Water Resources Management
Controlling soil water movement in trench systems
to prevent nitrogen leaching
Background
Nitrogen leaching on Dutch sandy soils is too high according to the EU commission. Chemical treatment of sandy
soils against specific apple replant disease is further more prohibited from 2015 on. A trench production system is
developed to solve both problems.
Crucial for prevention of too much nitrogen leaching is the control of water movement in the trenches by
maintaining the drainage percentage between 0 and 5% in the nitrogen fertigation period. Nitrogen leaching is
futher more close to zero in periods when Regulated Deficit Irrigation (RDI) is applied. Trench systems make RDI
possible in climates with rainfall averages like in the Netherlands. It also results in higher quality production with
crops that tend to have too much vegetative growth, like apples on rootstock M.9 under Dutch growing conditions.
The Research
- (further) model development for a Decision Support System, including calibration and validation
- Assistance in operation of the trench system, including the fertigation
- Location: PPO, Lingewal 1, Randwijk
- Period: 5 to 6 months starting between March 1st and April 15th
Host Institution: Applied Plant Research/Wageningen UR
Country: The Netherlands/Randwijk
Starting date: Between March 1st and April 15th
WRM contact persons: Harm Boesveld
Host Institution: Rien van der Maas (tel. 0488-473728)