Operational Group: Nitrogen fertilization management to reduce pollution in greenhouse horticultural crops

Nitrogen leaching into groundwater can cause serious environmental problems, with increased nitrate concentrations in aquifers, and also health problems. Furthermore, nitrate leaching represents economic losses for farmers, not only due to the excess nutrients applied that are not absorbed by the roots, but also because this excess is not accompanied by increased crop yields.

Optimal nitrogen (N) management is an increasingly important requirement in intensive agriculture due to legislative pressure to reduce environmental problems associated with nitrate contamination of groundwater and surface water. Virtually the entire greenhouse horticultural production area in southeastern Spain has been declared a zone vulnerable to agricultural nitrate contamination (ANPC), making it necessary to adopt measures to reduce this situation and prevent the continued deterioration of water quality in the underlying aquifers.