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Soil and Water Management: Practices to Mitigate Nutrient Losses in Agricultural Watersheds

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A special issue of Water (ISSN 2073-4441). This special issue belongs to the section "Water and Climate Change".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (10 December 2023) | Viewed by 4129

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Special Issue Editors

Dr. Lizhi Jia

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Guest Editor

Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
Interests: soil erosion; soil quality; land degradation; soil and water conservation; ecological engineering

Dr. Yuan Tian

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Guest Editor

Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
Interests: trace element; environmental health; biogeochemical cycle; drinking water quality; soil pollution; spatial analysis

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Nutrient losses in agricultural watersheds have negative impacts on both water quality and ecosystems. Therefore, it is crucial to adopt some soil and water management practices that can significantly mitigate nutrient losses in agricultural watersheds and minimize their negative impacts. Considering this challenge, we call for articles on the following topics: (1) Mechanisms of nutrient transport in agricultural watersheds. (2) Methods for quantitative assessment of nutrient losses in agricultural watersheds. (3) Damages caused by nutrient loss in agricultural watersheds. (4) Practices that can be used for mitigating nutrient losses in agricultural watersheds including: conservation tillage, cover crops, precision agriculture, etc.

Dr. Lizhi Jia
Dr. Yuan Tian
Guest Editors

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Keywords

biogeochemical cycle
soil pollution
soil quality
conservation tillage
precision agriculture
nutrient losses
migration mechanism

Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

12 pages, 2340 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Effects of Phosphate and Arsenate on As Metabolism in Microcystis aeruginosa at Different Growth Phases

by Ping Zhang, Jinxin Liu, Fen Yang, Shaowen Xie and Chaoyang Wei

Water 2024, 16(7), 940; https://doi.org/10.3390/w16070940 - 25 Mar 2024

Viewed by 636

Abstract

Arsenic (As) metabolism in freshwater algae at different growth phases has rarely been documented. To address this gap, this study was conducted to assess the intra- and extracellular As metabolism, along with speciation changes, in Microcystis aeruginosa across three growth phases. The treatment involved varying concentrations of As (0, 0.4, 0.6, 0.8 and 1 mg/L, in the form of arsenate, iAs^V) under three phosphorus levels (0.02 mg/L as low, 0.1 mg/L as medium, and 0.5 mg/L as high P in the form of phosphate). The findings revealed that extracellular iAs^V remained the dominant As species during the lag and exponential growth phases of M. aeruginosa in the growth media, while intracellular trivalent As (iAs^III) emerged as the pronounced species during the exponential growth phase, but also exhibited a significant negative correlation with the P levels. Moreover, elevated P levels had promoted the formation of intra- and extracellular dimethylarsinic acid (DMA) and monomethylarsonic acid (MMA) in the exponential growth phase. During the stationary growth phase, intracellular iAs^V was found to decrease with the increasing P levels. During the whole growth phases, P had consistently reduced algal As absorption levels. The significant promotion of algal As absorption in response to iAs^V was observed only during the lag growth phase. The As bioaccumulation exhibited a correlational relationship with the algal reproduction. Both low and high P levels (0.02 and 0.5 mg/L) decreased the accumulation of As in algae cells during the exponential and stationary growth phases. The transformation and release rate of As were concomitantly influenced by P, and exhibited the same trends within the growth phase. These trends differed between the exponential and stationary growth phases, with an inhibitory effect being present during the former, while a promotional effect was observed during the latter. This study provides insight into potential As hazards in freshwater lakes with algae bloom. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Soil and Water Management: Practices to Mitigate Nutrient Losses in Agricultural Watersheds)

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22 pages, 4784 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Assessing the Effectiveness of Alternative Tile Intakes on Agricultural Hillslopes

by Christopher G. Wilson, Matthew T. Streeter, William D. Ettema, Benjamin K. B. Abban, Adrian Gonzalez, Keith E. Schilling and Athanasios N. Papanicolaou

