Simulations of Nitrate Leaching from Sugarcane Farm in Metahara, Ethiopia, Using the LEACHN Model

Haile Arefayne Shishaye^*

Haramaya University, Dire Dawa, Ethiopia.

DOI: 10.4236/jwarp.2015.78055                

Abstract

Metahara is the largest sugarcane farm in Ethiopia. It produces around 120,000 tons of sugar per year. The farm has been facing some problems such as salinity and sodicity, which has been studied by different experts for several decades. However, the other universal problem of agricultural farms is nitrate leaching loss, which has never been studied in the site, owing to lack of resources and expertise. The amount of nitrate leaching from agricultural farms can be measured directly from drainage rates or estimated by using numerical models. Measurements of drainage flow can be done by using lysimeters, but normally it can be estimated from water balance calculations or from field measurements of hydraulic gradients and hydraulic conductivities. However, in reality, hydraulic conductivity is highly variable and measurements in the field can be very laborious. Moreover, predicting nitrate leaching losses by using numerical models from such data- poor study area is also another problem. Nevertheless, groundwater nitrate concentration of the farm is measured by using the UV screening and distillation methods. Using the experimental results as an input for the model calibration, the amount of nitrate leaching from the farm is predicted for a 47 years of simulation period using the LEACHN model. In this case, both the measured and predicted values of nitrate leaching losses show that there is no nitrate problem in the site. However, even though the likelihood of detecting nitrate contamination in the study area is low, potential anthropogenic nitrogen sources must be carefully managed, for it is better to be safe than regretful.

Keywords

Nitrate Leaching, Groundwater Contamination, LEACHN, Sugarcane, Maximum Contaminant Level, Groundwater Protection Measures

