Nitrate and Nitrite: Two ions that we should monitor in vegetables and fruits

Grade Level at Time of Presentation

Freshmen

Institution

Kentucky State University

KY House District #

#57

KY Senate District #

#57

Department

College of Agriculture, Communities, and the Environment

Abstract

Nitrate (NO-3) and nitrite (NO-2) are naturally vital part of the nitrogen cycle in the environment. Nitrate is formed from animal manure, plants decomposition, and fertilizers used in agriculture. Human and animal exposure to nitrate is exogenous (originating from outside an organism) which occurs mainly from intake of vegetables and other foods. Investigators reported that NO-3 in food is more toxic to humans than NO-2. NO-3 interacts with amides in the stomach and forms N-nitroso compounds, which have a carcinogenic effect on human and animal cells. Current trend in agricultural practices focuses on recycling animal waste for use as organic fertilizer due to the presence of organic matter and nitrogen in animal manure. Growers and scientists are seeking strategies for reducing anti-nutritional compounds like nitrates in food, while recycling animal waste. We investigated the impact of animal manure mixed with biochar (a product of wood pyrolysis) on NO-3 concentration in tomato fruits. Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum var. Marglobe) seedlings were planted in raised, plastic-mulch of freshly tilled soil of 42 plots (3 replicates × 14 treatments). These soil treatments were: 1) no-mulch untreated soil; 2) sewage sludge (SS); 3) horse manure (HM); 4) chicken manure (CM); 5) yard waste compost (YW); 6) inorganic fertilizer; and 7) organic fertilizer. Of the 14 treatments, seven treatments were mixed with 10% (w/w) biochar to make a total of 42 treatments. At harvest, our results showed that tomato fruits of plants grown in SS-no biochar amended soil contained the greatest concentration of nitrate (17.2 µg/g fruits), whereas fruits of plants grown in SS-biochar amended soil contained the lowest concentrations of nitrate (5.6 µg/g fruits). These results indicate the role of biochar in reducing nitrates in tomato fruits.

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Nitrate and Nitrite: Two ions that we should monitor in vegetables and fruits

Nitrate (NO-3) and nitrite (NO-2) are naturally vital part of the nitrogen cycle in the environment. Nitrate is formed from animal manure, plants decomposition, and fertilizers used in agriculture. Human and animal exposure to nitrate is exogenous (originating from outside an organism) which occurs mainly from intake of vegetables and other foods. Investigators reported that NO-3 in food is more toxic to humans than NO-2. NO-3 interacts with amides in the stomach and forms N-nitroso compounds, which have a carcinogenic effect on human and animal cells. Current trend in agricultural practices focuses on recycling animal waste for use as organic fertilizer due to the presence of organic matter and nitrogen in animal manure. Growers and scientists are seeking strategies for reducing anti-nutritional compounds like nitrates in food, while recycling animal waste. We investigated the impact of animal manure mixed with biochar (a product of wood pyrolysis) on NO-3 concentration in tomato fruits. Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum var. Marglobe) seedlings were planted in raised, plastic-mulch of freshly tilled soil of 42 plots (3 replicates × 14 treatments). These soil treatments were: 1) no-mulch untreated soil; 2) sewage sludge (SS); 3) horse manure (HM); 4) chicken manure (CM); 5) yard waste compost (YW); 6) inorganic fertilizer; and 7) organic fertilizer. Of the 14 treatments, seven treatments were mixed with 10% (w/w) biochar to make a total of 42 treatments. At harvest, our results showed that tomato fruits of plants grown in SS-no biochar amended soil contained the greatest concentration of nitrate (17.2 µg/g fruits), whereas fruits of plants grown in SS-biochar amended soil contained the lowest concentrations of nitrate (5.6 µg/g fruits). These results indicate the role of biochar in reducing nitrates in tomato fruits.