Water 2024, 16(2), 309; https://doi.org/10.3390/w16020309 - 17 Jan 2024

Viewed by 667

Abstract

Existing surface inlets behind terraces and water and sediment control basins (WASCoBs) were replaced with alternative tile intakes (ATIs) in agricultural fields of southeast Iowa. These ATIs consisted of a buried column of gravel atop woodchips. Computational, experimental, and field methods were used to design and evaluate the ATIs’ capacity to reduce sediment and nutrient export. Single-storm simulations using the Watershed Erosion Prediction Project (WEPP) provided boundary conditions for permeameter experiments that yielded a hydraulic conductivity for the layered gravel–woodchip configuration of 4.59 cm/s ± 0.36 cm/s. Additionally, a proportional amount of sediment was retained in the permeameter (42%) compared to the amount that settled on the permeameter surface (58%). Event monitoring of field-installed ATIs during three growing seasons measured a sediment trapping efficiency of 86 ± 12% that led to deposition rates of 5.44 ± 3.77 cm/yr, quantified with ²¹⁰Pb profiles. Percent reduction values were 43% for nitrate and 17% for ortho-phosphate. Finally, long-term continuous-storm modeling using the WEPP suggested that these ATIs could withstand at least 75 25-year events before clogging. Modeling using the Agricultural Conservation Planning Framework suggested watershed-scale load reductions of 1.6% for NO₃ and 1.4% for total P for ATIs draining 6.8% of the modeled watershed. Using ATIs in conjunction with WASCOBs and terraces, or as standalone practices, can be a cost-effective means for keeping sediment and nutrients in the landscape. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Soil and Water Management: Practices to Mitigate Nutrient Losses in Agricultural Watersheds)

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22 pages, 12496 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Analysis of Influencing Factors of Heavy Metals and Non-Point Source Pollution in Typical Areas of Tethys Himalayan Tectonic Domain

by Jialu An, Xinjie Zha, Hongcai Wang, Liyuan Deng, Yizhuo Yang, Yi Wang, Jin Di and Wenya Zhao

Water 2024, 16(2), 291; https://doi.org/10.3390/w16020291 - 15 Jan 2024

Viewed by 745

Abstract

Due to their potential toxicity and non-degradability, heavy metals pose water and soil quality and safety challenges, impacting crop growth and the ecological environment. The contamination of heavy metals (HMs) and non-point source pollution from agriculture and pastoral presents significant ecological and environmental challenges, necessitating prioritized prevention and mitigation. In this study, 44 water samples and 55 soil samples from Gangba County, a typical agricultural and pastoral area in the Tethys Himalaya tectonic domain, served as research objects. We employed various methods, including the inverse distance weighting, ecological risk assessment model, redundancy analysis, and geographical detector modeling, to investigate the spatial distribution and pollution attributes of arsenic (As), chromium (Cr), cadmium (Cd), lead (Pb), nickel (Ni), nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and potassium (K). Our analysis considered the impact of soil physicochemical properties on heavy metals (HMs), elucidating factors influencing their spatial distribution. Results indicated that 65.46% of soil As in the study area exceeded the screening value, while the concentrations of the eight selected elements in water remained below the standard limit. Simultaneously, the study area exhibited low overall ecological risk and minimal HM pollution. Furthermore, As and Pb were primarily linked to human activities and the environment, while Cd, Cr, and Ni were predominantly associated with natural processes. Additionally, factors, such as per capita net income, mean annual temperature, mean annual precipitation, geomorphic type, organic matter, geology type, and soil texture (sand, silt, and clay) constituted primary controlling factors influencing the spatial distribution of HMs in soil. Therefore, for effective prevention and control of HMs and non-point source pollution in agriculture and pastoral, arsenic should be the primary monitoring target, with careful consideration given to the application rates of fertilizers containing N, P, and K to facilitate sustainable development of the ecological environment. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Soil and Water Management: Practices to Mitigate Nutrient Losses in Agricultural Watersheds)

