Nitrate leaching is one of the most important pathways of nitrogen (N) loss which leads to groundwater contamination or surface water eutrophication. Clarifying the rates, controlling factors and characteristics of nitrate leaching is the pre-requisite for proposing effective mitigation strategies. We investigated the effects of interactions among chemical N fertilizer, straw and manure applica...

The Lower Burdekin Delta (LBD) is located on the dry-tropical coastal strip in North Queensland, Australia. The region is Australia’s largest sugar producing area with approximately 38,000 hectares of land under sugarcane. However, the LBD also borders the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area (GBRWHA). Thus industry, community, and federal, regulatory and environmental organisations are inter...

Many studies have evaluated nitrate-N leaching from tile-drained agricultural soils, but little longterm research has been performed on well-drained soils commonly throughout the Midwest. Equilibrium tension lysimeters installed at a depth of 1.4 m were used to measure year-round (12 months) nitrate-N leaching below chisel-plow (CP) and no-tillage (NT) continuous corn (Zea mays L.) agroecosyste...

Field experiments were carried out in Huantai County from 2006 to 2008 to evaluate the effects of different nitrogen (N) fertilization and irrigation management practices on water leakage and nitrate leaching in the dominant wheat–maize rotation system in the North China Plain (NCP). Two N fertilization (NF1, the traditional one; NF2, fertilization based on soil testing) and two irrigation (IR1...

Fertilised cropland is a potential non-point source of nitrogen contributing to the nutrient enrichment of surface water ecosystems. Nitrogen is present in drainage outflow primarily because of the addition of fertilisers. The purpose of this study is to model the nitrate leaching to surface waters using a quasi twodimensional mechanistic flow model (DRAINMOD) in combination with a GIS. The GIS...

Proper N fertilizer and irrigation management can reduce nitrate leaching while maintaining crop yield, which is critical to enhance the sustainability of vegetable production on soils with poor water and nutrient-holding capacities. This study evaluated different methods to measure nitrate leaching in mulched drip-irrigated zucchini, pepper, and tomato production systems. Fertigation rates wer...

The quaternary aquifer of Vitoria-Gasteiz (Basque Country, Northern Spain) is characterised by a shallow water table mainly fed by drainage water, and thus constitutes a vulnerable zone in regards to nitrate pollution. Field studies were performed with a potato crop in 1993 and a sugar beet crop in 2002 to evaluate their impact on nitrate leaching. The overall predictive quality of the STICS so...

This paper reviews the potential impacts of climate change on nitrate concentrations in groundwater of the UK using a Source-Pathway-Receptor framework. Changes in temperature, precipitation quantity and distribution, and atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations will affect the agricultural nitrate source term through changes in both soil processes and agricultural productivity. Non-agricultur...

In this study, the water flow and nitrate transport to a subsurface drain, using a simplified and detailed model, are simulated for the specific hydro-geological conditions of Elverdinge and Assenede, Belgium. Previously, the DRAIN MOD-N model proved to be able to simulate nitrate concentrations and drainage well for an in-situ leaching experiment, the “Hooibeekhoeve” in the community of Geel (...