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Nutrient runoff loss from saline-alkali paddy fields in Songnen Plain of Northeast China via different runoff pathways: effects of nitrogen fertilizer types

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Abstract

The application of nitrogen (N) fertilizer aggravates the nutrient runoff loss from paddy, causing serious agricultural non-point source pollution, and leading to a serious decline in water quality. The global area of saline-alkali paddy has expanded, but the response of nutrient loss via runoff to N-fertilizer applications in saline-alkali paddy is still unclear. This study conducted a 147-day field experiment to evaluate the nutrient runoff loss from saline-alkali paddy with different N-fertilizer application strategies in Songnen Plain of Northeast China. Regardless of N-fertilizer types, the nutrient loss via rainfall runoff in the entire rice-growing season was significantly (p < 0.05) higher than that via artificial drainage. The N and phosphorus (P) concentrations in runoff water were correlated with salinity and alkalinity. Especially, pH had a significant positive correlation with total-P (TP) (r = 0.658, p < 0.01). In the entire rice-growing season, the TN runoff losses in urea (U), microbial fertilizer (MF), and inorganic compound fertilizer (ICF) treatments were significantly (p < 0.05) lower compared with carbon-based slow-release fertilizer (CSF) and organic–inorganic compound fertilizer (OCF), respectively. Meanwhile, the TP runoff losses in OCF and ICF treatments were significantly (p < 0.05) lower than U and MF, respectively. Overall, the application of ICF is a better choice to avoid N and P losses via runoff from saline-alkali paddy fields.

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Data availability

The datasets used and/or analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

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Funding

This study was supported by the Excellent Youth Foundation of Jilin Province, China (No. 20230101361JC), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. U21A2037), the CAS Interdisciplinary Innovation Team Project (No. JCTD-2020–14), and the Youth Innovation Promotion Association, CAS (No. Y2021068).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Key Laboratory of Wetland Ecology and Environment, Northeast Institute of Geography and Agroecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changchun, 130102, China

    Xinyi Wang, Hui Zhu, Baixing Yan, Jiao Lyu & Fuman Zhang

  2. College of Resources and Environment, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China

    Xinyi Wang

  3. State Key Laboratory of Black Soils Conservation and Utilization, Changchun, 130102, China

    Xinyi Wang, Hui Zhu & Baixing Yan

  4. Department of Natural Sciences, Middlesex University, Hendon, London, NW4 4BT, UK

    Brian Shutes

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  1. Xinyi Wang
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Contributions

XW carried out all experiments and drafted the manuscript. HZ (corresponding author) was responsible for this study, participated its design, and helped to draft the manuscript. BS and BY provided technical and theoretical support. JL and FZ executed the experiments, analyzed all data, and produced figures. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

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Correspondence to Hui Zhu.

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Wang, X., Zhu, H., Shutes, B. et al. Nutrient runoff loss from saline-alkali paddy fields in Songnen Plain of Northeast China via different runoff pathways: effects of nitrogen fertilizer types. Environ Sci Pollut Res 30, 97977–97989 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-023-29314-x

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