The Netherlands has to cope with large losses of N and P to groundwater and surface water. Agriculture is the dominant source of these nutrients, particularly with reference to nutrient excretion due to intensive animal husbandry in combination with fertilizer use. The Dutch government has recently launched a stricter eutrophication abatement policy to comply with the EC nitrate directive. The Dutch consensus model for N and P emission to groundwater and surface water (STONE) has been developed to evaluate the environmental benefits of abatement plans. Due to the possibly severe socioeconomic consequences of eutrophication abatement plans, it is of utmost importance that the model is thoroughly validated. Because STONE is applied on a nationwide scale, the model validation has also been carried out on this scale. For this purpose the model outputs were compared with lumped results from monitoring networks in the upper groundwater and in surface waters. About 13,000 recent point source observations of nitrate in the upper groundwater were available, along with several hundreds of observations showing N and P in local surface water systems. Comparison of observations from the different spatial scales available showed the issue of scale to be important. Scale issues will be addressed in the next stages of the validation study.

G.B.J. Overbeek

A. Tiktak

A.H.W. Beusen

P.J.T.M. van Puijenbroek

Partial Validation of the Dutch Model for Emission and Transport of Nutrients (STONE)

An investigation of air pollution in the Tehran metropolitan area between 1992&#x2013;2000 indicated that there are significant amounts of nitrate ion (NO3&#x2013;), over 30 kg/ha/year, deposited as wet deposition, compared to 13 kg/ha/year in the Chitgar Parkland near the Tehran metropolitan area. The amount of NO3&#x2013; in warm seasons is twofold that of cold seasons (see Fig. 1), and there was a significant difference between cold and warm seasons (Table 1). Annual wet deposition of ammonia (NH3) was 10 kg/ha/year in the Chitgar Parkland[1].

Ali Salahi

Shirin Geranfar

Soudabeh A.A. Korori

Nitrogen Deposition in the Greater Tehran Metropolitan Area

Dutch nutrient policy aims at reducing leaching of agricultural nutrients by internalizing the negative externalities associated with inefficient nutrient use. This is done by taxation of nitrogen and phosphate surpluses that exceed a hectare-based threshold of maximum-allowed surpluses. One management strategy farmers may use to reduce the nutrient surpluses on their farms is to improve the nutrient efficiency of the agricultural production process. This study employs Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) to calculate nitrogen and phosphate efficiencies and an overall nutrient efficiency measure for a 3-year panel of 114 Dutch dairy farms. Subsequent analyses show the impact of both farm intensity and nutrient efficiency on the nitrogen and phosphate surpluses. It appears that farm intensity has a positive effect on efficiency, but efficiency and intensity exert opposite influences on nutrient surpluses. This is especially the case for nitrogen. The magnitude of a possible reduction of nitrogen surpluses through a strategy of efficiency improvement is therefore limited by the intensity of the farming system, unless the technology with which nutrients are used by the farming system can be further improved or input/output ratios will be altered.

C.J.M. Ondersteijn

A.G.J.M. Oude Lansink

G.W.J. Giesen

R.B.M. Huirne

Improving Nutrient Efficiency as a Strategy to Reduce Nutrient Surpluses on Dairy Farms

Logging has been shown to induce nitrogen (N) leaching. We hypothesized that logging a watershed that previously exhibited forest decline symptoms would place additional stress on the ecosystem and result in greater N loss, compared to harvesting vigorous forests. We conducted a 10-year (1988 to 1998) assessment of N export from the Baldwin Creek watershed in southwestern Pennsylvania that was partially clearcut to salvage dead and dying northern red oak. N export from the watershed increased significantly following salvage logging operations and did not completely return to prelogging levels by the end of the study period. The largest annual NO3-N export of 13 kg/ha was observed during the first year after harvesting, an increase of approximately 10 kg/ha. Compared to data from other Appalachian Mountain watersheds in North Carolina, West Virginia, and Pennsylvania, calculated N loss for Baldwin Creek was considerably greater. Longer periods of reduced N uptake due to slow revegetation of salvage logged areas, coupled with increased amounts of N available to leaching, could have accounted for the large N losses observed for Baldwin Creek. Salvage logging of dead and dying trees from forested watersheds in this region appears to have the potential to result in much larger N losses than previously reported for harvest of healthy stands.

