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Impact of agricultural management on nitrate concentrations in drainage waters

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  30 October 2009

Walter A. Goldstein ,
Michael J. Scully ,
Daniel H. Kohl  and
Georgia Shearer
Walter A. Goldstein
Affiliation:
Research Director, Michael Fields Agricultural Institute, W2493 County Road ES, East Troy, WI 53120;
Michael J. Scully
Affiliation:
Retired farmer, 1420 Wiggins, Springfield, IL 62704;
Daniel H. Kohl*
Affiliation:
Professor, Department of Biology, Washington University, St. Louis, MO 63130
Georgia Shearer
Affiliation:
Research Professor, Emerita, Department of Biology, Washington University, St. Louis, MO 63130.
*
Corresponding author is D.H. Kohl (kohl@biodec.wustl.edu).
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Abstract

Nitrate contamination of surface water resulting from inputs of agricultural drainage water is a widespread problem. To learn whether alternative agricultural practices might ameliorate this problem, we measured NO-3 in water draining from three neighboring fields from 1970 to 1992. Drainage water from two fields fertilized with N exclusively as composted and liquid manure had NO-3 concentrations less than 2 ppm (20% of the Public Health Service recommended limit for drinking water). When these fields were converted to a corn/soybean rotation fertilized with anhydrous ammonia, NO-3 concentration increased about 7- to 10-fold. On a third field, corn was always fertilized with anhydrous ammonia. Changing this field from a rotation of corn, oats and hay to corn/soybean and increasing the rate of N fertilization by about 18% almost doubled the NO-3 concentration in the drainage water. The corn/soybean rotation most prevalent in the Corn Belt today resulted in high NO-3 concentrations in the drainage water, while the alternative system prevented NO-3 problems.

Keywords

nitrate pollutioncomposted manuremineral N fertilizationcrop rotation
Type
Articles
Information
American Journal of Alternative Agriculture , Volume 13 , Issue 3 , September 1998 , pp. 105 - 110
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1998

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