NO3EXCESS - PRIN2022

The Po di Volano basin

The Po di Volano-Sacca di Goro basin is the terminal portion of the Po River Plain and a recently reclaimed deltaic territory almost completely devoted to agriculture. This basin suffers from high nutrient loads from anthropogenic activities, overuse of water resources, saltwater intrusion, and nutrient release from peaty lenses. The studied basin represents an optimal benchmark to validate the NO3EXCESS concept since it could be considered as a representative example of the future for irrigated lowlands.

This basin lies in a depressed area for the most part below sea level and the hydrological regime is artificially regulated by a capillary network of canals (>1700 km), pumping stations, and gates managed by the Ferrara Land Reclamation Consortium (Consorzio di Bonifica Pianura di Ferrara).

Experimental site (Berra locality, Ferrara province)

The experimental plot (about 2 ha), owned by the Azienda Agricola La Sante S.N.C., is characterised by low productivity due to important agronomic criticalities, particularly related to salinisation.

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NO3EXCESS - Nitrogen Origin, EXport and Cycling in coastal irrigatEd SettingS