[en] Sustainable agricultural practices are needed to minimize nitrate leaching. The crop-soil simulation model STICS coupled with a geographic information system was used to estimate the amount of NO3 – leaching and to assess the ability of alternative management practices to reduce NO3 – leaching in a nitrate vulnerable zone (NVZ) in La Rioja, Spain. Model performance was examined by comparing the simulations and measurements of irrigated grapevine crops (variety Tempranillo) over various soil types. The measurements were obtained from five pilot plots over a period of three years and included the mineral nitrogen, the water content of the soil profiles and the nitrogen content of the crops. The simulated and measured values were in satisfactory agreement with each other. Then, eight management scenarios were simulated, combining two NO3 – concentrations of irrigation water and four levels of organic manure applications. The simulations identified good agricultural practices (GAP) for mitigating NO3 – pollution. High soil mineral nitrogen (SMN) and water pollution were driven by both the NO3 – concentration of irrigation water and the level of organic manure application. The use of aquifer water for irrigation would lead to diminish aquifer pollution at the expense of maintaining high SMN, non desirable for grape quality production. River water would offer an opportunity for the recovery of soils and the improvement of underground water quality if the application of organic manure was limited according to soil type. Differences in NO3 - leaching of the NVZ soils depended more on their ability to store N than on their annual drainage.

[es] Las pr&aacute;cticas agr&iacute;colas sostenibles son necesarias para minimizar el lavado de nitratos (NO3 &ndash;). Se utiliz&oacute; el modelo de simulaci&oacute;n de cultivos STICS para estimar el lavado de NO3 &ndash; y evaluar pr&aacute;cticas de manejo para reducirlo en una zona vulnerable (NZV) en La Rioja, Espa&ntilde;a. Se compararon las simulaciones con las medidas en cultivos de vid en regad&iacute;o (variedad Tempranillo) en distintos tipos de suelo. Las medidas de nitr&oacute;geno mineral, contenido en agua en el suelo y contenido en nitr&oacute;geno de los cultivos se obtuvieron en cinco parcelas piloto durante tres a&ntilde;os. Las simulaciones mostraron una coincidencia satisfactoria con las medidas. Despu&eacute;s, se simularon ocho escenarios de manejo, combinando dos concentraciones de NO3 &ndash; en el agua de riego y cuatro niveles de abonado org&aacute;nico. Las simulaciones permitieron identificar buenas pr&aacute;cticas agr&iacute;colas (GAP) para la mitigaci&oacute;n de la contaminaci&oacute;n por NO3 &ndash;. Tanto la concentraci&oacute;n de NO3 &ndash; en el agua de riego como el nivel de abonado org&aacute;nico determinaron la contaminaci&oacute;n del agua y el alto nitr&oacute;geno mineral del suelo. Regar con agua del acu&iacute;fero reducir&iacute;a la contaminaci&oacute;n del acu&iacute;fero a expensas de mantener alto el nitr&oacute;geno mineral del suelo, no deseable para la producci&oacute;n de uva de calidad. Regar con agua del r&iacute;o permitir&iacute;a recuperar los suelos mejorando la calidad del agua subterr&aacute;nea, si el abonado org&aacute;nico se limitase en funci&oacute;n del tipo de suelo. Las diferencias en el lavado de NO3 &ndash; de los suelos de la NVZ dependieron m&aacute;s de su capacidad para almacenar N que de su drenaje anual.