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17 pages, 11245 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Temporal and Spatial Changes of Hydrographic Connectivity with the Development of Agriculture, Industry, and Urban Areas: A Case Study of the Yellow River Basin in Henan Province during the Last Two Decades

by Zhiying Li, Chaoyang Wei, Jianli Zhou and Fen Yang

Water 2023, 15(24), 4245; https://doi.org/10.3390/w15244245 - 11 Dec 2023

Viewed by 781

Abstract

Hydrographic connectivity stands as a crucial indicator for analyzing the structural dynamics within river and lake systems. Nevertheless, the impact of changes in hydrographic connectivity, including structural and functional connectivity within extensive river basins, on the progression of agriculture, industry, and habitation remain scarcely explored. To bridge this gap, Henan province in China, traversed by the Yellow River, was selected as a case study. The extraction of water information was facilitated by employing a remote sensing-based Modified Normalized Difference Water Index (MNDWI), while Set Pair Analysis was utilized to construct a hydrographic connectivity evaluation system for the study area spanning the preceding two decades (2000–2020). The results revealed that for structural connectivity, agricultural land covers over 50% and prevails as the primary land-use type; reservoir and lake areas initially increased before subsequently decreasing. Human activities have exerted a profound influence on these changes. Meanwhile, the structural form of the water system has gradually improved, exhibiting an increasing complexity of river networks and a stabilizing connectivity configuration. As for functional connectivity, the natural function remains well-preserved, while the social function demonstrates a positive correlation with the expansion of industrial activities, eventually achieving an excellent level from a moderate level. Overall, agriculture dominated the water usage structure, with residential water consumption steadily increasing, thereby positively impacting hydrographic connectivity in the studied area. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Soil and Water Management: Practices to Mitigate Nutrient Losses in Agricultural Watersheds)

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16 pages, 4911 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Characteristics of Nitrogen in Overlying Water and Sediment of Typical Agricultural Drainage Ditches during Different Periods in a Freezing-Thaw Area of China

by Lu Lu, Qianding Cheng, Qiang Xue, Xiaojing Zhang and Liyan Yang

Water 2023, 15(15), 2789; https://doi.org/10.3390/w15152789 - 01 Aug 2023

Viewed by 840

Abstract

In the Sanjiang Plain, agricultural drainage ditches effectively alleviate agricultural non-point source nitrogen pollution. However, limited information is known about the characteristics of bidirectional trans-ports of nitrogen between sediment and overlying and pore water in different patterns of ditches undergoing seasonal freezing-thawing cycles. It is vital to better understand nitrogen interception and purification by ecological ditches. In order to clarify the interception of ecological ditches on internal and external nitrogen, overlying water and sediment samples of two typical agricultural ditches were collected and analyzed in Sanjiang Plain during the growing seasons of 2015–2017. The results indicated that the N-

N O_{3}^{-}

in overlying water, which was higher than N-

N H_{4}^{+}

, was the dominant inorganic nitrogen, whilst, in the sediment, N-

N H_{4}^{+}

was much higher than N-

N O_{3}^{-}

, which should be attributed to the soil’s adsorption of N-

N H_{4}^{+}

. In contrast to the dryland ditch, the paddy ditch had a more significant amount of inorganic nitrogen both in overlying water and sediment, which means that the non-point source nitrogen pollution caused by paddy fields was more severe than that of drylands. Compared with dryland ditches, N-

N H_{4}^{+}

in the sediment of pad ditches seemed to be much easier to migrate to a deeper layer, which may cause a greater risk of nitrogen pollution to groundwater. Both in the overlying water and the sediment of ditches, nitrogen content fluctuated during different periods, and inter-annual variation was noticeable, which results means that estimation or prediction of the non-point source pollution output needs to extend the monitoring period and increase sampling frequency to reduce the great uncertainty. The findings may provide a foundation for forecasting agricultural nitrogen pollution and guide best management practices (BMPs) of non-point source nitrogen pollution control in seasonally frozen areas. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Soil and Water Management: Practices to Mitigate Nutrient Losses in Agricultural Watersheds)

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