Biofuel corn contaminates water.

• Position: Ecology

More of the fertilizers and pesticides used to grow corn would find their way into nearby water sources if ethanol demands lead to planting more acres of the crop, according to research by Purdue University, West Lafayette, Ind.

A study of water sources found that those near fields that practice continuous-com rotations had higher levels of nitrogen, fungicides, and phosphorous than corn-soybean rotations. "When you move from corn-soybean rotations to continuous corn, the sediment losses will be much greater," declares Indrajeet Chaubey, associate professor of agricultural and biological engineering. "Increased sediment losses allow more fungicide and phosphorous to get into the water because they move with sediment:'

Nitrogen and fungicides are used more heavily in corn crops than soybeans, increasing the amounts found in the soil of continuous-corn fields. Sediment losses become more prevalent because tilling often is required in continuous-corn fields, whereas corn-soybean rotations more easily can be no-fill fields, explains Bernard Engel, head of the Department of Agricultural and Biological...