US EPA

2486585 

Journal Article 

Hedgerows and non point source pollution: field test and landscape planning 

Franco, D 

1998 

KEY CONCEPTS IN LANDSCAPE ECOLOGY 

393-398 

WOS:000179851800051 

Venetian Municipality is developing several actions to control lagoon pollution, including hedgerow network planting. The hedgerow network is reintroduced by means of a GIS supported planning system that takes into account for the needing of local agriculture and the non point source pollution (NPSP) control effect on the farm and landscape scale. To implement the GIS decision support system, a complex multi-years field test was established. The influence of the hedgerow on crop production is negative in the first year and becomes more,and more positive in the second and third year, and the same is for the crop quality.,Some results in NPSP abatement were expected, given the hydrogeologic settings, and others are somewhat new: very narrow agroforestry multi-functional plantations have a strong effect on NPSP; the abatement capacity quickly grows in few years; the measured abatement efficiency ranged from 75 (first year) to 99% (last year) and mean annual abatement of nitrate loading passed from 37% (1st year) to 62% (3rd year); the runoff control was strongly effective and the average annual control capacity was of 85% for suspended solids, 73% for total N, 70% for total P. NO3 abatement was extremely patchy on fine scale, low predictable and depending on NO3 availability; on coarser scale predictability of the process grew up and other variables were selected: water table, flow rate and temperature. 

Bunce, RGH