Measuring and Simulation of Nitrate Leachate Using LEACHN Model

In many areas, the main source of surface and groundwater nitrogen pollution is agriculture and simulation models are useful tools in determining the contribution of nitrogen produced by agriculture in pollution of water resources. In this research, leaching of nitrate on a loam-silty to loam soil was measured and simulated using LEACHN model after calibration. The experimental design was complete randomize block. The planting media consist of 15 PVC lysimeters (soil column) with 40 cm diameter and 120 cm height. In these lysimeters, maize (Singel Cross 704) was planted. The nitrogen treatments were 0.0 (control), 150, 200, 250 and 300 kg N/ha as urea with three replications. The results were showed that at 120 cm soil depth and the end of growing season, the nitrate leachate in 150, 200, 250, and 300 kg ha-1 treatments were increased 132, 174, 134 and 182% relative to control, respectively. Comparison between the measured and simulated results showed that LEACHN overestimated the leached nitrate in drainage water with the relative error between 11.3% (300 kg ha-1 treatment) and 88.6% (control). The order of accuracy in simulations was obtained in 300, 200,150 and 250 kg ha-1, respectively. In general, the evaluation of LEACHN model showed that the accuracy of this model for simulation of nitrate leachate was relatively good.