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

References

[1]	Letey, J. and Vaughan, P. (2013) Soil Type, Crop and Irrigation Technique Affect Nitrogen Leaching to Groundwater. California Agriculture, 67, 231-241. http://dx.doi.org/10.3733/ca.E.v067n04p231
[2]	Bolger, P. and Stevens, M. (1999) Contamination of Australian Groundwater Systems with Nitrate. LWRRDC Occasional Paper 03/99.
[3]	Xu, L.G., Niu, H.L., Xu, J. and Wang, X.L. (2013) Nitrate-Nitrogen Leaching and Modeling in Intensive Agriculture Farmland in China. The Scientific World Journal, 2013, Article ID: 353086.
[4]	Oenema, O., Kros, H. and de Vries, W. (2003) Approaches and Uncertainties in Nutrient Budgets: Implications for Nutrient Management and Environmental Policies. European Journal of Agronomy, 20, 3-16. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S1161-0301(03)00067-4
[5]	Mitchell, A.R., Light, J.E. and Page, T. (1991) Alternate and Alternating Furrow Irrigation of Peppermint to Minimize Nitrate Leaching. USDA-CSRS, Special Water Quality Research Program, the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality.
[6]	Czymmek, K., Ketterings, Q., Horald, V., DeGloria, S. and Albrecht, G. (2005) The New York Nitrate Leaching Index. Cornell University Cooperative Extension, Agronomic Fact Sheet Series 11.
[7]	Feaga, J.B., Selker, J.S., Dick, R.P. and Hemphill, D.D. (2010) Long-Term Nitrate Leaching under Vegetable Production with Cover Crops in the Pacific Northwest, Soil and Water Management and Conservation. Soil Science Society of America, 74, 186-195. http://dx.doi.org/10.2136/sssaj2008.0178
[8]	Jones, C. (2011) Crop and Fertilizer Management Practices to Minimize Nitrate Leaching. Montana State University Extension, Agriculture and Natural Resources, 600-111SA.
[9]	Campbell, C.A., Selles, F., Zentner, R.P., De Jong, R., Lemke, R. and Hamel, C. (2006) Nitrate Leaching in the Semiarid Prairie: Effect of Cropping Frequency, Crop Type, and Fertilizer after 37 Years. Canadian Journal of Soil Science, 86, 701-710. http://dx.doi.org/10.4141/S05-008
[10]	Robinson, N., Brackin, R., Vinall, K., Soper, F., Holst, J., Gamage, H., Paungfoo-Lonhienne, C., Rennenberg, H., Lakshmanan, P. and Schmidt, S. (2011) Nitrate Paradigm Does Not Hold up for Sugarcane, PLoS ONE, 6, e19045. http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0019045
[11]	Grigg, B., Southwick, L., Fouss, J. and Kornecki, T. (2003) Drainage System Impacts on Surface Runoff, Nitrate Loss, and Crop Yield on a Southern Alluvial Soil. American Society of Agricultural Engineers, 46, 1531-1537.
[12]	Barbara, D. and Nancy, M. (2010) Drinking Water Facts. Utah State University, Water Quality Extension, Logan.
[13]	Mahler, R.L., Colter, A. and Hirnyck, R. (2007) Nitrate and Groundwater. University of Idaho, Collage of Agricultural and Life Sciences, Moscow.
[14]	ARD-EHP (2006) Nitrate and Nitrite: Health Information Summary. New Hampshire, Department of Environmental Services, Environmental Fact Sheet.
[15]	Cooper, C. (1993) Biological Effects of Agriculturally Derived Surface Water Pollutants on Aquatic Systems—A Review. Journal of Environmental Quality, 22, 402-408. http://dx.doi.org/10.2134/jeq1993.00472425002200030003x
[16]	McMahon, P., Bohlke, J., Kauffman, L., Kipp, K., Landon, M., Crandall, C., Burow, K. and Brown, C. (2007) Source and Transport Controls on the Movement of Nitrate to Public Supply Wells in Selected Principal Aquifers of the United States. Water Resources Research, 44, 40-44.
[17]	Cregg, B., Rios, C., Hart, J. and Briggs, D. (20040 Fate of Nitrates in Field Nursery Production Systems. USDA Forest Service Proceedings, RMRS-P-33, 50-51.
[18]	Mueller, D., Hamilton, P., Helsel, D., Hitt, K. and Barbara, C. (1995) Nutrients in Ground Water and Surface Water of the United States, an Analysis of Data through 1992. U.S. Geological Survey, Water Resources Investigations Report 95, 4031.
[19]	Johnson, A., Cabrera, M., Hargrove, W., McCracken, D. and Harbers, G. (1993) Estimating Nitrate leaching and Soil Water Dynamics with LEACHM. Institute of Natural Resources, the University of Georgia, Athens, 371.
[20]	Hutson, J.L. (2003) Leaching Estimation and Chemistry Model: A Process-Based Model of Water and Solute Movement, Transformations, Plant Uptake, and Chemical Reactions in the Unsaturated Zone, Version 4, Department of Crop and Soil Sciences, Cornell University, Ithaca.
[21]	Hutson, J. and Wagenet, R. (1992) LEACHM (Leaching Estimation and Chemistry Model): A Process-Based Model of Water and Solute Movement, Transformations, Plant Uptake and Chemical Reactions in the Unsaturated Zone, Version 3.0, Department of Soil, Crop and Atmospheric Sciences, Cornell University, Ithaca.
