Meta-analysis of strategies to control nitrate leaching in irrigated agricultural systems and their effects on crop yield
Open accessAbstract
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 also decreased NL but was the least effective of the selected strategies. The risk of nitrate leaching from irrigated systems is high, but optimum management practices may mitigate this risk and maintain crop yields while enhancing environmental sustainability.
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Nonleguminous cover crops are especially effective for reducing nitrate leaching.
“Nonleguminous cover crops are especially effective for reducing nitrate leaching (Constantin et al., 2010;”
From Fall cover crop nitrogen uptake drives reductions in winter-spring leaching (2022) · cites this paper as Quemada et al., 2013
The aforementioned cover crop effects were consistent with two meta-analyses, which estimated that late-summer-planted cover crops reduce NO3-N leached by 50 and 64%, respectively.
“The aforementioned cover crop effects were consistent with two meta-analyses (Quemada et al., 2013; Thapa et al., 2018), which estimated that late-summer-planted cover crops reduce NO3 -N leached by 50 and 64%, respectively.”
From Fall cover crop nitrogen uptake drives reductions in winter-spring leaching (2022) · cites this paper as Quemada et al., 2013
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Fall cover crop nitrogen uptake drives reductions in winter-spring leaching
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- Authors
- Quemada, M., Baranski, M., Nobel-de Lange, M. N. J., Vallejo, A., & Cooper, J. M.
- Affiliations
- Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (ES)
- Newcastle University (GB)
- Corresponding author
- Quemada, M.
- Venue
- Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2013-07
- Volume
- 174
- Pages
- 1-10
- ISSN
- 0167-8809 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W1995885839
- Cited by
- 399
- References
- 2
- Citations by year
- 2026: 38 · 2025: 40 · 2024: 40 · 2023: 35 · 2022: 53 · 2021: 33 · 2020: 40 · 2019: 29 · 2018: 28 · 2017: 24 · 2016: 16 · 2015: 10 · 2014: 12 · 2013: 1
- FWCI
- 1.32
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- hybrid
- doi.org
- Licence
- Locations
- Agriculture Ecosystems & Environment (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc-nd)
- LA Referencia (Red Federada de Repositorios Institucionales de Publicaciones Científicas) (acceptedVersion, cc-by-nc-nd)
- Archivo Digital UPM (Universidad Politécnica de Madrid) (acceptedVersion, cc-by-nc-nd)
- Hispana (submittedVersion, cc-by-nc-nd)
- Newcastle University ePrints (Newcastle Univesity)
- Funders
- Direcció General de Recerca, Generalitat de Catalunya
- Topics
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Environmental Chemistry › Soil and Water Nutrient Dynamics
- Life Sciences › Agricultural and Biological Sciences › Soil Science › Irrigation Practices and Water Management
- Life Sciences › Agricultural and Biological Sciences › Soil Science › Agricultural Science and Fertilization
- Keywords
- nitrate leaching, irrigated agriculture, water management, fertilizer management, cover crops, legume cover crops, fertilizer technology, crop yield, nitrogen loss, environmental sustainability
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