Maria Herrmann

William E. Sharpe

David R. DeWalle

Bryan R. Swistock

Nitrogen Export From a Watershed Subjected to Partial Salvage Logging

Since 1997 government and industry in The Netherlands have been engaged in intensive policy discussions on how to design an emission trading program that would satisfy the Government&#x2019;s policy objectives within the national and international regulatory framework and accommodate industry&#x2019;s need for a flexible and cost-effective approach. Early on in the discussion the most promising solution was a rate-based approach, which dynamically allocated saleable emission credits based on a performance standard rate and actual energy used by facilities. All industrial facilities above a threshold of 20 MWth would be judged on their ability to meet this performance rate. Those &#x201C;cleaner&#x201D; than the standard can sell excess credits to others with an allocation that is less than their actual NOX emission. With some changes in law, such a design could be made to fit well into the national and EU legislative framework while at the same time uniquely meeting industry&#x2019;s requirement of flexibility toward economic growth and facility expansion. (An analysis of the legislative changes required will be given in a separate paper by Chris Dekkers.) However, the environmental outcome of such a system is not as certain as under an absolute emission cap. At the request of the Netherlands Ministry of Housing, Spatial Planning and the Environment (VROM), Automated Credit Exchange (ACE), in close cooperation with the working group of government and industry representatives introduced a number of features into the Dutch NOX program allowing full exploitation of market mechanisms while allowing intermediate adjustments in the performance standard rates. The design is geared toward meeting environmental targets without jeopardizing the trading market the program intends to create. The paper discusses the genesis of the two-tier credit system ACE helped to design, explains the differences between primary (fixed) and secondary (variable) credits, and outlines how the Dutch system is expected to function once implemented in 2004. The paper also discusses the market trading simulation held in early 2001 to assess and test the trading program, and reviews also the current status of the market program development.

Anne M. Sholtz

Bill VanAmburg

Verne K. Wochnick

An Enhanced Rate-Based Emission Trading Program for NOx: The Dutch Model

Emission trading is a new instrument in environmental policy. It is an alien notion in most European countries and it is often viewed with hesitation. The paper discusses the economic, legal, and perhaps more importantly, the cultural aspects to consider when one tries to explore the prospects for trading emissions of NOX and other substances in Europe. Issues to be addressed are the present legal framework in Europe in relation to the national emission ceilings on NOX and other substances on the basis of relevant EU directives and UNECE protocols. The paper will discuss the extent to which the legal framework within the EU imposes constraints on the design of a national emission trading scheme, and what options are available to fit emission trading into that legislative structure. The NOX emission trading programme developed in the Netherlands will be used to demonstrate the various aspects in a European context.

Chris P.A. Dekkers

NOx Emission Trading in a European Context: Discussion of the Economic, Legal, and Cultural Aspects

The aims of organic farming include the recycling of nutrients and organic matter and the minimisa-tion of the environmental impact of agriculture. Reduced nitrogen (N)-losses and energy (E)-use are therefore fundamental objectives of conversion to organic farming. However, the case is not straightforward, and different scenarios for conversion to organic farming might lead to reduced or increased N-losses and E-use. This paper presents a scenario tool that uses a Geographical Information System in association with models for crop rotations, fertilisation practices, N-losses, and E-uses. The scenario tool has been developed within the multidisciplinary research project Land Use and Landscape Development Illustrated with Scenarios (ARLAS). A pilot scenario was carried out, where predicted changes in N-losses and E-uses following conversion to organic farming in areas with special interests in clean groundwater were compared. The N-surplus and E-use were on average reduced by 10 and 54%, respectively. However, these reductions following the predicted changes in crop rotations, livestock densities, and fertilisation practices were not large enough to ensure a statistically significant reduction at the 95% level. We therefore recommend further research in how conversion to organic farming or other changes in the agricultural practice might help to reduce N-surpluses and E-uses. In that context, the presented scenario tool would be useful.

