Controlled Irrigation and Drainage Reduce Rainfall Runoff and Nitrogen Loss in Paddy Fields

Yanmei Yu, Junzeng Xu, Pingcang Zhang, Yan Meng and Yujiang Xiong
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Yanmei Yu: College of Water Conservancy and Hydropower Engineering, Hohai University, Nanjing 210098, China
Junzeng Xu: College of Agricultural Science and Engineering, Hohai University, Nanjing 210098, China
Pingcang Zhang: College of Water Conservancy and Hydropower Engineering, Hohai University, Nanjing 210098, China
Yan Meng: College of Agricultural Science and Engineering, Hohai University, Nanjing 210098, China
Yujiang Xiong: Changjiang River Scientific Research Institute, Wuhan 430010, China

IJERPH, 2021, vol. 18, issue 7, 1-15

Abstract: In southern China, the growing period of rice is synchronized with the rainy period, and the loss of nutrients (such as nitrogen) due to unreasonable irrigation and drainage, along with rainfall and runoff, has become the main source of agricultural nonpoint source pollution. The laws of runoff and nitrogen loss in paddy fields under different irrigation and drainage modes are not clear. In this study, field experiments were adopted to observe the runoff and nitrogen loss under typical rainfall and throughout the whole growth period. The results showed that, compared with the traditional irrigation and drainage mode, the controlled irrigation and drainage mode reduced the drainage of two typical rainfall processes by 47.5% and 31.3% and the peak drainage by 38.9% and 14.4%. Compared with those under the traditional irrigation and drainage mode, the average concentrations of total nitrogen, nitrate nitrogen, and ammonium nitrogen under the controlled irrigation and drainage mode were reduced by 22.2%, 22.7%, and 27.8%, respectively, during the whole rainfall process on July 21 and were decreased by 27.1%, 11.4%, and 25.6%, respectively, on August 25. In irrigated rice areas, under the controlled irrigation and drainage mode, drainage was reduced after two intercepts through paddy fields and drainage ditches. The nitrogen concentration in the drainage ditch decreased due to the increase in retention time and the effect of the ditch and field wetland. Compared with the traditional irrigation and drainage mode, the total nitrogen, nitrate nitrogen, and ammonium nitrogen loads of the controlled irrigation and drainage mode were reduced by 69.8%, 65.3%, and 69.7%, respectively.

Keywords: controlled irrigation and drainage; rainfall runoff; nitrogen loss; paddy field (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (4)

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