Nitrate percolation and discharge in cropped Andosols and Gray lowland soils of Japan

Abstract

Contamination of groundwater with nitrate (NO₃) derived from agricultural activity is serious problem in many countries worldwide. We investigated the annual (growing and non-growing seasons) behavior of NO₃–N in the soil pore water of cropped Andosols and Gray lowland soils under eight crop groups (Type A: paddy rice, Type B: winter crops, Type C: vegetables 1, Type D: vegetables 2, Type E: vegetables and forages, Type F: legume crops, Type G: orchard, and Type H: grass). In the vegetable group (Type C) and the orchard group (Type G), which required large amounts of fertilizer and frequent top-dressing, NO₃–N concentrations in the soil pore water were extremely high. In these agricultural lands, it was clear that the inorganic nitrogen produced by nitrification in surface soil was dominantly discharged from a depth of 90 cm in July to September. The descending order of the amount of discharge of NO₃–N (N-discharge) was Type C > G > D > E > F > B > H > A for the Andosol, and Type G > C > F > D > E > B > H > A for the Gray lowland soil. If fertilization of the vegetables and orchard was performed based on the standard application amount, the annual average NO₃–N concentration at a depth of 90 cm exceeds 10 mg L⁻¹. To reduce the risk of groundwater contamination by NO₃–N, we calculated the annual cumulative water flux density and annual cumulative NO₃–N flux density. We examined the calculated fertilizer amount and proposed reduced fertilizer application amounts so that the annual average concentration of NO₃–N in soil pore water would not exceed 10 mg L⁻¹. The standard application amount of nitrogen fertilizer for vegetables should be reduced by 65.8 and 30.8 kg ha⁻¹ in the Andosol and the Gray lowland soil, respectively. We also proposed that the standard application amount of nitrogen fertilizer be reduced by 59.9 and 40.7 kg ha⁻¹ in Andosol orchards and Gray lowland soil orchards, respectively.