Hostname: page-component-cb9f654ff-kl2l2 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2025-08-31T00:02:24.981Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

A Biotic Control Perspective on Nitrate Contamination of Groundwater from Agricultural Production

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  15 September 2016

Felix Schläpfer  and
Jon D. Erickson
Felix Schläpfer
Affiliation:
Institut für Umweltwis-senschaften, University of Zurich, Switzerland and is presently a post-doctoral fellow with the Department of Economics at the University of Glasgow, UK
Jon D. Erickson
Affiliation:
Department of Economics at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Agronomists consider the continuity and nutrient capturing properties of cover crops as important determinants of nutrient cycling in agricultural systems. Managing for these biotic control functions can help limit nutrient loss and groundwater contamination between main crop harvests. This simulation study highlights the potential role of cover crop management in a welfare economics framework. The objective is to find the optimal combination of nutrient input to the main crop, the extent of off-season cover crops, and crop functional diversity to maximize the sum of benefits from agricultural production and groundwater protection.

Information

Type
Articles
Information
Agricultural and Resource Economics Review , Volume 30 , Issue 2 , October 2001 , pp. 113 - 126
Copyright
Copyright © 2001 Northeastern Agricultural and Resource Economics Association 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

Article purchase

Temporarily unavailable

References

Abdin, O.A., Coulman, B.E., Cloutier, D.C., Faris, M.A., and Smith, D.L. 1997. “Establishment, Development and Yield of Forage Legumes and Grasses as Cover Crops in Grain Corn in Eastern Canada.” Journal of Agronomy and Crop Science 179: 19–27.Google Scholar
Botterweg, P., Bakken, L., and Romstad, E. 1994. “Nitrate Leaching from Agricultural Soils: Ecological Modelling under Different Economic Constraints.” Ecological Modeling 75/76: 359–369.Google Scholar
Boyle, K.J., Poe, G.L., and Bergstrom, J.C. 1994. “What Do We Know about Groundwater Values? Preliminary Implications from a Meta Analysis of Contingent-Valuation Studies.” American Journal of Agricultural Economics 76: 1055–1061.Google Scholar
Brummer, E.C. 1998. “Diversity, Stability, and Sustainable American Agriculture.” Agronomy Journal 90: 1–2.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
BUWAL. 1993. Situation der Trinkwasserversorgung. BUWAL Schriftenreihe Umwelt Nr. 212. Bundesamt für Umwelt, Wald und Landschaft, Bern.Google Scholar
Carter, M.R. 1994. Conservation Tillage in Temperate Agroecosystems. Boca Raton, Florida: Lewis Publishers.Google Scholar
Chapin, F.S. III, Walker, B.H., Hobbs, R.J., Hooper, D.U., Lawton, J.H., Sala, O.E., and Tilman, D. 1997. “Biotic Control over the Functioning of Ecosystems.” Science 277: 500–504.Google Scholar
Chichilnisky, G., and Heal, G. 1998. “Economic Returns from the Biosphere.” Nature 391: 629–630.Google Scholar
Dabney, S.M. 1998. “Cover Crop Impacts on Watershed Hydrology.” Journal of Soil and Water Conservation 53: 207–213.Google Scholar
Daily, G.C., Söderquist, T., Aniyar, S., Arrow, K., Dasgupta, P., Ehrlich, P.R., Folke, C., Jannson, A., Jansson, B-O., Kautsky, N., Levin, S., Lubchenco, J., Mäler, K-G., Simpson, D., Starrett, D., Tilman, D., and Walker, B. 2000. “The Value of Nature and the Nature of Value.” Science 289: 395–396.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
