Nutrients Leaching in Response to Long-Term Fertigation and Broadcast Nitrogen in Blueberry Production

Abstract

Nutrient leaching losses from horticultural production threaten the quality of groundwater and freshwater systems worldwide. The objectives of this study were to (a) assess the effects of annual applications of ammonium sulfate fertilizer through fertigation (FERT) and broadcast (BROAD) on nutrient leaching losses and (b) determine the links among chemical property changes in leachates and soil with berry yields after 9 and 11 years of blueberry production. The long-term blueberry site was established in 2008 using seven combinations of treatments including an unfertilized control (CONT) and three N fertilizer rates (100%, 150%, 200% of recommended rates) using BROAD and FERT methods. Nutrients concentrations (NO3−-N, NH4+-N and SO42−-S) and chemical properties (pH and electrical conductivity (EC)) of leachate, sawdust and soil and berries were assessed. All FERT methods resulted in concentrations of NO3−-N in the leachates > 100 mg L−1 with a maximum of 200 mg L−1 for FERT-200 during the growing season due to the easy transport of dissolved nutrients with the irrigation water. All BROAD methods resulted into concentrations of NO3−-N in the leachates >10 mg L−1 with a maximum of 35 mg L−1 for BROAD-200 between April and July, as well as between November and April, indicating two periods of NO3−-N leaching losses. The pattern observed with BROAD indicates that irrigation water in the summer and heavy rainfall in the winter contribute to NO3−-N leaching losses. Concentrations of NH4+-N in the leachates >1 mg L−1 were measured under FERT with a peak at 64.78 mg L−1 for FERT-200, during the period April to August, due to NH4+’s ability to quickly move through the sawdust layer with irrigation water. Principal component analysis linked berry yield decrease with ammonium sulfate applications above recommended rates (FERT and BROAD) and with changes in soil pH and EC. Our results demonstrated that excess fertilizer applications above recommended rates using FERT and BROAD can threaten the sustainability of blueberry production by enhancing nutrient leaching losses and reducing berry yield.

Controlled Release Fertilizers: A Review on Coating Materials and Mechanism of Release

“…When the soil cannot retain the urea due to excessive water from irrigation or heavy rainfall, nitrate ions will leach to ground and surface water bodies. Consequently, high concentrations of nitrate ions in plants and drinking water could pose high risks to human health [ 6 , 8 ]. Besides water pollution, nitrogen is also lost through volatilization as N 2 and N 2 O, through complete and incomplete denitrification processes, respectively [ 21 ].…”

“…Among the three macronutrients required (Nitrogen/Phosphorus/Potassium), nitrogen (N) is the most crucial and essential to plant growth, and urea is the most commonly used nitrogen-based fertilizer due to its high N content (46 wt.%) and its low cost [ 3 , 4 , 5 ]. However, it is prone to being lost due to poor absorbance by crops, contributing to economic decline and severe environmental concerns such as nitrate leaching, groundwater contamination, soil acidification, heavy metal contamination and eutrophication of freshwater bodies [ 6 , 7 , 8 ]. On the other hand, the periodic dosing of fertilizer also results in concentration fluctuations between ineffective and toxicity levels, which may affect the growth of certain agricultural species [ 9 ].…”

Montmorillonite/Tripolyphosphate Crosslinked Chitosan Nanocomposites for Eco-Friendly Agricultural Applications

“…The synthetic fertilizers are chemically manufactured substances that contain one or more of the primary nutrients required for plant growth: nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium. Farmers prefer synthetic fertilizers over natural fertilizers because they are more reliable, predictable, less expensive, customizable to meet crop needs, easy to use, and have a faster action time [2][3][4]. The synthetic fertilizers very easily dissolve in water; therefore, they quickly leach out from soil, resulting in overuse of synthetic fertilizers [5].…”

“…The synthetic fertilizers very easily dissolve in water; therefore, they quickly leach out from soil, resulting in overuse of synthetic fertilizers [5]. The excess synthetic fertilizers can have several negative consequences, including increased soil acidity and decreased sensitivity and absorbency to various nutrients, leakage into the soil below the root zone and into groundwater [3][4][5][6][7][8].…”

Life cycle assessment of composting and utilisation of broiler chicken manure

“…Although fertilizers provide nutrients to vegetation quickly, in large quantities, and in easily accessible forms (Xiaoyu et al, 2013;Han et al, 2016;Bhatt et al, 2019;Versino et al, 2019;Gil-Ortiz et al, 2020), their use can have a number of negative environmental consequences. Excess fertilization, for example, increases the decomposition of soil organic matter, resulting in soil structure degradation, as well as polluting water bodies, resulting in leaching and acidification (Bíró et al, 1998;Savci, 2012;Gil-Ortiz et al, 2020;Messiga et al, 2020).…”