production over 24 weeks for the 0, 40, 100 or 160 kg N/ha treatments was 2730, 3487, 4238 and 4840 kg DM/ha, respectively. Additional kg DM produced/kg N applied was 19, 15 and 13, respectively. The 'apparent' proportion of applied N removed in the herbage from all plots was 55- 60%. Herbage nitrate-N concentrations exceeded the commonly accepted critical level of 0.21% on the 160 kg N/ha treatment at the first harvest on 3 July 2002, when only half of each N rate had been applied. There were no significant treatment differences in leaching losses (range 17-34 kg N/ha). Italian ryegrass grown on a silt loam soil after maize showed an almost linear yield response to N fertiliser over the range 40-160 kg N/ha, without increased inorganic N leaching. Further work is necessary to confirm these results and to establish whether or not higher rates of N fertiliser can be used to increase winter dry matter yields from Italian ryegrass, without increasing N leaching losses. Keywords: annual ryegrass, dairy systems, double cropping, nitrogen leaching

scholarly journals Modelling options to increase milk production while reducing N leaching for an irrigated dairy farm in Canterbury

2017 ◽  
Vol 79 ◽  
pp. 147-152
Author(s):  
P.C. Beukes ◽  
P. Edwards ◽  
T. Coltman
Keyword(s):  
Milk Production ◽  
Dairy Farm ◽  
Nitrogen Leaching ◽  
N Leaching ◽  
Baseline Scenario ◽  
Catch Crop ◽  
Forage Production ◽  
Fodder Beet ◽  
Hypothetical Scenario ◽  
Farm System

Abstract The Forages for Reduced Nitrate Leaching programme (FRNL) aims to address the challenge of presenting farmers with alternatives for forage production that will sustain milk production and farm profit, but simultaneously reduce nitrogen leaching by 20% from current levels. This paper describes the improvements made to a dairy model comprising three software packages, and how this model was used to evaluate proposed farm system changes on a Canterbury dairy farm (Canlac Holdings) associated with the FRNL programme. After a baseline scenario was sensechecked against actual farm physical and financial data for the 2014-2015 season, alternative options were modelled in an additive way by expanding the effluent area, growing fodder beet on the platform, replacing some pasture with maize silage, growing diverse pastures on 7% of the milking platform, and including a feed pad. The cumulative effect of these changes was an increase of 3 and 13% in production and profit respectively, but only a 5% decrease in nitrogen leaching as estimated for the combined platform and support block areas over 3 climate years. A hypothetical scenario, of a third of the platform in diverse pastures, less nitrogen fertiliser, all fodder beet grown on the milking platform, lifted and fed on the feed pad, and with an oats catch crop following fodder beet, increased production and profit by 2 and 10%, respectively, with a reduction in N leaching of 19%. This result indicates that high-performing farmers have scope to reduce N leaching by ~20% and still increase profit by implementing some of the options emanating from the FRNL programme. Keywords: diverse pastures, dairy farm system, fodder beet, effluent block, feed pad, catch crop

scholarly journals Exploring options to reduce nitrogen leaching while maintaining profitability within a Canterbury farm business comprising several distinct enterprises

2018 ◽  
pp. 191-194
Author(s):  
Pierre C Beukes ◽  
Taisekwa Chikazhe ◽  
J Paul Edwards
Keyword(s):  
Business Model ◽  
Nitrogen Leaching ◽  
N Leaching ◽  
Catch Crop ◽  
Fodder Beet ◽  
Mitigation Options ◽  
Crop Area ◽  
Fertiliser Use ◽  
Farm Business

This paper reports on a study evaluating the effects of nitrogen (N) mitigations on N leaching and profitability across all hectares of a farm business consisting of a dairy platform, dairy support and beef blocks. Two different models were used, each with their own strengths and weaknesses. Mitigation options focussed on N fertiliser use, plantain-ryegrass-clover diverse pastures, cropping regime, and animal and feed movements between the blocks. A combination of less N fertiliser, replacing kale with fodder beet for wintering to reduce the crop area, an oats catch-crop following autumn-harvested fodder beet, diverse pastures on a proportion of platform and support blocks, and wintering non-pregnant cows on the beef block reduced N leaching by 19%. Profitability was not affected by these mitigations. Profitability did not increase, but N leaching did, when changing to an all-dairy business model. Nitrogen leaching reductions can be achieved if all enterprises implement some or all of these mitigations.

