The annual nitrogen budget and groundwater nitrate-N concentrations were studied in the field in three major intensive cropping systems in Shandong province, north China. The N surplus values were 349, 3327 and 746 kg N ha-1, with residual soil nitrate-N after harvest amounting to 221-275, 1173 and 613 kg N ha-1 in the top 90 cm of the soil profile and 213-242, 1032 and 976 kg N ha-1 at 90-180 cm depth in wheatemaize, greenhouse vegetable and orchard systems, respectively.Nitrate leaching was evident in all three cropping systems and the groundwater in shallow wells (<15 m depth) was heavily contaminated in the greenhouse vegetable production area, where total N inputs were much higher than crop requirements and the excessive fertilizer N inputs were only about 40% of total N inputs.
Nitrogen balance and groundwater-图一
