『Abstract
Traditional nitrogen (N) management practices with excessive
N fertilizer application and higher N losses to the environment
are more widely used than the recommended best management practices
(BMPs) across the nitrogen vulnerable zone (NVZ) of the Mediterranean
region of Valencia. Since reported underground concentrations
for this region are as high as 100 mg NO3-N
L-1, nutrient managers and policy makers need quick
tools that qualitatively rank N management and their respective
N losses to the environment in order to implement BMPs across
the region. Our hypothesis was that a new tier one GIS N index
tool (GIS NIT-a), based on quantitative N mass balance and qualitative
rankings, can be used to assess N management practices across
the NVZ. The new GIS NIT-a assessment tool was able to simulate
N uptake, hydrology characteristics (water leaching), N dynamics
and NO3-N leaching across several sites of
the NVZ (P <0.001). This study suggests that the GIS NIT-1 can
be used to quickly identify practices that produce very low to
moderate N losses to the environment from those with high and
very high N rankings.
Keywords: Ammonia volatilization; Denitrification; Nitrate leaching;
GIS; NUE; Nitrogen index』
Introduction
Materials and methods
Study area
Nitrogen index tier one tool connected to GIS (GIS NIT-1)
Hydrologic soil map
Precipitation map
NO3-N irrigation map
Crop management map
Nitrogen management scenarios
Nitrogen index calibration - validation
Sensitivity analysis
Results and discussion
Calibration - validation
Sensitivity
Management scenarios
System nitrogen use efficiency (NUE)
Effects of hydrologic groups-soil texture on NO3-N
leaching and atmospheric N losses
Nitrate leaching maps
Comparison of N leached map with groundwater nitrate content
Conclusions
References