Water quality under intensive banana production and extensive pastureland in tropical Mexico

Aryal, Deb Raj; Geissen, Violette; Ponce‐Mendoza, Alejandro; Reyes, Rodimiro Ramos; Becker, M.

doi:10.1002/jpln.201100117

Cited by 14 publications

(15 citation statements)

References 20 publications

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“…In contrast, banana plantations were located upstream from Site 3 and may have generated higher nitrate concentrations. In drainage ditches found in banana plantations in the region, Aryal, Geissen, Ponce‐Mendoza, Ramos‐Reyes, and Becker () documented higher nitrate concentrations than in pasture areas, particularly during the wet season (median 3–4 mg/L), and high levels of nitrite (up to 14 mg/L) in subsurface and groundwater in plantations. Wastewater discharge from Villahermosa may have also been driving higher concentrations of ammonium and nitrite at Sites 4 and 6.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 97%

Temporal changes in the hydrology and nutrient concentrations of a large tropical river: Anthropogenic influence in the Lower Grijalva River, Mexico

Lázaro‐Vázquez

Castillo

Jarquín-Sánchez

et al. 2018

River Research & Apps

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Dam construction and nutrient loading are among the greatest threats to freshwater ecosystems, altering ecological processes and the provisioning of ecosystem services.Temporal change in hydrology and ambient nitrogen and phosphorus concentrations was studied on the Grijalva, a large tropical river in southern Mexico, where four hydroelectric dams operate and where land conversion has impacted the freshwater environment. Temporal changes in discharge and in river chemistry were examined by analysing long-term discharge and nutrient data using the software Indicators of Hydrologic Alteration and Mann-Kendall tests. Furthermore, additional water chemistry samples were collected to examine seasonal nutrient dynamics in the lower Grijalva. Long-term discharge data indicated dam construction has severely altered temporal patterns in discharge and other hydrological characteristics. The lower Grijalva has also experienced increase in nitrate concentrations through time, which may be attributed to the expansion of agricultural and urban areas in the watershed.In contrast, total phosphorus appeared to decline at the sites influenced by dam construction. Lower nutrient concentrations were recorded upstream from the city of Villahermosa, suggesting that inputs from urban areas may have contributed to nutrient loading. Additionally, higher nitrate and total phosphorus concentrations were detected in tributaries draining intensive agricultural and suburban areas. Collectively, the results from the study suggest that dam construction and land conversion in large, tropical watersheds can produce chemical and hydrological changes, which may negatively impact important ecosystem services-such as fisheries and the provisioning of sources of drinking water-and may compromise the integrity of coastal zones.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 97%

Temporal changes in the hydrology and nutrient concentrations of a large tropical river: Anthropogenic influence in the Lower Grijalva River, Mexico

Lázaro‐Vázquez

Castillo

Jarquín-Sánchez

et al. 2018

River Research & Apps

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“…In southern Mexico, most forests were converted to extensive pasture and agricultural fields during the last decades of the twentieth century, due to large-scale incentives for animal production and agriculture (De Jong et al 2000;Turner et al 2004;Aryal et al 2012). These anthropogenic interventions created a landscape composed of secondary forests at various stages of succession, mixed with pasture land and patches of slash-and-burn agriculture and a few patches of remaining primary forest (Ochoa-Gaona et al 2007;Rueda 2010).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 98%

Successional and seasonal variation in litterfall and associated nutrient transfer in semi-evergreen tropical forests of SE Mexico

Aryal

Jong

Ochoa-Gaona

et al. 2015

Nutr Cycl Agroecosyst

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Forest conversion to agriculture and grassland has been widespread in south-eastern Mexico. The productivity, functioning and carbon dynamics of secondary forests growing after abandonment of agricultural fields are expected to differ from those of primary forests. This study analysed whether forest age and seasonal variations affect the amount and temporal distribution of litterfall and associated nutrient transfer. Litterfall was measured across a chronosequence of semi-evergreen tropical forest in Calakmul, Yucatan peninsula, Mexico, and an index was created to evaluate the effect of land use intensity on litterfall collected in 16 stands from October 2012 to September 2014. Total litterfall ranged from 5.2 ± 0.6 to 7.1 ± 0.3 Mg ha -1 year -1 and peaked in secondary forest aged 10-20 years. Leaves contributed 84-91 % of total litterfall. The associated transfer of carbon ranged from 2.3 ± 0.3 to 3.2 ± 0.1 Mg ha -1 year -1 and of nitrogen from 62 ± 7 to 84 ± 4 kg ha -1 year -1 . Carbon and nutrient accumulation in the organic horizon (Oa) increased significantly with forest age. However, carbon in mineral soil (down to 0.30 m depth) did not increase over time. Peaks in monthly litterfall coincided with the dry season, with higher peaks in a year with lower rainfall in the dry season. Peaks were also higher in secondary forests than in primary forests, due to changes in species composition. Higher land use intensity reduced carbon and nutrient transfer through litter in regenerating secondary forests. Longer-term research is required to analyse the climate sensitivity of litter dynamics in these tropical forest frontiers.

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“…The management of export banana (Musa sp.) cropping systems in the humid tropics of the Caribbean and Latin America involves the use of large quantities of nitrogen (N) fertilizer (e.g., average 400 kg N ha −1 yr −1 [1,2]), which can cause severe and diffuse pollution of water resources [3]. Under Caribbean conditions, several authors have found that N leaching may account for as much as 50% of the added N fertilization because of high rainfall intensity in this region (2000-4000 mm yr −1 ) [4,5].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Fate of a 15N-labeled Urea Pulse in Heavily Fertilized Banana Crops

et al. 2020

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Banana crops in the Caribbean are characterized by the use of high rates of nitrogen (N) fertilization which causes severe environmental damages. The aim of this study was to assess the fertilizer N use efficiency (NUE) of banana crops in the field. To do so, a field trial was carried out during the first (GS1) and the fourth (GS4) growing seasons of banana crops, and the fate of a 15N-labeled pulse applied late in the growing season (flowering stage) was determined. At harvest, NUE (average 24% 15N applied) and the total recovery of fertilizer 15N in the soil–plant system (i.e., 40% in GS1 and 62% in GS4) were low. Low NUE resulted mainly from the dilution in a large soil mineral N pool derived from earlier applications of the labeled-N fertilizer applied at flowering, combined with leaching caused by numerous high-intensity rainfall events (>20 mm d−1). Crop residues from previous cycles present at time of fertilizer application in the fourth growing season, promoted fertilizer N immobilization, which in turn favored fertilizer N recovery by decreasing N leaching. The results suggest that N fertilization after the first season could be reduced by 30% (i.e., −90 kg N ha−1) corresponding to the suppression of two applications from flowering to harvest with the current fertilizer management, as available N derived from earlier applications is sufficient to meet plant requirements.

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Water quality under intensive banana production and extensive pastureland in tropical Mexico

Cited by 14 publications

References 20 publications

Temporal changes in the hydrology and nutrient concentrations of a large tropical river: Anthropogenic influence in the Lower Grijalva River, Mexico

Temporal changes in the hydrology and nutrient concentrations of a large tropical river: Anthropogenic influence in the Lower Grijalva River, Mexico

Successional and seasonal variation in litterfall and associated nutrient transfer in semi-evergreen tropical forests of SE Mexico

Fate of a 15N-labeled Urea Pulse in Heavily Fertilized Banana Crops

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