Initial findings from agricultural water quality monitoring at the edge-of-field in Arkansas

摘要: With farm-scale knowledge of how production practices affect water quality, land managers and agricultural producers can make more informed decisions on implementing soil conservation that sustain productivity protect resources. The Lower Mississippi River Basin is a major region for rice (Oryza sativa L.), cotton (Gossypium hirsutum soybean (Glycine max [L.] Merr.); however, there limited agronomic in those southern cropping systems quality. Results from environmental models indicate commercial fertilizer fields contributes substantially to the hypoxic zone northern Gulf Mexico. To expand understanding runoff quality at field scale, edge-of-field monitoring studies were carried out nine rice, cotton, northeastern Arkansas over multiple seasons. These year-round activities generated 23 site-years data sediment nutrient concentrations loads with various soils crop rotation regimes. Discharge runoff, nitrite-nitrogen (NO2-N), nitrate-nitrogen (NO3-N), total N, soluble phosphorus (P), (TP), suspended concentration per-event basis measured. results nongrowing season several measured components statistically higher than during growing season, lending support need off-season such as winter cover crops shallow storage. nutrients observed compared systems. differences are likely due type but also related management system flooded furrow irrigated row crops. findings provide baseline will help inform regional budgets loss. Such information assist conservationists directing resources effectively. modelers their efforts calibrate, verify, validate, estimate uncertainty simulations