As the need for food production increases, the necessity to closely monitor the impact of agricultural chemicals upon non-targeted areas also increases. We conducted research in the Palo Verde National Park, Guanacaste Province, Costa Rica to see if applied nitrogen could be detected within rice fields and wetlands within the same watershed. The intention of the study was to see if wetlands act as a filter to remove excessive nitrogen originating from agricultural production. A total of 12 samples were analyzed for the presence of nitrates and due to the limitations of the testing method, no detectable levels of nitrate nitrogen were found. Introduction Rice produced in Guanacaste is an important commodity.
Rice is served at almost every meal.
It is an important staple of the Costa Rican diet. The majority of rice produced in Costa Rica is used within the country. In the Guanacaste area near Palo Verde National Park the rice is grown in the wet or paddy style of farming. Ten percent of the rice in Costa Rica is grown in this manner. According to an area rice farmer, Antonio Latamarillo, extensive use of fertilizer and pesticides takes place on these rice paddies.