[Nitrate nitrogen leaching and residue of humic acid fertilizer in field soil]

To elucidate the potential influence of humic acidfertilizer on groundwater and soil quality in clay soil (CS) and sandy soil (SS), nitrate nitrogen leaching and residue of different fertilizers in field soil were studied using a self-made leaching field device. Nitrate nitrogen concentration in leaching water of fertilizer treatments was 28.1%-222.2% higher than that of non-nitrogen treatment in different times, but humic acid fertilizer could prevent nitrate nitrogen leaching both in CS and SS, especially in CS. Nitrate nitrogen concentration of leaching water in CS was 41.2%-59.1% less than that in SS and the inhibiting effect in CS was greater than that in SS. Nitrate nitrogen could be accumulated in soil profile by fertilizer application. The residue of nitrate nitrogen retained in 0-40 cm soil layer of humic acid fertilizer treatment was 59.8% and 54.4% respectively, higher than that of urea and compound fertilizer treatments. Nitrate nitrogen amount of humic acid, urea and compound fertilizer treatments in SS was significantly less than that in CS, being 81.7%, 81.1% and 47.6% respectively. Compared with the conventional fertilizer, humic acid fertilizer treatment improved the contents of organic matter, available nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium of upper layer soil as well as cation exchange capacity. Besides, total amount of water-soluble salts in humic acid fertilizer treatment was decreased by 24.8% and 22.5% in comparison to urea and compound fertilizer treatments in CS, respectively. In summary, the application of humic acid fertilizer could improve physical and chemical properties of upper layer soil and reduce the risk of potential pollution to groundwater.