Review of Alternative Management Options of Vegetable Crop Residues to Reduce Nitrate Leaching in Intensive Vegetable Rotations

Agronomy

Laura Agneessens²  Jeroen De Waele²  Stefaan De Neve¹  Francesco Montemurro² 

[1]Department of Soil Management, Ghent University, Coupure Links 653, 9000 Gent, Belgium

关键词: vegetable crop residues;    leaching;    N-immobilizing materials;    catch crops;    intercropping;    composting;    anaerobic digestion;    ensilage;   

DOI  :  10.3390/agronomy4040529

来源: mdpi

【 摘 要 】

Vegetable crop residues take a particular position relative to arable crops due to often large amounts of biomass with a N content up to 200 kg N ha⁻¹ left behind on the field. An important amount of vegetable crops are harvested during late autumn and despite decreasing soil temperatures during autumn, high rates of N mineralization and nitrification still occur. Vegetable crop residues may lead to considerable N losses through leaching during winter and pose a threat to meeting water quality objectives. However, at the same time vegetable crop residues are a vital link in closing the nutrient and organic matter cycle of soils. Appropriate and sustainable management is needed to harness the full potential of vegetable crop residues. Two fundamentally different crop residue management strategies to reduce N losses during winter in intensive vegetable rotations are reviewed, namely (i) on-field management options and modifications to crop rotations and (ii) removal of crop residues, followed by a useful and profitable application.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© 2014 by the authors; licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.