Information

Nitrogen loss in sub-surface drainage from bananas in tropical north Queensland

Level 1 General description

Purpose

The study monitored nutrient infiltration under a commercial banana plantation.

Methods (brief)

Lysimeters were installed to collect leachate from below the root zone. The monitoring period included 2 dry and a single wet season.

Key findings (brief)

Table 1. Mean drainage, and nutrient loss on a commercial banana farm in the Tully Catchment (Armour et al., 2006 (n=21). Duration of the study 6/7/2004 – 21/9/2005. Rainfall over the entire monitoring period was 1215mm

Slope length

(m)

Slope

(%)

Drainage

(mm)

NOx- loss

(mg/L)

Filtered reactive phosphorus

(mg/L)

n.d

n.d

1215

4.1

0.03

 

Location

Tully Catchment – commercial banana plantation

Related studies

Faithful J.W, Brodie J, Hooper A, Leachy P, Henry G, Finlayson W, Green D. 2007. Plot-scale runoff of nutrients and sediment under varying management regimes on a banana and cane farm in the wet tropics. Catchment to Reef – Wet Tropics Sutainable Agriculture Runoff Water Quality Project – ACTFR report No. 07/10

 

level 2, level 3, level 4 and level 5