Surface runoff and nitrogen (N) loss in a bamboo (Phyllostachys pubescens) forest under different fertilization regimes

• Published in: Environmental science and pollution research international Vol. 20; no. 7; pp. 4681 - 4688
• Main Authors: Zhang, Qichun, Shamsi, Imran Haider, Wang, Jinwen, Song, Qiujin, Xue, Qiaoyun, Yu, Yan, Lin, Xianyong, Hussain, Sayed
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Berlin/Heidelberg Springer Berlin Heidelberg 01-07-2013; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Agricultural land; Agricultural production; Agriculture - methods; Aquatic Pollution; Atmospheric Protection/Air Quality Control/Air Pollution; Bamboo; China; Dissolved organic nitrogen; Earth and Environmental Science; Ecotoxicology; Environment; Environmental Chemistry; Environmental Health; Environmental impact; Environmental Monitoring - methods; Fertilization; Fertilizers; Fertilizers - analysis; Forest management; Forest soils; Forests; Laboratories; Nitrogen; Nitrogen - analysis; Nonpoint source pollution; Organic nitrogen; Phyllostachys pubescens; Poaceae - chemistry; Research Article; Runoff; Soil sciences; Studies; Surface runoff; Trees; Waste Water Technology; Water Management; Water Movements; Water Pollutants, Chemical - analysis; Water Pollutants, Chemical - chemistry; Water Pollution Control; Water quality; Watersheds; China; China, People's Rep., Jiangsu; China, People's Rep., Tai Hu L; China, People's Rep; Nitrogen loss; Bamboo forest; Fertilization; Surface runoff
• ISSN: 0944-1344; 1614-7499
• DOI: 10.1007/s11356-012-1429-4

Nitrogen (N) losses from agricultural fields have been extensively studied. In contrast, surface runoff and N losses have rarely been considered for bamboo forests that are widespread in regions such as southern China. The thriving of bamboo industries has led to increasing fertilizer use in bamboo forests. In this study, we evaluated surface runoff and N losses in runoff following different fertilization treatments under field conditions in a bamboo (
Phyllostachys pubescens
) forest in the catchment of Lake Taihu in Jiangsu, China. Under three different fertilization regimes, i.e., control, site-specific nutrient management (SSNM), and farmer's fertilization practice (FFP), the water runoff rate amounted to 356, 361, and 342 m
3
 ha
−1
and accounted for 1.91, 1.98, and 1.85 % of the water input, respectively, from June 2009 to May 2010. The total N losses via surface runoff ranged from 1.2 to 1.8 kg ha
−1
. Compared with FFP, the SSNM treatment reduced total nitrogen (TN) and dissolved nitrogen (DN) losses by 31 and 34 %, respectively. The results also showed that variations in N losses depended mainly on runoff fluxes, not N concentrations. Runoff samples collected from all treatments throughout the year showed TN concentrations greater than 0.35 mg L
−1
, with the mean TN concentration in the runoff from the FFP treatment reaching 8.97 mg L
−1
. The loss of NO
3
−
–N was greater than the loss of NH
4
+
–N. The total loss of dissolved organic nitrogen (DON) reached 23–41 % of the corresponding DN. Therefore, DON is likely the main N species in runoff from bamboo forests and should be emphasized in the assessment and management of N losses in bamboo forest.