Tommy Dalgaard

Chris Kjeldsen

Nicholas J. Hutchings

Jorgen F. Hansen

N-Losses and Energy Use in a Scenario for Conversion to Organic Farming

We examined the use of stream baseflow water quality as a representative measure of mean ground water quality in the Tomorrow-Waupaca Watershed in central Wisconsin and the relationship between agricultural land use and watershed water quality. From 1997 to 1999, 38 stream sites were sampled for nitrate during winter and summer baseflow conditions. Some sites have been sampled during winter baseflow conditions since 1994. The land area contributing ground water to each stream sampling site was delineated, resulting in 38 sub-basins. In addition, over 3500 test results from private wells in the watershed were compiled and mapped using a Geographic Information System (GIS). Nitrate concentrations in stream baseflow and well waters were found to have strong positive correlation in the sub-basins of second order or higher. This indicates that stream baseflow may be valid for monitoring mean ground water quality in watersheds predominantly fed by ground water, where much of the stream nitrate is believed to originate from ground water. Analysis of seasonal variation in the stream data showed that winter nitrate concentrations were higher than summer concentrations, implying that winter stream monitoring may be more critical for the assessment of overall ground water quality in the watershed. We also found that, as the amount of agricultural land increased in each sub-basin, average nitrate concentrations in the well and stream waters also increased, suggesting a connection between agricultural land use and nitrate contamination of water resources in the watershed.

Henry Lin

Rebecca Cook

Byron Shaw

Nitrate Relationships between Stream Baseflow, Well Water, and Land Use in the Tomorrow-Waupaca Watershed

Human activities exerted very little effect on nitrogen (N) cycling in China before 1949. Between 1949 and 1999, however, rapid economic development and population growth led to dramatic changes in anthropogenic reactive N, inputted recycling N, N flux on land, N2O emission, and NH3 volatilization. Consequently, these changes have had a tremendous impact on the environment in China. In the current study, we estimated the amount of atmospheric wet N deposition and N transportation into water bodies from the watersheds and major valleys in China. Additionally, we addressed issues on leaching and accumulation of NO3� in the farmland under different climate zones, land use, and cropping systems as well as the potential influence of NO3� on underground water in China.

G.X. Xing

Z.L. Zhu

The Environmental Consequences of Altered Nitrogen Cycling Resulting from Industrial Activity, Agricultural Production, and Population Growth in China

Nitrogen and sulphur, both vital structural elements, are especially needed for the synthesis of proteins and oils. Investigations revealed the required application of sulphur is one half to one third the amount of nitrogen, and the ratio becomes narrower in mustard (Brassica juncea L.), followed by wheat and rice. The efficiency of an increased level of nitrogen required a proportionately higher amount of sulphur. A critical investigation on the effective utilization of applied vis-&#xE0;-vis absorbed nitrogen in wheat and mustard envisaged accumulation of NO3-N in vegetative parts when sulphur remained proportionately low. Application of sulphur hastened the chemical reduction of absorbed NO3&#x2013; for its effective utilization. The effect was more pronounced in mustard than in wheat. Easily available forms of sulphur, like ammonium sulphate and gypsum, as compared to pyrite or elemental sulphur, maintained adequate N to S ratio in rice, resulting in a reduction in the percent of unfilled grain, a major consideration in rice yield. A narrow N to S ratio, with both at higher levels, increased the oil content but raised the saponification value of the oil, a measure of free fatty acids. Whereas, a proportionately narrow N to S ratio at moderate dose resulted in adequately higher seed and oil yield with relatively low saponification value, associated with increased iodine value of the oil, indicating respectively low free fatty acids and higher proportion of unsaturated fatty acids, an index for better quality of the oil.

B.K. Nad

T.J. Purakayastha

D.V. Singh

Nitrogen and Sulphur Relations in Effecting Yield and Quality of Cereals and Oilseed Crops

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