TY - JOUR
T1 - Fertilising techniques and nutrient balances in the agriculture industrialization transition
T2 - The case of sugarcane in the Cauca river valley (Colombia), 1943-2010
AU - Delgadillo-Vargas, Olga
AU - Garcia-Ruiz, Roberto
AU - Forero-Álvarez, Jaime
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2015 Elsevier B.V.
PY - 2016/2/15
Y1 - 2016/2/15
N2 - Population size and per capita food consumption are assumed to be the two greatest drivers of global environmental change. The intensification of agriculture for food and fiber production, and specially, for energy crops, affects ecosystems due to the use of limited soil resources (e.g. nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium and other macronutrients and micronutrients) which are necessary for their functioning, the release of pesticides, and the conversion of natural ecosystems. However, the location and extent of intensive agriculture and its associated ecological impacts within tropical countries is often well unknown. The purpose of this study is to provide an understanding of the fertilisation practices associated to the phase of sugarcane industrialization in an inter-Andean valley in Colombia. Changes in the nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P) and potassium (K) fluxes were calculated over time (1943, 1984, 1998 and 2010) by using the concept of social metabolism. We applied a nutrient balance model, which was especially created for past agroecosystems (historical studies). The N balances were positive and oscillated between 108 and 98kg N ha-1 year-1, with a relatively low N use efficiency (about 63% and 42% for 1943 and 2010, respectively). The main inputs were chemical fertilisation and irrigation, and the main outputs of N included harvested N and leaching due to low N use efficiency and high irrigation flows. By 2010, values of atmospheric deposition rose up to 35.6kg N ha-1 year-1, mainly because the nitrate concentrations in rain water were very high in comparison to previous decades. The K and P balances were positive and near zero, which represents an adequate management according to local conditions.The positive N balance in the four analysed years suggests that this element has been historically over applied. This has caused not only high production costs, but also, water and atmospheric pollution. The study of fertilisation systems is, therefore, essential to understand agrarian growth and the process of agricultural intensification. Calculations of N, P and K budgets can be helpful for understanding agroecosystem functioning and proposing more sustainable management strategies.
AB - Population size and per capita food consumption are assumed to be the two greatest drivers of global environmental change. The intensification of agriculture for food and fiber production, and specially, for energy crops, affects ecosystems due to the use of limited soil resources (e.g. nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium and other macronutrients and micronutrients) which are necessary for their functioning, the release of pesticides, and the conversion of natural ecosystems. However, the location and extent of intensive agriculture and its associated ecological impacts within tropical countries is often well unknown. The purpose of this study is to provide an understanding of the fertilisation practices associated to the phase of sugarcane industrialization in an inter-Andean valley in Colombia. Changes in the nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P) and potassium (K) fluxes were calculated over time (1943, 1984, 1998 and 2010) by using the concept of social metabolism. We applied a nutrient balance model, which was especially created for past agroecosystems (historical studies). The N balances were positive and oscillated between 108 and 98kg N ha-1 year-1, with a relatively low N use efficiency (about 63% and 42% for 1943 and 2010, respectively). The main inputs were chemical fertilisation and irrigation, and the main outputs of N included harvested N and leaching due to low N use efficiency and high irrigation flows. By 2010, values of atmospheric deposition rose up to 35.6kg N ha-1 year-1, mainly because the nitrate concentrations in rain water were very high in comparison to previous decades. The K and P balances were positive and near zero, which represents an adequate management according to local conditions.The positive N balance in the four analysed years suggests that this element has been historically over applied. This has caused not only high production costs, but also, water and atmospheric pollution. The study of fertilisation systems is, therefore, essential to understand agrarian growth and the process of agricultural intensification. Calculations of N, P and K budgets can be helpful for understanding agroecosystem functioning and proposing more sustainable management strategies.
KW - Agriculture
KW - Nutrient balances
KW - Social metabolism
KW - Sugarcane
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84949239460&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.agee.2015.11.003
DO - 10.1016/j.agee.2015.11.003
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:84949239460
SN - 0167-8809
VL - 218
SP - 150
EP - 162
JO - Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment
JF - Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment
ER -