Nitrogen Leaching in Vegetable Fields in the Suburbs of Shanghai

Nitrogen （N） leaching in vegetable fields from December 2002 to May 2003 with equal dressings of total N for a sequential rotation of Chinese flat cabbage （Brassica chinensis L. var. rosularis） and lettuce （Lactuca sativa L.） in a suburban major vegetable production base of Shanghai were examined using the lysimeter method to provide a scientific basis for rational utilization of nitrogen fertilizers so as to prevent nitrogen pollution of water resources. Results showed that leached N consisted mainly of nitrate N, which accounted for up to more than 90% of the total N loss and could contribute to groundwater pollution. Data also showed that by partly substituting chemical N （30%） in a basal dressing with equivalent N of refined organic fertilizer in the Chinese flat cabbage field, 64.5% of the leached nitrate N was reduced, while in the lettuce （Lactuca sativa L.） field, substituting 1/2 of the chemical N in a basal dressing and 1/3 of the chemical N in a top dressing with equivalent N of refined organic fertilizers reduced 46.6% of the leached nitrate N. In the twoyear sequential rotation system of Chinese flat cabbage and lettuce, nitrate-N leaching in the treatment with the highest amount of chemical fertilizer was up to 46.55 kg ha^-1, while treatment plots with the highest amount of organic fertilizer had only 17.58 kg ha^-1. Thus, partly substituting refined organic fertilizer for chemical nitrogen in the first two seasons has a great advantage of reducing nitrate-N leaching.