Soil & Water Res., 2021, 16(2):121-128 | DOI: 10.17221/101/2020-SWR

Best management practices for mitigating agricultural nutrient pollution in the Mun River Basin, ThailandOriginal Paper

Arika Bridhikitti*,1, Thayukorn Prabamroong2, Guohuan Liu3, Guo-An Yu4
1 Environmental Engineering and Disaster Management Program, School of Interdisciplinary Studies, Mahidol University Kanchanaburi Campus (MUKA), Lumsum Sub-District, Saiyok District, Kanchanaburi Province, Thailand
2 Faculty of Environment and Resource Studies, Mahasarakham University (MSU), Kham Rieng Sub-District, Kantarawichai District, Maha Sarakham Province, Thailand
3 Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, P.R. China
4 Key Laboratory of Water Cycle and Related Land Surface Processes, Institute of Geographical Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, P.R. China

The Mun River in NE Thailand is one of the significant tributaries of the Lower Mekong River. Its poor river quality has been reported and agricultural activities were claimed to be major causes. This study aims to assess the best management measures appropriately responsive to the nutrient pollution in the Mun River Basin's agricultural ecosystems. The data used for the analysis were acquired from field measurements during the 2018 wet season via satellite retrieval and secondary data collection. Linkages between land-soil datasets and hydro-water quality datasets were assessed through a canonical correlation analysis. The results suggest possible conservation measures with crop yield improvement and fertiliser cost reduction in the western basin. For the southern basin, which exhibits high sediment loading, integrated conservation measures for soil loss reduction with in-stream flow deceleration should be chosen. In the eastern basin, woody buffer strips and check dams should be prioritised. Both nutrient and sediment pollution were experienced in the middle part of the Mun River Basin and applications of low-P manure with mineral NK are recommended. Nonetheless, other soil-water conservation measures can be optionally applied to enhance the effectiveness in the watershed management.

Keywords: canonical correlation analysis; Lower Mekong River Basin; soil loss; soil-water conservation measures; water quality

Published: April 14, 2021  Show citation

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Bridhikitti A, Prabamroong T, Liu G, Yu G. Best management practices for mitigating agricultural nutrient pollution in the Mun River Basin, Thailand. Soil & Water Res.. 2021;16(2):121-128. doi: 10.17221/101/2020-SWR.
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