Dynamic Modeling of Soil Water Dynamics and Nitrogen Species Transport with Multi-Crop Rotations Under Variable-Saturated Conditions

Vilim Filipović (), Dragutin Petošić, Ivan Mustać, Igor Bogunović, Hailong He and Lana Filipović
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Vilim Filipović: School of Agriculture and Food Sustainability, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD 4072, Australia
Dragutin Petošić: Faculty of Agriculture, University of Zagreb, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia
Ivan Mustać: Faculty of Agriculture, University of Zagreb, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia
Igor Bogunović: Faculty of Agriculture, University of Zagreb, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia
Hailong He: College of Natural Resources and Environment, Northwest A&F University, Yangling 712100, China
Lana Filipović: Faculty of Agriculture, University of Zagreb, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia

Land, 2025, vol. 14, issue 2, 1-24

Abstract: Excessive application of nitrogen (N) fertilizers in agriculture poses significant environmental risks, notably nitrate leaching into groundwater. This study evaluates soil water dynamics and the transport of urea, ammonium, and nitrate under variable-saturated conditions in a long-term experimental field in Croatia, Europe. Utilizing HYDRUS-1D and HYDRUS-2D models, we simulated water flow and nitrogen transformation and transport across six lysimeter-monitored locations over four years (2019–2023), incorporating diverse crop rotations and N addition. Key modeled processes included nitrification, urea hydrolysis, and nitrate leaching, integrating field-measured parameters and climatic conditions. The models achieved high reliability, with R 2 values for water flow ranging from 0.58 to 0.97 and for nitrate transport from 0.13 to 0.97; however, some cases reported lower reliability. Results revealed that nitrate leaching was influenced by precipitation patterns, soil moisture, crop growth stages, and fertilization timing. Peak nitrate losses were observed during early crop growth and post-harvest periods when elevated soil moisture and reduced plant uptake coincided. The findings highlight the importance of optimizing nitrogen application strategies to balance crop productivity and environmental protection. This research demonstrates the effectiveness of numerical modeling as a tool for sustainable nitrogen management and groundwater quality preservation in agricultural systems. It also indicates the need for further development by capturing some of the processes such as identification in the N cycle.

Keywords: nitrogen; agriculture; groundwater pollution; numerical modeling; nitrate transport; HYDRUS (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q15 Q2 Q24 Q28 Q5 R14 R52 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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