Nitrate Concentration in Leafy Vegetables from the Central Zone of Chile: Sources and Environmental Factors
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ORIGINAL PAPER
Nitrate Concentration in Leafy Vegetables from the Central Zone of Chile: Sources and Environmental Factors Rodrigo Ortega-Blu 1
& María Mercedes Martínez-Salgado
1,2
1
1
& Paula Ospina & Ana María García-Díaz & Paola Fincheira
3
Received: 26 August 2019 / Accepted: 21 January 2020 # Sociedad Chilena de la Ciencia del Suelo 2020
Abstract Leafy vegetables constitute an excellent source of fiber, vitamins, minerals, and phytochemicals, producing many benefits to human health. However, nitrate (NO3-N) accumulation constitutes a risk factor for environment and human health. The present study was focused on the evaluation of concentrations and sources of NO3-N in lettuce and spinach under different production systems, located in the Metropolitan region (Chile). Nitrate concentration was determined in vegetable tissue, soil, water, and organic fertilizers, and compared to Chilean and international standards. Results indicated average, dry matter basis, concentrations of 3065 and 4766 mg kg−1 of NO3-N for summer and winter lettuce, respectively. On the other hand, NO 3 -N concentration for spinach reached 1686 and 1244 mg kg−1, respectively, for the same seasons. The studied species did not show significant differences in NO3-N content. In addition, there was no correlation between the accumulation of NO3-N in vegetable tissue and soil N availability (average of 75 mg kg−1 NO3-N) or NO3-N concentration in irrigation water (average of 8 mg L−1 of NO3-N). Finally, a nitrogen balance determined that in lettuce production systems 240–430% excess N was applied. On the other hand, organic fertilizers used did not comply with the maturity parameters established by the NCh 2880/04, 2016. There were some lettuce samples with high NO3-N contents, without surpassing the maximum allowable concentration. The nitrogen balance for lettuce determined a large excess N application as organic and/or inorganic fertilizers, which was related to larger NO3-N levels found in their tissues. Keywords Nitrate (NO3-N) . Leafy vegetables . Nitrogen management . Production systems . Chemical food safety
1 Introduction The trends in the consumption of vegetables and fruits at world level are driven basically by four conditions: the price,
* Rodrigo Ortega-Blu [email protected] 1
Grupo de Investigación en Suelo, Planta, Agua y Ambiente (GISPA), Universidad Técnica Federico Santa María, Avenida Santa María 6400, Vitacura, Santiago, Chile
2
TROPEN- Tropical Crops, Institute of Crop Science and Resource Conservation INRES Bonn Universität, Auf dem Hügel 6, 53121 Bonn, Germany
3
Centro de Excelencia en Investigación Biotecnológica Aplicada al Medio Ambiente (CIBAMA), Facultad de Ingeniería y Ciencias, Universidad de La Frontera, Av. Francisco Salazar, 01145 Temuco, Chile
contribution to health, the consumption of natural products, and convenience for the consumer. In Chile, the area devoted to vegetable production comprises from the region of Arica and Parinacota (18° south latitude) to La Araucanía (38° south latitude),
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