In Search for the Missing Nitrogen: Closing the Budget to Assess the Role of Denitrification in Agricultural Watersheds
Although representing a paramount mechanism against nitrogen excess in agricultural landscapes, soil denitrification is still a largely unknown term in nitrogen balances at the watershed scale. In the present work, a comprehensive investigation of nitrogen sources and sinks in agricultural soils and...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2020-03-01
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| Series: | Applied Sciences |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/10/6/2136 |
| _version_ | 1818520012688719872 |
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| author | Giuseppe Castaldelli Fabio Vincenzi Elisa Anna Fano Elisa Soana |
| author_facet | Giuseppe Castaldelli Fabio Vincenzi Elisa Anna Fano Elisa Soana |
| author_sort | Giuseppe Castaldelli |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Although representing a paramount mechanism against nitrogen excess in agricultural landscapes, soil denitrification is still a largely unknown term in nitrogen balances at the watershed scale. In the present work, a comprehensive investigation of nitrogen sources and sinks in agricultural soils and waters was performed with the aim of gaining insights into the relevance of soil denitrification in a highly farmed sub-basin of the Po River delta (Northern Italy). Agricultural statistics, water quality datasets, and results of laboratory experiments targeting nitrogen fluxes in soils were combined to set up a detailed nitrogen budget along the terrestrial−freshwater continuum. The soil nitrogen budget was not closed, with inputs exceeding outputs by 72 kg N·ha<sup>−1</sup>·year<sup>−1</sup>, highlighting a potential high risk of nitrate contamination. However, extensive monitoring showed a general scarcity of mineral nitrogen forms in both shallow aquifers and soils. The present study confirmed the importance of denitrification, representing ~37% of the total nitrogen inputs, as the leading process of nitrate removal in heavily fertilized fine-texture soils prone to waterlogged conditions. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-11T01:31:44Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-57afbfbe7474460fb48e4972e62637f4 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2076-3417 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-11T01:31:44Z |
| publishDate | 2020-03-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Applied Sciences |
| spelling | doaj.art-57afbfbe7474460fb48e4972e62637f42022-12-22T01:25:21ZengMDPI AGApplied Sciences2076-34172020-03-01106213610.3390/app10062136app10062136In Search for the Missing Nitrogen: Closing the Budget to Assess the Role of Denitrification in Agricultural WatershedsGiuseppe Castaldelli0Fabio Vincenzi1Elisa Anna Fano2Elisa Soana3Department of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, University of Ferrara, Via L. Borsari 46, 44121 Ferrara, ItalyDepartment of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, University of Ferrara, Via L. Borsari 46, 44121 Ferrara, ItalyDepartment of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, University of Ferrara, Via L. Borsari 46, 44121 Ferrara, ItalyDepartment of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, University of Ferrara, Via L. Borsari 46, 44121 Ferrara, ItalyAlthough representing a paramount mechanism against nitrogen excess in agricultural landscapes, soil denitrification is still a largely unknown term in nitrogen balances at the watershed scale. In the present work, a comprehensive investigation of nitrogen sources and sinks in agricultural soils and waters was performed with the aim of gaining insights into the relevance of soil denitrification in a highly farmed sub-basin of the Po River delta (Northern Italy). Agricultural statistics, water quality datasets, and results of laboratory experiments targeting nitrogen fluxes in soils were combined to set up a detailed nitrogen budget along the terrestrial−freshwater continuum. The soil nitrogen budget was not closed, with inputs exceeding outputs by 72 kg N·ha<sup>−1</sup>·year<sup>−1</sup>, highlighting a potential high risk of nitrate contamination. However, extensive monitoring showed a general scarcity of mineral nitrogen forms in both shallow aquifers and soils. The present study confirmed the importance of denitrification, representing ~37% of the total nitrogen inputs, as the leading process of nitrate removal in heavily fertilized fine-texture soils prone to waterlogged conditions.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/10/6/2136agricultural soilsnitrogen budgetwatershednitrate pollutionsoil denitrification |
| spellingShingle | Giuseppe Castaldelli Fabio Vincenzi Elisa Anna Fano Elisa Soana In Search for the Missing Nitrogen: Closing the Budget to Assess the Role of Denitrification in Agricultural Watersheds Applied Sciences agricultural soils nitrogen budget watershed nitrate pollution soil denitrification |
| title | In Search for the Missing Nitrogen: Closing the Budget to Assess the Role of Denitrification in Agricultural Watersheds |
| title_full | In Search for the Missing Nitrogen: Closing the Budget to Assess the Role of Denitrification in Agricultural Watersheds |
| title_fullStr | In Search for the Missing Nitrogen: Closing the Budget to Assess the Role of Denitrification in Agricultural Watersheds |
| title_full_unstemmed | In Search for the Missing Nitrogen: Closing the Budget to Assess the Role of Denitrification in Agricultural Watersheds |
| title_short | In Search for the Missing Nitrogen: Closing the Budget to Assess the Role of Denitrification in Agricultural Watersheds |
| title_sort | in search for the missing nitrogen closing the budget to assess the role of denitrification in agricultural watersheds |
| topic | agricultural soils nitrogen budget watershed nitrate pollution soil denitrification |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/10/6/2136 |
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