Aquatic ecosystems are especially vulnerable to human impacts associated with agricultural land-use, which provide multiple stressors altering community composition, important ecosystem functions and human valued properties of freshwaters. However, the increased occurrence of excessive levels of nitrate-nitrogen has raised major concerns about toxicity and stress on aquatic life, especially in regions such as the Canterbury Plains, New Zealand. The aims of this thesis were to identify nitrate-nitrogen effects on stream communities, and additionally provide field data to inform proposed national bottom lines for nutrients in New Zealand streams. A field survey was conducted on 41 small streams on the Canterbury Plains spanning a nitrate-nitrogen gradient (mean 0.4 – 11.3 mg/L). Spot nitrate-nitrogen was collected during and after the field survey to measure temporal variation in stream nitrate-nitrogen concentration for six months. This showed nitrate-nitrogen concentration varied between season and sub-region, where concentrations increased in winter and Ashburton had higher nitrate-nitrogen than Rangiora and Lincoln, respectively. These regimes of nitrate-nitrogen showed similar patterns in mean, median and maximum concentrations. To be confident my spot nitrate-nitrogen provided a true representation of long-term water chemistry, I compared Environment Canterbury 12 monthly data with my six monthly data in a sub-set of 15 sites. This comparison showed similar nitrate-nitrogen patterns and range of values between the two datasets. I then compared 12 common benthic invertebrate biotic metrics with my nitrate-nitrogen data and found none were correlated with this contaminant. For example, the Macroinvertebrate Community Index and quantitative variant (QMCI) derived to measure the response to organic pollution provided inconsistent results when applied to my streams. Nevertheless, gut content stoichiometry of the common mayfly grazer Deleatidium spp. indicated improvement in food quality (lower C:N ratio) with higher nitrate-nitrogen concentrations. These results indicated either nitrate-nitrogen does not alter invertebrate structural metrics across this nitrate-nitrogen gradient, or that these biotic metrics measure community structure aspects not affected by nitrate-nitrogen. I then investigated possible community composition patterns across the nitrate-nitrogen gradient. Unconstrained ordination (on presence/absence data) showed invertebrate communities at my sites were influenced primarily by discharge and shade, with the next most important driver being nitrate-nitrogen. A constrained ordination (on the same data) testing the singular effect of nitrate-nitrogen showed a marginally non-significant change in composition, with higher variability in community composition at higher nitrate-nitrogen concentrations. A further aim of my study was to test the draft nitrate-nitrogen bands proposed by Hickey (2013). These nitrate-nitrogen bands may advise guidelines to protect aquatic organisms as required by the National Policy Statement on Freshwater. Analysis of my invertebrate communities showed differences in composition, particularly at < 1 and > 6.9 mg/L bands. Several predatory caddisfly taxa: Triplectides, Neurochorema and Oeconesus were identified as potential indicator species of communities associated with low nitrate-nitrogen. These findings show that nitrate-nitrogen effects are difficult to detect, and that it is not the main driver of community composition in Canterbury streams. However, nitrate-nitrogen may be an important stressor for sensitive benthic invertebrate communities, as effects were observed on pollution tolerant organisms in this study. Therefore, this research has implications for freshwater ecologists and environmental managers striving to improve the health of streams on the Canterbury Plains.

Master of Science / Department of Horticulture, Forestry, and Recreation Resources / Rhonda R. Janke / Petiole sap nitrate-nitrogen (NO3-N) analysis with handheld meters is a valuable tool in applying in-season nitrogen (N) for many crops. Sufficiency levels have been determined for several leafy green crops, including lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) and cabbage (Brassica oleracea L.), but not for pac choi (Brassica rapa L.). The response of pac choi to different fertilizer rates and sources [conventional and organic] has established optimal soluble N application rates and Cardy meter sufficiency ranges. Greenhouse experiments were conducted during summer and fall of 2008 in Manhattan, KS. Conventional soluble fertilizer was formulated from inorganic salts with a 4 NO3-N: 1 ammonium ratio. Phosphorus was held at 1.72mM and K at 0.83mM for all treatment levels. The organic soluble fertilizer, fish hydrolyzate (2N:1.72P:0.83K), was diluted to provide the same N levels as with conventional treatments. Both fertilizers were applied at rates of 0, 32, 75, 150, 225, 300, and 450 mg. L-1. Seedlings were transplanted and fertilizer application began at 18 days. Plants were harvested at seven weeks (five weeks post transplanting) after receiving 15 fertilizer applications during production. Samples of the most recently matured leaves were harvested weekly and analyzed for petiole sap NO3-N and leaf blade total N concentration. Leaf count, leaf length, and chlorophyll content were also measured weekly. Fresh and dry weights were determined on whole shoots and roots. Optimum yield was achieved at the 150 mg. L-1 fertility rate with both conventional and organic fertilizers. Field and high tunnel experiments were conducted during fall 2008 to validate the sufficiency ranges obtained from the greenhouse studies. Based on field and high tunnel results, sufficiency levels of NO3-N for pac choi petiole sap during weeks 2 to 3 of production were 800-1500 mg. L-1, and then dropped to 600-1000 mg. L-1 during weeks 4 through harvest for both conventional and organic fertilizers sources. These ranges could vary based on the variety of the crop, the fertility of soil, and certain environmental factors such as photoperiod, light intensity. However, we found that petiole sap nitrate always increased to the point associated with the maximum biomass, followed by a plateau where sap nitrate remained constant. This characteristic of the Cardy meter can provide the growers with a practical methodology to generate their standard curves under specific conditions to guide in-season N applications. Total N in leaf tissue showed fewer fertilizer rate effects than petiole sap NO3-N. Chlorophyll content was not useful in evaluating pac choi N status.

