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- Title
NITRIC FOOD POLLUTION AS A RESULT OF INTENSIVE MINERAL NITROGEN FERTILIZATION.
- Authors
RĂDULESCU, Hortensia
- Abstract
The study reveals the most important nitrate sources of agricultural origin which often pollute food stuffs and drinking water. In areas with intensive nitrate fertilization and livestock breeding, crops and depth water become overloaded with nitrates. The nitrate content of carrot, spinach, lettuce, cabbage and parsley experimentally fertilized with various doses of nitrogen was measured at their harvest. Field experiments were performed treating soil with six doses of nitrogen applied as a mineral fertilizer (urea, ammonium nitrate, potassium nitrate) and organic fertilizer (manure). The nitrate content of spinach, lettuce and cabbage leafs, also carrot root and vegetative organs of parsley was determined at harvest time. The upper and deep layers of ground water in some settlements of Banat County were also sampled and analysed for nitrates, using the Griess method (spectrophotometric method). Nitrate contamination in areas of intensive agricultural activities as well as nitric overload due to intensive animal breeding were studied on depth water samples. The obtained results showed linear correlation between the nitrogen amount used as fertilizer or generated by intensive animal breeding and the nitrate content of vegetables and water samples. The values of the nitrate content in vegetables altered and depended also on the analysed vegetable species. Nitrogen added as organic fertilizer (manure) generates at harvest time low nitrate content in vegetables. Therefore the organic fertilizer should be preferred to mineral fertilization, if the agricultural technology admits it. The usefulness of the paper lies in preventing the consumer's nitric stress by food and water consumption. The importance of the obtained results consists in informing potential consumers about the nitric accumulation prevalent in leaf and root vegetables also in depth water resources in areas of intensive fertilization with mineral nitrogen or industrial animal breeding. In order to prevent high nitrate concentration in leaf and root vegetables, the nitrogen fertilizer dose to be applied should be calculated on the basis of specific consumption of the species and also the features and fertility of the soil. The climatic conditions, the vegetation period of the crop and the harvest time are also relevant, since they deeply influence the reduction of nitrates.
- Subjects
NITROGEN content of vegetables; NITROGEN content of food; COMPOSITION of vegetables; CHEMICAL composition of plants; NITRATES
- Publication
Research Journal of Agricultural Science, 2013, Vol 45, Issue 2, p232
- ISSN
2066-1843
- Publication type
Article