Abstract
Agriculture is among the main causes of water pollution. Currently, 75% of global anthropogenic nitrogen (N) loads come from leaching/runoff from cropland. The grey water footprint (GWF) is an indicator of water resource pollution, which allows for the evaluation and monitoring of pollutant loads (L) that can affect water. However, in the literature, there are different approaches to estimating L and thus contrasting GWF estimates: (A1) leaching/runoff fraction approach, (A2) surplus approach and (A3) soil nitrogen balance approach. This study compares these approaches for the first time to assess which one is best adapted to real crop production conditions and optimises GWF calculation. The three approaches are applied to assess N-related GWF in barley and soybean. For barley in 2019, A3 estimated a GWF value 285 to 196% higher than A1, while in 2020, the A3 estimate was 135 to 81% higher. Soybean did not produce a GWF due to the crop characteristics. A3 incorporated N partitioning within the agroecosystem and considered different N inputs beyond fertilization, improving the accuracy of L and GWF estimation. Providing robust GWF results to decision-makers may help to prevent or reduce the impacts of activities that threaten the world’s water ecosystems and supply.
Highlights
Agricultural activity is responsible for 70% of global freshwater consumption and represents an important factor in pollution of the resource [1,2,3]
This study analysed three methodologies proposed in the literature to assess the nitrogen-related pollutant load (L) and grey water footprint (GWF) using local data on barley and soybean plots in the Argentinean Pampas: (1) leaching/runoff fraction approach, (2) surplus approach and (3) nitrogen balance approach
According to the results obtained, the N balance approach is the most representative and reliable method to estimate nitrogenbased L and GWF, as it incorporates the nutrient cycling concept and N partitioning in the agroecosystem
Summary
Agricultural activity is responsible for 70% of global freshwater consumption and represents an important factor in pollution of the resource [1,2,3]. In order to improve agricultural productivity and meet the food demand, there has been increased dependence on the use of pesticides, fertilisers and manure to address the major productive limitations [3,4]. The use of these compounds has allowed the expansion of agriculture. They can generate negative environmental externalities, such as water contamination, when they are used inappropriately, affecting natural ecosystems and human health and livelihoods [1,5,6]. Cereal production and oil crops contribute 18% and 11%, respectively, to the global grey water footprint (GWF) associated with N use [7]
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