京都大学 / 0048 / 新制・課程博士 / 博士(農学) / 甲第20005号 / 農博第2189号 / 新制||農||1045(附属図書館) / 学位論文||H28||N5014(農学部図書室) / 33101 / 京都大学大学院農学研究科地域環境科学専攻 / (主査)教授 藤原 正幸, 教授 村上 章, 准教授 宇波 耕一 / 学位規則第4条第1項該当 / Doctor of Agricultural Science / Kyoto University / DFAM

The impact of different agricultural systems used in agriculture on the leaching of nutrients and nitrates first of all depends on many factors that are not noticed and sometimes even underestimated by farmers trying to reach larger yields and better economic results. This article analysis the issue of changes in water regime and nitrate nitrogen leaching under the change of agricultural systems; such issue has not been investigated in Lithuania before. This research is especially relevant under the conditions of the Middle Lithuanian Lowland, where annual crops (cereals and sugar beet) area mainly cultivated, the ground is aerated in-tensely thus increasing the mineralization of organic substances and a lot of fertilizers are used. The change of conventional tillage for reduced tillage resulted in the decrease of the resources of surface soil water by 4,91-5,85 % and after changing it into no-tillage water resources decreased by 23,4 %. Reduced tillage and late ploughing are appropriate environmental means reducing nitrate nitrogen leaching from soil. / Įvairių žemdirbystės sistemų naudojamų žemės ūkyje poveikis maisto medžiagų ir labiausiai nitratų išsiplovimui priklauso nuo daugelio veiksnių, kurių žemdirbiai siekdami didesnių derlių ir geresnių ekonominių rezultatų nepastebi, o kartais ir reikiamai neįvertina. Šiame darbe, nagrinėjamas šalyje netirtas vandens režimo ir nitratų azoto išplovimo pasikeitimų, keičiantis žemdirbystės sistemoms, klausimas. Šie tyrimai ypač aktualūs Lietuvos Vidurio lygumos sąlygomis, kur daugiausia auginama vienmečių augalų (javų ir cukrinių runkelių), kasmet žemė intensyviai aeruojama, taip didinant organinių medžiagų mineralizaciją, naudojama daug trąšų. Pakeitus tradicinį žemės dirbimą į sumažintą žemės dirbimą paviršinio dirvožemio sluoksnio vandens atsargos sumažėjo 4,91-5,85 %, o pakeitus į neariminį žemės dirbimą vandens atsargos sumažėjo 23,4 %. Sumažintas žemės dirbimas bei vėlyvas arimas yra tinkamos aplinkosauginės priemonės, mažinančios nitratų azoto išplovimą iš dirvožemio.

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Five indicators of water quality, namely biochemical oxygen consumption in five days, chemical oxygen consumption by dichromate method, nitrate nitrogen, ammonium nitrogen and total phosphorus, were determined in the river Stropnice. The samples were monitored at four offtake places along the river monthly during the year 2013. Twice a year water samples were analyzed also fromthe dischargeof the wastewater treatment plants. The results show that some changes of the individual parameters can be traced during the year, such as increase of oxygen consumption and total phosphorus in the summer months. However, no significant fluctuation was indicated for the measured parameters at any of the offtake places. Based on the values of the individual parameters water in Stropnice can be ranked to quality classes II. - IV. In the long-term frame of water quality examination from the year 2008 average indicators' values and characteristic values were determined. The results revealed that neither in this case substantial changes of water quality regarding the measured indicators can be observed.