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Publication Details
AFRICAN RESEARCH NEXUS
SHINING A SPOTLIGHT ON AFRICAN RESEARCH
agricultural and biological sciences
Monitoring and modelling draining and resident soil water nitrate concentrations to estimate leaching losses
Agricultural Water Management, Volume 97, No. 11, Year 2010
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Description
Quantifying nitrogen (N) losses below the root zone is highly challenging due to uncertainties associated with estimating drainage fluxes and solute concentrations in the leachate. Active and passive soil water samplers provide solute concentrations but give limited information on water fluxes. Mechanistic models are used to estimate leaching, but require calibration with measured data to ensure their reliability. Data from a drainage lysimeter trial under irrigation in which soil profile nitrate (NO3-) concentrations were monitored using wetting front detectors (passive sampler) and ceramic suction cups (active sampler) were compared to NO3- concentrations in draining and resident soil water as simulated by the research version of the Soil Water Balance model (SWB-Sci). SWB-Sci is a daily time-step, cascading soil water and solute balance model that provides draining NO3- concentrations by accounting for incomplete solute mixing. As hypothesized, suction cup concentrations aligned closely with resident soil water concentrations, while wetting front detector concentrations aligned closely with draining soil water NO3- concentrations. These results demonstrate the power of combining monitoring and modelling to estimate NO3- leaching losses. Access to measured draining and resident NO3- concentrations, especially when complemented with modelled fluxes, can contribute greatly to achieving improved production and environmental objectives. © 2010 Elsevier B.V.
Authors & Co-Authors
van der Laan, Michael
South Africa, Pretoria
University of Pretoria
Stirzaker, Richard J.
South Africa, Pretoria
University of Pretoria
Australia, Canberra
Cooperative Research Centres Australia
Annandale, John George
South Africa, Pretoria
University of Pretoria
Bristow, Keith L.
South Africa, Pretoria
University of Pretoria
Australia, Canberra
Cooperative Research Centres Australia
Du Preez, Christiaan Cornelius C.
South Africa, Bloemfontein
University of the Free State
Statistics
Citations: 49
Authors: 5
Affiliations: 3
Identifiers
Doi:
10.1016/j.agwat.2010.06.012
ISSN:
03783774
Research Areas
Environmental
Health System And Policy