Water balance and nitrate leaching losses under intensive crop production with Ochric Aquic Cambosols in North China Plain

A 2-year field experiment was conducted in an Ochric Aquic Cambosols on a 1-ha field with rotation of winter wheat-summer corn located in Fengqiu County in North China Plain from 1 October 1998 to 30 September 2000 to quantify water balance and evaluate soil water loss by deep drainage and nitrate loss by leaching out of the root zone under the current agricultural practices. Considerable deep drainage was found especially in 1999-2000, during which period up to 273.9 mm of water, accounting for 60.6% of total amount of irrigation and 24.7% of total surface input (rainfall + irrigation), was lost by deep drainage. Even in both wheat cropping seasons when total amount of surface input was less than total actual evapotranspiration, 84.0 and 121.3 mm water was lost by drainage in 1999 and 2000, respectively. Soil NO3−-N was transported to deeper soil layers during the growing seasons and considerable amount of NO3−-N accumulated at 170 cm soil layer (the bottom of root zone) during the September-October period (the harvest time of summer corn) every year. About 28.6 kg N ha− 1 was lost by leaching out of the root zone in 1998-1999 and 81.8 kg N ha− 1 in 1999-2000, accounting for 5.9% and 15.7% of total nitrogen (N) inputs, respectively. The significant deep drainage and nitrate leaching loss were attributed to excessive and inappropriate irrigation and nitrogen (N) fertilization, which may result in severe groundwater pollution if current agricultural managements are not changed.