Author(s): W. F. Ritter; A. E. M. Chirnside; R. Scarborough
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Abstract: A three year field study was conducted to evaluate the impact of different cropping systems on ground water quality. The cropping systems evaluated were: continuous no-till corn, corn-barley-sorghum-corn, corn-sorghum-soybeans, and sorghum-soybeans-sorghum. The continuous corn cropping system had the highest nitrate concentrations in the ground water. The sorghum-soybeanssorghum rotation had the lowest nitrate concentrations in the ground water. For this rotation average nitrate concentrations decreased from 14.3 mg/L in 1992 to7.53 mg/L in the winter of 1995. Nitrate concentrations in the ground water for the corn-sorghum-soybean rotation also decreased to below 10 mg/L. Lowering nitrogen inputs decreased nitrate leaching to the ground water.
Year: 1997