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Strategies to mitigate nitrate leaching in vegetable production in China: a meta-analysis

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Abstract

Nitrate leaching is a main nitrogen (N) loss pathway in vegetable production. Although there are numerous mitigation practices that control nitrate leaching, an integrated assessment of these measures is lacking. Thus, we conducted a meta-analysis to integrate the assessment of strategies for controlling nitrate leaching from vegetable systems in China. The main strategies included improved N fertilizer management (INFM), reduced water management (RWM), comprehensive regulation of N fertilizer and water management (CFWM), and catch crops (CCs). Each mitigation measure decreased nitrate leaching significantly and did not reduce vegetable yields. CFWM reduced nitrate leaching the most at 41% on average, followed by CCs, RWM, and INFM (35%, 24%, and 22%, respectively). The nitrate leaching scaled yields (NLSY, defined as yield divided by the quantity of nitrate leaching) were significantly increased by 87%, 44%, 32%, and 27% for CFWM, CCs, INFM, and RWM, respectively. The efficacies of the strategies were dependent on soil properties. CFWM, INFM, and RWM were more effective in soils with low pH and coarse texture than in other soils. In conclusion, the risk of nitrate leaching from vegetable production systems is high, and INFM and CFWM are suggested to decrease nitrate leaching from vegetable production.

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Funding

This work was supported by the National Key Research and Development Program of China (2017YFD0200106), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (41671295), and the 111 Project (No. B12007).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Natural Resources and Environment, Northwest A&F University, Yangling, 712100, China

    Xinlu Bai, Zhaobei Zhang, Jiaojiao Cui, Zhanjun Liu, Zhujun Chen & Jianbin Zhou

  2. Key Laboratory of Plant Nutrition and the Agri-environment in Northwest China, Ministry of Agriculture, Yangling, 712100, China

    Xinlu Bai, Zhaobei Zhang, Jiaojiao Cui, Zhanjun Liu, Zhujun Chen & Jianbin Zhou

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  1. Xinlu Bai
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  2. Zhaobei Zhang
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  4. Zhanjun Liu
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Correspondence to Zhujun Chen or Jianbin Zhou.

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Bai, X., Zhang, Z., Cui, J. et al. Strategies to mitigate nitrate leaching in vegetable production in China: a meta-analysis. Environ Sci Pollut Res 27, 18382–18391 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-020-08322-1

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