EN 
LV To find out what research has been done to improve water quality and reduce nitrate pollution caused by agricultural activities, in mid-February the Ministry of Agriculture and the Latvian Rural Consultation and Education Centre organized an online seminar “Research results for improving soil fertility and water quality”.
Professor, leading researcher, Faculty of Environmental and Civil Sciences, Latvian University of Biosciences and Technology Dr. sc. ing. Ainis Lagzdins and Director of the Scientific Institute “Agricultural Institute”, Leading Researcher Dr. agr. Agrita Schwartz presented the study ""The effect of soil liming and mineral fertilizer doses on water quality, soil agrochemical parameters and crop yield"The aim was to assess the impact of different soil liming and mineral fertilizer doses on water quality, soil agrochemical composition, and crop yield characteristics.
With “Surface water and groundwater quality monitoring in particularly sensitive areas and agricultural lands in the agricultural runoff monitoring program” The seminar participants were introduced by Ainis Lagzdiņš. The relevance of the study is determined by the Nitrates Directive in order to reduce water pollution from agricultural sources and prevent this pollution in the future. The aim of the study: to assess the impact of agricultural activities on the quality of surface and groundwater, based on long-term and regularly obtained water quality monitoring results (nitrogen and phosphorus compounds) and hydrological observations.
The seminar also provided information to the audience about the research “Assessment of the impact of natural and anthropogenic factors on the losses of nitrogen and phosphorus compounds from agricultural lands”Ainis Lagzdiņš emphasized that it is important to determine and assess the impact of natural and anthropogenic factors on the losses of nitrogen and phosphorus compounds from agricultural lands, as well as that the results obtained will provide a scientifically based explanation of the long-term trends in water quality change, the impact of natural and anthropogenic factors on water quality.
The study authors generally acknowledged that farmers need to pay more attention to better use of plant nutrients in crop production to prevent nitrate leaching into soil and water sources.