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Descripción
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| Abstract: Nitrate leaching (NL) is an important N loss process in irrigated agriculture that imposes a cost on the farmer and the environment. A meta-analysis of published experimental results from agricultural irrigated systems was conducted to identify those strategies that have proven effective at reducing NL and to quantify the scale of reduction that can be achieved. Forty-four scientific articles were identified which investigated four main strategies (water and fertilizer management, use of cover crops and fertilizer technology) creating a database with 279 observations on NL and 166 on crop yield. Management practices that adjust water application to crop needs reduced NL by a mean of 80% without a reduction in crop yield. Improved fertilizer management reduced NL by 40% and the best relationship between yield and NL was obtained when applying the recommended fertilizer rate. Replacing a fallow with a non-legume cover crop reduced NL by 50% while using a legume did not have any effect on NL. Improved fertilizer technology was the least effective of the selected strategies at reducing NL. Overall, we recommend a sequential approach in which the primary approaches used should be optimization of water and fertilizer management. More innovative methods including the use of cover crops and improved fertilizer technologies may offer additional reductions in NL, but may not always result in a net financial benefit. Ultimately, the costs and benefits of NL reducing strategies should be assessed for a specific system, to ensure the best choice is made for the farmer and the environment. Keywords: Diffuse water pollution, effect size, nitrogen, nitrogen use efficiency, water quality. | |
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Internacional
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No |
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DOI
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Edición del Libro
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Editorial del Libro
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K. D'Haene, B. Vandecasteele, R. De Vis, S. Crappé, D.Callens, E. Mechant, G. Hofman, S. De Neve. Ghent |
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ISBN
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978-9040303463 |
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Serie
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Título del Libro
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NUTRIHORT: Nutrient........ |
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Desde página
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77 |
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Hasta página
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83 |