Administration of dicyandiamide to dairy cows via drinking water reduces nitrogen losses from grazed pastures

2013 ◽  
Vol 152 (S1) ◽  
pp. 150-158 ◽  
Author(s):  
B. G. WELTEN ◽  
S. F. LEDGARD ◽  
J. LUO
Keyword(s):  
Dairy Cows ◽  
Soil Depth ◽  
Nitrification Inhibitor ◽  
Environmental Benefits ◽  
Control Treatment ◽  
N Leaching ◽  
Gaseous Emissions ◽  
N Losses ◽  
Total N ◽  
Leaching Losses

SUMMARYOral administration of the nitrification inhibitor dicyandiamide (DCD) to ruminants for excretion in urine represents a targeted mitigation strategy to reduce nitrogen (N) losses from grazed pasture. A farmlet grazing study was undertaken to examine the environmental benefits of administering DCD in trough water to non-lactating Friesian dairy cows that consecutively grazed 12 replicated plots (each 627 m2with a grazing intensity of up to 319 cows/ha/day) during two grazing rotations in the winter of 2007 in the Waikato region, New Zealand. Nitrate-N (NO3−-N) leaching losses were measured using ceramic cup samplers (600 mm soil depth) and gaseous emissions of nitrous oxide (N2O) were quantified using a static chamber technique in the DCD and control treatments. Administration of DCD in trough water had no effect on daily water intake by dairy cows, which averaged 15 and 18 l/cow/day for the June and August grazing rotations, respectively. This resulted in a mean daily DCD intake of 46 and 110 g/cow/day, respectively. The DCD farmlet had significantly lower NO3−-N concentrations in leachate at the last three samplings, which reduced total NO3−-N leaching losses by 40% (from 32·0 to 19·2 kg N/ha). The DCD treatment reduced N2O emission rates compared to the control treatment following the August grazing, resulting in a 45% reduction in total N2O emissions relative to the control treatment (from 0·49 to 0·27 kg N2O-N/ha). This preliminary study highlights the potential for administering ruminants with DCD as an effective mitigation option for reducing N losses from agricultural systems.

scholarly journals Simulation of mitigation strategies to reduce nitrogen leaching from grazed pasture

2007 ◽  
pp. 145-151 ◽  
Author(s):  
J.R. Bryant ◽  
C.J. Hoogendoorn ◽  
V.O. Snow
Keyword(s):  
Nitrification Inhibitor ◽  
Experimental Studies ◽  
Nitrogen Leaching ◽  
Mitigation Strategies ◽  
N Leaching ◽  
Leaching Losses ◽  
Plant Use ◽  
Grazed Pasture ◽  
Base Scenario ◽  
Pastoral Farming

Strategies to reduce nitrogen leaching losses from pastoral farming in the Lake Taupo catchment are required to address declining water quality in the lake. This study used a biophysical whole farm simulation model, EcoMod, to explore the potential for four mitigation strategies to reduce N leaching in a soil and climate typical of the region. The strategies were use of: a nitrification inhibitor (DCD); steers instead of heifers (STEER); salt as a diuretic (SALT) and; high sugar ryegrass (HSG). These were compared to a BASE scenario of grazed heifers. Each of the simulated mitigation strategies showed the potential to significantly reduce nitrogen leaching compared to BASE by 25 to 45%. All mitigation strategies reduced nitrogen fixation due to more efficient plant use of nitrogen from urinary and faecal sources. This also contributed to an increase in pasture intake for SALT, STEER and DCD, but not for HSG. These mitigation strategies were explored at a single-paddock level and planned experimental studies will further examine the effectiveness of the strategies. Keywords: nitrogen leaching, mitigation, Lake Taupo, simulation, EcoMod

scholarly journals The implications of lag times between nitrate leaching losses and riverine loads for water quality policy

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
R. W. McDowell ◽  
Z. P. Simpson ◽  
A. G. Ausseil ◽  
Z. Etheridge ◽  
R. Law
Keyword(s):  
Water Quality ◽  
Mean Transit Time ◽  
Lag Time ◽  
Practice Change ◽  
N Leaching ◽  
N Losses ◽  
Leaching Losses ◽  
Nitrate N ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Lag Times

AbstractUnderstanding the lag time between land management and impacts on riverine nitrate–nitrogen (N) loads is critical to understand when action to mitigate nitrate–N leaching losses from the soil profile may start improving water quality. These lags occur due to leaching of nitrate–N through the subsurface (soil and groundwater). Actions to mitigate nitrate–N losses have been mandated in New Zealand policy to start showing improvements in water quality within five years. We estimated annual rates of nitrate–N leaching and annual nitrate–N loads for 77 river catchments from 1990 to 2018. Lag times between these losses and riverine loads were determined for 34 catchments but could not be determined in other catchments because they exhibited little change in nitrate–N leaching losses or loads. Lag times varied from 1 to 12 years according to factors like catchment size (Strahler stream order and altitude) and slope. For eight catchments where additional isotope and modelling data were available, the mean transit time for surface water at baseflow to pass through the catchment was on average 2.1 years less than, and never greater than, the mean lag time for nitrate–N, inferring our lag time estimates were robust. The median lag time for nitrate–N across the 34 catchments was 4.5 years, meaning that nearly half of these catchments wouldn’t exhibit decreases in nitrate–N because of practice change within the five years outlined in policy.

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