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| Submitter's Name |
Rishi Prasad |
| Session Name |
Poster Session: Water quality protection and treatment |
| Poster Number |
68 |
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| Author(s) |
Rishi Prasad, University of Florida (Presenting Author) |
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George Hochmuth,
University of Florida |
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Davide Cammarano, University of Floirda |
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Senthold Asseng, University of Floirda |
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Role of nitrogen budgets in evaluating nitrogen leaching from potato production in sandy soil: A model based approach to improve nitrogen management in Suwanee River Basin |
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Increasing concentrations of nitrate in ground water in the Suwannee River Basin has raised concerns over the past 30 years. Agriculture is a major industry in the basin and is considered as an important non-point source of nitrogen pollution. Best management practices (BMP) are being encouraged for agricultural fertilization and irrigation in this watershed, however nitrate concentrations in the springs remain elevated. There is a need for quantifying sources of nitrogen losses for different crops grown in the area. Knowing a crop N mass balance will help in understanding crop nitrogen use, requirements and losses and assist BMPs for reducing the N load in the watershed. Our research was conducted on a large, diversified livestock and row crop farm located in close proximity to the Suwannee River. The objective of this study was to quantify the N mass balance components associated with potato production in sandy soils with a center pivot irrigation system for four consecutive growing seasons. Field measurements and a model based approach were used to construct the N budget for the potato production system. The potato model SUBSTOR within DSSAT was calibrated, evaluated and used to optimize the N fertilizer rates, timing, and irrigation management. Leaching was found to be a major pathway for N loss from potato systems and comprised 35 % of the total N fertilizer input. |
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