[22]	Campbell, G.S. (1974) A Simple Method for Determining Unsaturated Conductivity from Moisture Retention Data. Soil Science, 117, 311-314. http://dx.doi.org/10.1097/00010694-197406000-00001
[23]	Hutson, J.L. and Cass, A. (1987) A Retentivity Function for Use in Soil—Water Simulation Models. European Journal of Soil Science, 38, 105-113. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2389.1987.tb02128.x
[24]	Booker Tate Limited (2009) Re-Evaluation of Plantation soils at Metahara Sugar Factory, Masters Court, Church Road Thame, Oxon OX9 3FA, UK.
[25]	Aurepio (2012) Ammonium Sulfate Nitrate. http://www.aurepio.pl/en/nitrogen-fertilizers/ammonium-sulphate-nitrate-s250
[26]	Sentelhas, P.C. and Folegatti, M.V. (2003) Class a Pan Coefficients (Kp) to Estimate Daily Reference Evapotranspiration (ETo). Revista Brasileira de Engenharia Agrícola e Ambiental, 7, 111-115. http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/S1415-43662003000100018
[27]	Snyder, R.L. (1992) Equation for Evaporation Pan to Evapotranspiration Conversions. Journal of Irrigation and Drainage Engineering, 118, 977-980. http://dx.doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)0733-9437(1992)118:6(977)
[28]	Biggs, I. (2003) An Investigation of Sugarcane Nitrogen Physiology: Sources, Uptake and Metabolism. The Queensland University, School of Integrative Biology, Ph.D. Thesis, School of integrative biology, Queensland University, Australia.
[29]	WHO (1984) Guide Lines for Drinking Water Quality, Vol. 1, Recommendations. World Health Organization, Geneva.
[30]	WHO (2004) Nitrates and Nitrites in Drinking-Water, Rolling Revision of the WHO Guidelines for Drinking-Water Quality. WHO/SDE/WSH/04.08/56.
[31]	USEPA (2007) Drinking Water Standards and Health Advisories Table. Bruce Macler Drinking Water Office, 29.
[32]	Webb, T.H. and Lilburne, L.R. (1999) Use of the LEACHM Model and the DRASTIC Index to Map Relative Risk of Groundwater Contamination by Pesticide Leaching. Journal of Hydrology, New Zealand (NZ), 38, 271-288.
[33]	Toride, N. and Chen, D. (2011) Fate Transport Modeling of Nitrogen and Organic Matter in Soils. Mie University, Tsu.
[34]	JoAnn, M., Holloway, L. and Randy, A. (1999) Geologic Nitrogen in Terrestrial Biogeochemical Cycling. The Geological Society of America, 20, 567-570.
[35]	FAO (1998) Crop Evapotranspiration—Guidelines for Computing Crop Water Requirements. Department of Natural Resources Management and Environment. http://www.fao.org/docrep/X0490E/X0490E00.htm
[36]	Lois, B. (2012) Nitrogen Uptake and Assimilation in Woody Crops. University of Minnesota, Minneapolis and Saint Paul.
[37]	Williams and Kissel (1984) Managing Nitrogen for groundwater quality and farm profitability: Water Percolation, an Indicator of Nitrogen-Leaching Potential. Soil Science Society of America, Inc., Madison, 59-61.
[38]	Rice, C.W. and Havlin, J.L. (1994) Integrating Mineralizable Nitrogen Indices into Fertilizer Nitrogen Recommendations. Soil Science Society of America, Special Publication No. 40.
[39]	Dzurella, K.N., Medellin-Azuara, J., Jensen, V.B., King, A.M., De La Mora, N., Fryjoff-Hung, A., Rosenstock, T.S., Harter, T., Howitt, R., Hollander, A.D., Darby, J., Jessoe, K., Lund, J.R. and Pettygrove, G.S. (2012) Nitrogen Source Reduction to Protect Groundwater Quality. Technical Report 3 in: Addressing Nitrate in California’s Drinking Water with a Focus on Tulare Lake Basin and Salinas Valley Groundwater, Report for the State Water Resources Control Board Report to the Legislature, Center for Watershed Sciences, University of California, Davis.
[40]	Power, J.F. (1987) The Role of Legumes in Conservation Tillage Systems. Soil Science Society of America, Ankeny, 153.
[41]	Stewart, B.A., Viets, F.G. and Hutchinson, G.L. (1968) Agriculture’s Effect on Nitrate Pollution of Ground Water Jour. Soil and Water Conservation, 23, 13.
[42]	Hooker, M.L., Herron, G.M. and Penas, P. (1982) Effects of Residue Burning, Removal, and Incorporation on Irrigated Cereal Crop Yields and Soil Chemical Properties. Soil Science Society of America Journal, 46, 122-126. http://dx.doi.org/10.2136/sssaj1982.03615995004600010023x
[43]	U.S. Department of Agriculture (1980) Report and Recommendations on Organic Farming. Prepared by USDA Study Team, July 1980, 3100-944/96, U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, DC.
[44]	Papendick, I. and Elliot, F. (1984) Alternative Production Systems to Reduce Nitrates in Ground Water. American Journal of Alternative Agriculture, 2, 19-24.