de Willigen, P. 1991. “Nitrogen Turnover in the Soil-Crop System: Comparison of Fourteen Simulation Models.” Fertilizer Research 27(2-3): 141–149.Google Scholar
Dorsheimer, W.T., Drewry, C.B., Fritsch, D.P., and Williams, D.E. 1997. “Removing Nitrate from Groundwater.” Water Engineering and Management 144: 20–24.Google Scholar
Edwards, S.F. 1988. “Option Prices for Groundwater Protection.” Journal of Environmental Economics and Management 15: 475–487.Google Scholar
Ehrlich, P.R., and Wilson, E.O. 1991. “Biodiversity Studies: Science and Policy.” Science 253: 758–762.Google Scholar
Environmental Protection Agency, and USDA (EPA-USDA). 1998. Clean Water Action Plan: Restoring and Protecting America's Waters. Washington DC.Google Scholar
Ewel, J.J., Mazzarino, M.J., and Berish, C.W. 1991. “Tropical Soil Fertility Changes under Monocultures and Successional Communities of Different Structure.” Ecological Applications 1: 289–302.Google Scholar
Fryrear, D.W. 1995. “Soil Losses by Wind Erosion.” Soil Science Society of America Journal 59: 668–672.Google Scholar
Guimerà, J. 1998. “Anomalously High Nitrate Concentrations in Ground Water.” Ground Water 36: 275–282.Google Scholar
Hansen, S., Jensen, H.E., Nielsen, N.E., and Svendsen, H. 1991. “Simulation of Nitrogen Dynamics and Biomass Production in Winter Wheat Using the Danish Simulation Model DAISY.” Fertilizer Research 27(2-3): 245–259.Google Scholar
Hooper, D.U., and Vitousek, P.M. 1997. “The Effects of Plant Composition and Diversity on Ecosystem Processes.” Science 277: 1302–1305.Google Scholar
Hooper, D.U., and Vitousek, P.M. 1998. “Effects of Plant Composition and Diversity on Nutrient Cycling.” Ecological Monographs 68: 121–149.Google Scholar
Horan, R.D., Shortle, J.S., and Abler, D.G. 1999. “Green Payments for Nonpoint Pollution Control.” American Journal of Agricultural Economics 81: 1210–1215.Google Scholar
Kapoor, A., and Viraraghavan, T. 1997. “Nitrate Removal from Drinking Water—Review.” Journal of Environmental Engineering 123: 371–380.Google Scholar
Lamarrie, L. 1998. “Getting the Nitrate Out.” EPRI Journal 23: 18–23.Google Scholar
Lee, J.J., Phillips, D.L., and Dodson, R.F. 1996. “Sensitivity of the U.S. Corn Belt to Climate Change and Elevated CO2: II. Soil Erosion and Organic Carbon.” Agricultural Systems 52: 503–521.Google Scholar
Loehman, E.T., and Randhir, T.O., 1999. “Alleviating Soil Erosion/Pollution Stock Externalities: Alternative Roles for Government.” Ecological Economics 30: 29–46.Google Scholar
Matson, P.A., Parton, W.J., Power, A.G., and Swift, M.J. 1997. “Agricultural Intensification and Ecosystem Properties.” Science 277: 504–509.Google Scholar
Meisinger, J.J., Hargrove, W.L., Mikkelsen, R.L., Williams, J.R., and Benson, V.W. 1991. “Effects of Cover Crops on Groundwater Quality.” In Cover Crops for Clean Water. Hargrove, W.L., editor. Jackson, Tennessee: Soil and Water Conservation Society, pp. 57–68.Google Scholar
Mitchell, W.H., and Teel, M.R. 1977. “Winter-Annual Cover Crops for No-Tillage Corn Production.” Agronomy Journal 69: 569–573.Google Scholar
Moschler, W.W., Shear, G.M., Hallock, D.L., Sears, R.D., and Jones, G.D. 1967. “Winter Cover Crops for Sod-Planted Com: Their Selection and Management.” Agronomy Journal 59: 547–551.Google Scholar
National Research Council. 1997. Valuing Ground Water: Economic Concepts and Approaches. Washington, DC: National Academy Press.Google Scholar
Nolan, B.T., Ruddy, B.C., Hitt, K.J., and Helsel, D.R. 1997. “Risk of Nitrate in Groundwaters of the United States—a National Perspective.” Environmental Science and Technology 31: 2229–2236.Google Scholar
OECD. 1998. The Environmental Effects of Reforming Agricultural Policies. Paris: Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.Google Scholar
Paoletti, M.G., and Pimental, D. 1996. “Genetic Engineering in Agriculture and the Environment: Assessing the Risks and Benefits.” Bioscience 46(9): 665.Google Scholar
Parton, W.J., Stewart, J.W.B., and Cole, C.V. 1988. “Dynamics of C, N, P and S in Grassland Soils: a Model.” Biogeochemistry 5: 109–131.Google Scholar
Patni, N.K., Masse, L., and Jui, P.Y. 1998. “Groundwater Quality under Conventional and No Tillate: Nitrate, Electrical Conductivity, and pH.” Journal of Environmental Quality 27: 869–877.Google Scholar
Poe, G. 1998. “Valuation of Groundwater Quality Using a Contingent Valuation-Damage Function Approach.” Water Resources Journal 34: 3627–3633.Google Scholar
Poe, G., and Bishop, R.C. 1999. “Valuing the Incremental Benefits of Groundwater Protection when Exposure Levels are Known.” Environmental & Resource Economics 13: 341–367.Google Scholar
Prato, T., Fulcher, C., Wu, S., and Ma, J. 1996. “Multiple-Objective Decision Making for Agroecosystem Management.” Agricultural and Resource Economics Review 25: 200–212.Google Scholar
Prato, T. 1999. “Multiple Attribute Decision Analysis for Ecosystem Management.” Ecological Economics 30: 207–222.Google Scholar
Qui, Z., Prato, T., Fulcher, C., and Bamett, Y. 1998. “WAMADSS: An Agricultural Resource Management Tool for Evaluating Sustainable Agriculture.” Journal of Soil and Water Conservation 53: 159.Google Scholar
Randhir, T.O., and Lee, L.G. 1997. “Economic and Water Quality Impacts of Reducing Nitrogen and Pesticide Use in Agriculture.” Agricultural and Resource Economics Review 26: 37–49.Google Scholar
Ribaudo, M., and Kuch, P. 1999. “The Clean Water Action Plan: New Directions or Going in Circles?” American Journal of Agricultural Economics 81: 1205–1209.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Roberts, R.K., Larson, J.A., Tyler, D.D., Duck, B.N., and Dillivan, K.D. 1998. “Economic Analysis of the Effects of Winter Cover Crops on No-Tillage Corn Yield Response to Applied Nitrogen.” Journal of Soil and Water Conservation 53(3): 280–284.Google Scholar
Scheffer, F., and Schachtschabel, P. 1992. Bodenkunde. Ferdinand Enke Verlag, Stuttgart.Google Scholar
Scherer-Lorenzen, M. 1999. “Effects of Plant Diversity on Ecosystem Processes in Experimental Grassland Communities.” Bayreuther Forum Ökologie 75: 1–245.Google Scholar
Schläpfer, F., and Schmid, B. 1999. “Ecosystem Effects of Biodiversity: a Classification of Hypotheses and Exploration of Empirical Results.” Ecological Applications 9(3): 893–912.Google Scholar
Schmid, B., Polasek, W., Weiner, J., Krause, A., and Stoll, P. 1994. “Modeling of Discontinuous Relationships in Biology with Censored Regression.” American Naturalist 143: 494–507.Google Scholar
Sexton, B.T., Moncrief, J.F., Rosen, C.J., Gupta, S.C., and Cheng, H.H. 1996. “Optimizing Nitrogen and Irrigation Inputs for Corn Based on Nitrate Leaching and Yield on a Coarse-Textured Soil.” Journal of Environmental Quality 25(5): 982–992.Google Scholar
Stevens, T.H., Barrett, C., and Willis, C.E. 1997. “Conjoint Analysis of Groundwater Protection Programs.” Agricultural and Resource Economics Review 26: 227–236.Google Scholar
Sun, H., Bergstrom, J.C., and Dorfman, J.R. 1992. “Estimating the Benefits of Ground Water Contamination Protection.” Southern Journal of Agricultural Economics 19(4): 63–71.Google Scholar
Swift, M.J., and Anderson, J.M. 1993. “Biodiversity and Ecosystem Function in Agricultural Systems.” In Biodiversity and Ecosystem Function. Schulze, E.D. and Mooney, H.A., Eds. Berlin: Springer, pp. 15–41.Google Scholar
Swift, M.J., Andrén, O., Brussaard, L., Briones, M., Cuteaux, M-M., Ekschmitt, K., Kjoller, A., Loiseau, P., and Smith, P. 1998. “Global Change, Soil Biodiversity, and Nitrogen Cycling in Terrestrial Ecosystems: Three Case Studies.” Global Change Biology 4: 729–743.Google Scholar
Teague, M.L., Bernardo, D.J., and Mapp, H.P. 1995. “Farm-Level Economic Analysis Incorporating Stochastic Environmental Risk Assessment.” American Journal of Agricultural Economics 77: 8–19.Google Scholar
Tietma, A., Beier, C., de Visser, P.H.B., Emmett, B.A., Gundersen, P., Kjønaas, O.J., and Koopmans, C.J. 1997. “Nitrate Leaching in Coniferous Forest Ecosystems: the European Field-Scale Manipulation Experiments NITREX (Nitrogen Saturation Experiments) and EXMAN (Experimental Manipulation of Forest Ecosystems).” Global Biogeochemical Cycles 11: 617–626.Google Scholar
Tilman, D., Wedin, D., and Knops, J. 1996. “Productivity and Sustainability Influenced by Biodiversity in Grassland Ecosystems.” Nature 379: 718–720.Google Scholar
Tilman, D., Knops, J., Wedin, D., Reich, P., Ritchie, M., and Siemann, E. 1997a. “The Influence of Functional Diversity and Composition on Ecosystem Processes.” Science 177: 1300–1302.Google Scholar
Tilman, D., Lehman, C., and Thompson, K. 1997b. “Plant Diversity and Ecosystem Productivity: Theoretical Considerations.” Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA 94: 1857–1861.Google Scholar
USDA, Soil Survey Division Staff. 1993. Soil Survey Manual. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office.Google Scholar
USEPA, Science Advisory Board, Relative Risk Reductions Strategies Committee. 1990. Reducing Risk: Setting Priorities and Strategies for Environmental Protection. Washington, DC: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.Google Scholar
Vatn, A., Bakken, L., Botterweg, P., and Romstad, E. 1999. “ECECMOD: An Interdisciplinary Modeling System for Analyzing Nutrient and Soil Losses from Agriculture.” Ecological Economics 30: 189–205.Google Scholar
Vitousek, P.M., Mooney, H.A., Lubchenco, J., and Melillo, J.M. 1997. “Human Domination of Earth's Ecosystems.” Science 277: 494–499.Google Scholar
Wendt, R.C., and Burwell, R.E. 1985. “Runoff and Soil Losses for Conventional, Reduced, and No-till Com.” Journal of Soil and Water Conservation 40: 450–454.Google Scholar
Williams, J.R., and Renard, K.G. 1985. “Assessment of Soil Erosion and Crop Productivity with Process Models (EPIC).” In Soil Erosion and Crop Productivity, Follett, R.F. and Stewart, B.A., Eds. Madison, Wisconsin: American Society of Agronomy, pp. 67–103.Google Scholar
Xu, Z., Fausey, N.R., Lal, R., and Hall, G.F. 1997. “Erosional Effects on Soil Properties and Corn (Zea mays L.) Yield on a Miamian Soil in Ohio.” Journal of Sustainable Agriculture 10: 21–35.Google Scholar
Yadav, S.N., and Wall, D.B. 1998. “Benefit-Cost Analysis of Best Managment Practices Implemented to Control Nitrate Contamination of Groundwater.” Water Resources Research 34: 497–504.Google Scholar