Environmental risk assessment and trend simulation of non-point source pollution of chemical fertilization in Sichuan Province, China

Fertilizer-based pollution has been an important part of agricultural non-point source pollution. Systematic assessment of potential risks and hazards of excessive application of chemical fertilizers to the ecological environment can provide the data base for decision-making of the prevention and control of agricultural non-point source pollution. Sichuan Province is not only a predominant grain production base, but also a region with severe agricultural non-point source pollution in China. Due to excessive long-term fertilizer application, the agro-ecological environment in Sichuan Province has had tremendous pressure. Based on data on fertilizer application, grain sowing and cultivated land area, the spatio-temporal variations in environmental risk due to fertilizer application were evaluated. In the adoption of environmental risk model for fertilizer application in Sichuan Province during 2000-2015, many factors were considered. These included fertilization intensity, environmental safety threshold, fertilization efficiency, multiple cropping index and fertilizer effect on the environment. Using two scenarios (extension and policy intervention), the variation trend in environmental risk associated with fertilizer application under zero-growth chemical fertilizer was simulated for Sichuan for the 2016-2018. The results showed that the total amount of chemical fertilizers in Sichuan Province increased during 2000-2015. The intensity of chemical fertilizer application in Sichuan Province was 376.63 kg·hm^-2 in 2015, exceeding the ecological standard set for China's ecological city (250 kg·hm^-2). Based on the application structures of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium fertilizers in 2015, the application of nitrogen fertilizer in Sichuan Province accounted for 57% of the total amount of chemical fertilizers. In Chengdu, Mianyang and Zigong, the proportion of nitrogen fertilizer application was the highest in the whole province. The proportions of phosphate and potash fertilizers were low, accounting respectively for 28% and 15%. This indicated that nitrogen fertilizer still played a dominant role in agricultural production in the region. In 2015, total environmental risk index due to fertilizer use in Sichuan Province was 0.69, which was a medium risk level. Specifically, the environmental risk indexes of nitrogen, phosphate and potash applications were respectively 0.69, 0.72 and 0.46. Only potassium fertilizer application had a safe level of environmental risk. The environmental risk areas of nitrogen and phosphate fertilizers were concentrated in the Chengdu Plain Economic Zone, Southern Sichuan Economic Zone and Northeast Sichuan Economic Zone. Under the extension scenario, the environmental risk index of fertilizer application in various regions of Sichuan Province was in the range of 0.48-0.69, showing an increasing trend. Compared with the extension scenario, environmental risk due to fertilizer use under the policy intervention scenario declined across 2016-2018. In 2018, the environmental risk index of fertilizer application decreased most significantly in Northeast Sichuan Economic Zone, which was 4.24% lower than that in 2015. However, in most areas of Sichuan Province, there were still different levels of excessive chemical fertilizer application. The risk of environmental pollution caused by chemical fertilizer application had obvious pressure on the local ecological environment. We suggested that monitoring non-point source pollution of fertilizers should be improved in Chengdu Plain Economic Zone and Northeast Sichuan Economic Zone. Fertilization plan for each area should take the focus so as to ensure coordination between food production and ecological protection.