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Evaluation of Actual Nitrogen Losses From a Watershed Preliminary Results of a Case Study in the Po Vally (Northern Italy)

Informally Refereed

Abstract

The evaluation of potential N losses from individual fields is not sufficient to provide an estimate of the actual nitrogen loads reaching the main watercourses and therefore becoming a relevant source of pollution. Along the travel path from a field to the outlet of a watershed several biogeochemical processes may occur, leading to significant changes in the N amount actually leaving the watershed.

A case watershed is being studied in the province of Mantovs, PO valley, Northern Italy, in order to evaluate actual nitrogen losses at its outlet. This paper aims to present the first results of this study aAer one year of research.

During the period September 2002 - November 2003 210 kg/ha of N were applied and 10 kg/ha were lost in drainage water.

Citation

Borin, Maurizio; Bisol, Tomaso; Bonaiti, Gabriele; Morari, Francesco; Amatya, Devendra M. 2004. Evaluation of Actual Nitrogen Losses From a Watershed Preliminary Results of a Case Study in the Po Vally (Northern Italy). Pp.329-330, In Proc. of Abstracts and Papers (on CD-ROM) of the 6th International Conf. on Hydro-Science and Engineering, Brisbane, Australia, May 31-June 03, 2004, eds. M.S. Altinakar, S.S.Y. Wang, K.P. Holz, and M. Kawahara.
https://www.fs.usda.gov/research/treesearch/7165