POTENTIAL NITRATE LEACHING FROM VEGETABLE FARMS IN DENMARK

In Denmark the potential nitrate leaching has been measured since 1986 on 830 locations in a nation-wide network of fixed measuring points, called the “Square Grid for Nitrate Investigations”. Besides the systematically selected points, 9 vegetable farms have been selected as measuring points.
Until 1989 soil samples were taken in late autumn and early spring to a depth of 1 m and measured for nitrate and ammonium nitrogen.
From 1990 sample frequency has been increased to 5-6 times per winter in order to calculate the amount of leaching by means of the computer N-model “Daisy”.

The results obtained in the “Square Grid” show that the amount of inorganic nitrogen left in the root zone in the autumn is mainly a consequence of the growing systems used and gives a good indication of the strong impact of vegetable growing.
The results form a good basis for setting up general guidelines for good cultivation practices.
Such guidelines are incorporated in the preliminary cultivation guidelines set up for integrated vegetable production in Denmark.
For the

Workshop on Ecological Aspects of Vegetable Fertilization in Integrated Crop Production in the Field

T. Huus-Bruun

Nitrate leaching, vegetables, “Square Grid”

https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.1993.339.19