 |
| Titel |
Sustainable agriculture and nitrogen reduction: an open field experiment using natural zeolitites in silty-clay reclaimed soil at Codigoro (Po River Delta, Ferrara, Italy) |
| VerfasserIn |
Barbara Faccini, Dario Di Giuseppe, Micòl Mastrocicco, Massimo Coltorti, Nicolò Colombani, Giacomo Ferretti |
| Konferenz |
EGU General Assembly 2014
|
| Medientyp |
Artikel
|
| Sprache |
Englisch
|
| Digitales Dokument |
PDF |
| Erschienen |
In: GRA - Volume 16 (2014) |
| Datensatznummer |
250098847
|
| Publikation (Nr.) |
 EGU/EGU2014-14564.pdf |
|
|
|
|
|
| Zusammenfassung |
| Following the guidelines of Nitrate and Water Framework Directives (91/676/CEE,
200/60/CE) an innovative integrated zeolitite cycle is being tested on a reclaimed clayey-silt
soil in the Po Delta area (Ferrara Province, Italy), in the framework of the EU-funded
ZeoLIFE project (LIFE+10 ENV/IT/000321).
Natural zeolitites are pyroclastic rocks containing more than 50% of zeolites, a kind of
hydrous minerals with peculiar physical and chemical properties, like high and selective
cation exchange capacity (CEC), molecular adsorption and reversible dehydration. Zeolitites
can trap NH4+ from solutions and release it gradually to the plant roots once they have been
mixed in agricultural soils, allowing both fertilization and irrigation reduction and
improvement of the yield. The fertilization reduction can result in a decrease of the nitrate
content in groundwater and surface waters, ultimately leading to a mitigation of nutrient
excess in the environment. Similarly, reduction of irrigation water means a minor exploitation
of the water resource.
The selected material used in the project is a chabazite zeolitite coming from a quarry
near Sorano in Central Italy (Bolsena volcanic district). The open-field experimentation
foresees two year of cultivation. A surface of about 6 ha has been divided into six
parcels: three control parcels are cultivated and irrigated in traditional way; two
parcels have been added with coarse-grained (ø = 3- 6 mm) natural zeolitite at
different zeolitite/soil ratios (5 kg/m2 and 15 kg/m2) and one has been mixed with
fine-grained (ø < 3 mm) NH4+-charged zeolitite at 10 kg/m2. Zeolitite/soil ratios have
been determined upon a series of greenhouse tests, and the ammonium enriched
material is obtained by cation exchange with swine manure in a specifically conceived
prototype.
The environmental quality of soil and water in each parcel is monitored by periodic soil,
groundwater and porewater analyses. Soil EC, temperature and volumetric water content are
continuously measured with probes at different depth (5-30-50-100-150 cm). The
quality of surface water is checked by analyzing the outflow from the drains of the
sub-irrigation system installed in the field. An automated meteorological station has been
also installed in order to quantify rainfalls and sun irradiation for water balance
calculation.
During the first year, a no-food variety of sorghum has been cultivated. In the parcels
treated with natural zeolitite and in that bearing NH4+-charged zeolitite, the fertilization has
been reduced by 30% and 50% with respect to the controls. Notwithstanding these
reductions, the yield increased by 5% and 15% in the parcel added with natural zeolitite and
in that treated with NH4+-charged zeolitite, respectively.
As confirmed by previously performed laboratory leaching tests, NH4+ in porewater and
surface water was comparable in all parcels ( |
|
|
|
|
|
|