Analysis of Selected Water Quality Indicators from Runoff during Potato Cultivation after Natural Precipitation

Petra Oppeltová,Pavel Kasal,František Krátký,Jana Hajšlová

doi:10.3390/agriculture11121220

Petra Oppeltová, Pavel Kasal + Show 2 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture11121220

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Abstract

When growing wide-row crops on sloped lands, there is significant surface runoff. In relation to the runoff process, potatoes are classified as a risk crop. This study aimed to grow potatoes in the Bohemian-Moravian Highlands, where the protection zone of the water supply reservoir of Švihov is also located. At selected experimental areas, water samples were taken after precipitation events when surface runoff and water erosion occurred. These samples were analysed (nitrates, total P, and selected pesticides used for potato growing) in an accredited laboratory. We located three different variants of nitrogen fertilisation in each experimental area. Precipitation and the amount of water from surface runoff after each higher precipitation event were also measured in the experimental areas. By knowing the acreage of each experimental area, the volume of surface runoff water and the concentration of nitrates, phosphorus, and pesticides, it was possible to calculate the balance of these substances. We also calculated the percentage of surface runoff. The results imply that a new potato cultivator in the technology of stone windrowing should be designed for weed control as part of a weed control system with reduced herbicide application requirements. Innovative agrotechnical processes reducing pollution of water sources by phosphorus and nitrates should also be enhanced. These are based on a precise application of mineral fertiliser into the root area of plants within the period of an intensive intake of nutrients.

Highlights

Intensive agriculture significantly affects the quality of surface water and groundwater
By establishing the acreage of each experimental area, the volume of surface runoff water, and the concentration of nitrates, phosphorus, and pesticides, it was possible for us to calculate the balance of these substances, in addition to the percentage of surface runoff
The highest level of nitrates for a vegetation period was located in the Senožaty I plot at 11.14 kg ha−1 (Figure 7). This balance was influenced by high average values of runoff during the vegetation period (27.8%) (Table 4). These results show a significant influence of vegetation on the surface runoff

Summary

Introduction

Intensive agriculture significantly affects the quality of surface water and groundwater. Production practices used in agriculture can often lead to the leaking of many pollutants, including sediments, pathogens, pesticides, and salts, into water sources. Agriculture is an area source of water pollution, especially in terms of the runoff process [2]. Surface runoff is affected by the slope of land, the intensity and duration of precipitation, and the initial moisture in soil and vegetation cover [3]. Nitrates, phosphorus, and pesticides residues, as well as their metabolites, leak into surface water and shallow groundwaters. This is a global problem being addressed by scientists across the world [5,6]

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