Title : The influence of intensive and organic agriculture activity on the quality of ground and surface water
Abstract:
The impact of organic agricultural production on the quality of surface and underground water is significantly lower than the impact of intensive agricultural production. The purpose is to assess the impact of intensive and ecological agricultural activities on the quality of underground and surface water. A multiple regression analysis of the effect of anthropogenic load on the concentration of water quality indicators in basins showed that with a larger area of organic farms, the concentrations of total phosphorus and total nitrogen in water are lower; the higher the percentage of organic farms, the better the water condition according to EŽI (fish index in lakes) and according to the taxonomic composition and abundance of zoobenthos (EMI) (p < 0.05). The larger the area of the basin and the area of arable land in the basin – the values of the taxonomic composition and abundance of zoobenthos in the water are lower, the water condition is worse (p < 0.05). After assessing the diffusion of nutrients into the groundwater from organic and intensive farming farms, it was found that total P in the groundwater of wells drilled in all areas of organic farming farms; NO3-N; The concentrations of NH4-N and PO4-P were statistically significantly lower than in the groundwater samples of boreholes drilled in areas of intensive agricultural farms (p < 0.05). Since the leaching of nutrients into underground and surface water in the areas of organic agricultural production is statistically significantly lower than in the areas of intensive agriculture farms and by increasing the areas of organic farms and the amount of organic farms in percentage, the concentrations of total phosphorus and total nitrogen in the water are reduced, the water condition is better according to biological indicators: EŽI (fish index in lakes) and EMI (taxonomic composition and abundance of zoobenthos) (p < 0.05) – in order to improve water quality, it is necessary to aim for the development of organic farms at least up to 25%, according to EU recommendations.
Keywords: pollution; ecological status indicators; water quality, organic agriculture
