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The Mid-Atlantic Nutrient Management Handbook

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The Mid-Atlantic Nutrient Management Handbook MAWP 06-02 February 2006 The Mid-Atlantic Nutrient Management Handbook i The Mid-Atlantic Regional Water Program Land Grant Universities in Delaware, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia and West Virginia, and USDA’s Cooperative State Research, Education and Extension Service (CSREES), working with EPA Region III, have formed a partnership to advance water quality protection and restoration efforts in the Mid-Atlantic by providing water quality science support, training and education. This regional program is anchored by, and complements, state water quality programs and existing Extension efforts. © 2006 Mid-Atlantic Regional Water Program This material is based upon work supported by the Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, under Agreement No. 2002-51130-01522. Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the view of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. MAWP 06-02 February 2006 The Mid-Atlantic Nutrient Management Handbook Foreword Purpose of Delaware, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, and West Virginia, and this handbook Virginia, the five states in the Mid-Atlantic region, all require Certified Nutrient Management Plans to be completed for certain agricultural programs. The Mid-Atlantic Regional Nutrient Management Handbook is a revision and update of the former nutrient management training manual for the Chesapeake Bay watershed (Nagle et al., 2000), which was written by extension specialists and researchers from Virginia, Pennsylvania, and Maryland for use by state regulatory agencies as a reference text for their certified nutrient management training programs. This revised handbook was developed to incorporate the advances in the understanding of managing soils, crops, and nutrients for the protection of surface and ground water that have occurred since the original manual was published, and to broaden the scope of the manual to cover the entire Mid-Atlantic region. Portions of this revised handbook were modified from the Chesapeake Bay Region Nutrient Management Training Manual (Nagle et al., 2000). That publication contained sections that were adapted in whole or in part with permission from IMC Fertilizer (1992), PPI, (1993), and Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation (1993). References IMC Fertilizer. 1992. Efficient fertilizer use. 3rd edition. DBFT2-001C. IMC cited Fertilizer, Inc., Mundelein, IL. Nagle, S., G. Evanylo, W.L. Daniels, D. Beegle, and V. Groover. 2000. Chesapeake Bay Region Nutrient Management Training Manual. F. Coale (ed.). Virginia Cooperative Extension Publication 700-054. PPI. 1993. Soil fertility manual. Item # 50-5100. Phosphorus and Potash Institute, Norcross, GA. Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation. 1993. Nutrient management handbook. 2nd edition. VA DCR, Richmond, VA. ii Contributors Editors Kathryn C. Haering and Gregory K. Evanylo, Department of Crop and Soil Environmental Sciences, Virginia Tech Authors A.O. Abaye, Department of Crop and Soil Environmental Sciences, Virginia Tech Thomas J. Basden, Center for Agricultural and Natural Resources Development, West Virginia University Douglas Beegle, Department of Crop and Soil Sciences, Penn State University Gregory D. Binford, Department of Plant and Soil Sciences, University of Delaware W. Lee Daniels, Department of Crop and Soil Environmental Sciences, Virginia Tech Sjoerd Willem Duiker, Department of Crop and Soil Sciences, Penn State University Gregory K. Evanylo, Department of Crop and Soil Environmental Sciences, Virginia Tech Kathryn C. Haering, Department of Crop and Soil Environmental Sciences, Virginia Tech David J. Hansen, Department of Plant and Soil Sciences, University of Delaware Greg Mullins, Department of Crop and Soil Environmental Sciences, Virginia Tech Richard W. Taylor, Department of Plant and Soil Sciences, University of Delaware iii Acknowledgements This project was funded by the Cooperative State, Research, Education, and Extension Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, through the Mid- Atlantic Regional Water Program at the University of Maryland in College Park. The editors also thank: Jim Baker, Department of Crop and Soil Environmental Sciences, Virginia Tech; David Kindig and Russ Perkinson, Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation; and Ann M. Wolf, Penn State Agricultural Analytical Services Laboratory, for reviewing manual chapters. Sue Brown, Department of Crop and Soil Environmental Sciences, Virginia Tech, and Jennifer Salak, Department of Natural Resource Sciences and Landscape Architecture, University of Maryland, for proofreading and editorial assistance. Frank Coale and Trish Steinhilber, Department of Natural Resource Sciences and Landscape Architecture, University of Maryland, for assistance in planning the manual. Don Armstrong of the Phosphorus and Potash Institute, and Doug Beegle, Department of Crop and Soil Sciences, Penn State University, for help with figures. Tom Simpson, Jake Vandevort, and Jenn Aiosa of the Mid-Atlantic Regional Water Program, and Amanda Porterfield of AHNR-IT, Virginia Tech, for technical support. iv Table of Contents Chapter 1. Introduction to Nutrient Management ............................................1 Gregory K. Evanylo and Douglas Beegle The impact of agriculture on water quality..................................................2 Fate and transport of nutrients .....................................................................4 Nutrient cycles and management on different types of farms .....................7 Nutrient management planning..................................................................11 References cited.........................................................................................21 Chapter 2. