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Effect of cover crops on leaching of dissolved organic nitrogen and carbon in a maize-cover crop rotation in Mediterranean Central Chile

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  • Salazar, Osvaldo
  • Balboa, Liliana
  • Peralta, Kiri
  • Rossi, Michel
  • Casanova, Manuel
  • Tapia, Yasna
  • Singh, Ranvir
  • Quemada, Miguel

Abstract

Protection and management of water quality across agricultural landscapes requires a sound understanding of runoff and/or leaching of nutrients and other agrichemicals from agricultural production systems to receiving waters. We, in a large leaching columns experiment, studied the losses of dissolved organic N (DON), dissolved organic carbon (DOC), dissolved inorganic N (DIN) and total dissolved N (TDN) from maize cultivation on a coarse-textured soil in in Mediterranean Central Chile. The combined effects of cover crops and inorganic N fertilisation rates were evaluated on nitrogen and carbon leaching loads (DIN, DON and DOC) and ratios of soluble components (DON:DIN, DON:TDN and DOC:DON). A total of 52 soil columns for 13 treatments (4 replicates) were established to evaluate leaching of dissolved N and C forms from: 1) continuous bare soil (fallow) compared with a continuous cover crop (Lolium multiflorum or Trifolium repens), with 0 or 150 kg N ha–1 applied; and 2) maize-fallow and maize-cover crop rotations with two different N doses (250 or 400 kg N ha–1) for the maize and cover crops (L. multiflorum and/or T. repens). We found that inclusion of a grass cover crop (L. multiflorum) and optimal N fertilisation (250 kg N ha-1) treatment resulted into lower DIN losses from the study columns. However, in trial 1, the DON load from the treatments with continuous grass cover crop L. multiflorum was on average twice the DIN load. In trial 2, the crop rotation of maize cultivation with 400 kg N ha–1 applied and inclusion of a legume cover crop T. repens resulted into the highest DIN loads, while a crop rotation of maize with 250 kg N ha–1 applied and inclusion of a grass cover crop L. multiflorum had the lowest DIN loads. However, the latter rotation gave significantly higher DON loads than the maize-fallow treatments. In trials 1 and 2, inclusion of L. multiflorum enhanced soil organic pools and microbial activity, and thus increased the amount of DON and DOC susceptible to leaching. Overall, the rotation with maize with 250 kg N ha–1 applied and L. multiflorum as cover crop generated the lowest amount of TDN leaching from the soil columns. We recommend this to be further studied in field conditions as a best management practice for reducing the risk of diffuse pollution of surface water bodies and groundwater from maize cultivation in Mediterranean Central Chile.

Suggested Citation

  • Salazar, Osvaldo & Balboa, Liliana & Peralta, Kiri & Rossi, Michel & Casanova, Manuel & Tapia, Yasna & Singh, Ranvir & Quemada, Miguel, 2019. "Effect of cover crops on leaching of dissolved organic nitrogen and carbon in a maize-cover crop rotation in Mediterranean Central Chile," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 212(C), pages 399-406.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:agiwat:v:212:y:2019:i:c:p:399-406
    DOI: 10.1016/j.agwat.2018.07.031
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Salazar, Osvaldo & Wesström, Ingrid & Joel, Abraham & Youssef, Mohamed A., 2013. "Application of an integrated framework for estimating nitrate loads from a coastal watershed in south-east Sweden," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 129(C), pages 56-68.
    2. Salazar, Osvaldo & Nájera, Francisco & Tapia, Wilson & Casanova, Manuel, 2017. "Evaluation of the DAISY model for predicting nitrogen leaching in coarse-textured soils cropped with maize in the Mediterranean zone of Chile," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 182(C), pages 77-86.
    3. Salazar, Osvaldo & Vargas, Juan & Nájera, Francisco & Seguel, Oscar & Casanova, Manuel, 2014. "Monitoring of nitrate leaching during flush flooding events in a coarse-textured floodplain soil," Agricultural Water Management, Elsevier, vol. 146(C), pages 218-227.
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    Cited by:

    1. Md Elias Hossain & Xurong Mei & Wenying Zhang & Wenyi Dong & Zhenxing Yan & Xiu Liu & Saxena Rachit & Subramaniam Gopalakrishnan & Enke Liu, 2021. "Substitution of Chemical Fertilizer with Organic Fertilizer Affects Soil Total Nitrogen and Its Fractions in Northern China," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(23), pages 1-15, December.
    2. Osvaldo Salazar & Renato Diaz & Adriana Nario & Ximena Videla & María Alonso-Ayuso & Miguel Quemada, 2021. "Nitrogen Fertilizer Efficiency Determined by the 15 N Dilution Technique in Maize Followed or Not by a Cover Crop in Mediterranean Chile," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 11(8), pages 1-21, July.

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