Simulation of water drainage and nitrate leaching at an irrigated maize (Zea mays L.) oasis cropland with a shallow groundwater table

Nitrogen pollution is a serious threat to water resources worldwide, and it poses a particular threat to groundwater in desert oases where the water table is shallow. Leaching loss of nitrogen fertilizer means economic loss and threatens the water quality of phreatic aquifer with a thinner vadose zone thickness, especially in the Hailiutu River catchment, China, where phreatic aquifer is a unique source of local domestic water. The objective of this study was to quantify N leaching for irrigated maize with different fertilizer and irrigation management practices, as well as fluctuating groundwater tables, and to recommend the best management practices for maize. A field experiment was conducted in such a locale for two consecutive years. Maize was grown where nitrogen was introduced at increasing rates (from 38 to 438 kg N ha−1, at intervals of 100 kg N ha−1). The 338 kg N ha−1 represented the conventional fertilization practice (N338), and served as a reference. Unlike the conventional 70 mm irrigation depth applied at each water application, water conserving irrigation was performed by applying only 20 mm at each irrigation — six times in 2017 and four in 2018. The HYDRUS-1D model was first calibrated against measured soil moisture and nitrate in soil water across all soil layers, then independently validated and finally repeatedly run to simulate NO3N leaching under the following simulation conditions: a) increasing N fertilization rate, but fixed 20 mm individual irrigation depth; b) increasing individual irrigation depth (from 10 to 70 mm), but only considering the reference N fertilization rate (N338). In both cases, five different shifts in water table depth were assumed, + 0.10, 0, − 0.10, − 0.20, or − 0.30 m of groundwater table change, respectively. The simulation results suggest that conventional fertilization practices result in nitrogen losses of over 100 kg ha−1, and 238 kg N ha−1 N fertilization, accompanying by a depth of 20 mm for each irrigation is the best combination of management practices. The NO3−N leaching loss was more influenced by the depth of irrigation than the fertilizer application rate. A shallower water table resulted in the greater loss of NO3N by leaching. Such results can help develop improved irrigation and nitrogen fertilization management for desert oasis cropping systems. •Crop management under conditions of shallow and fluctuating groundwater table is problematic.•Conventional fertilization practices in the Hailiutu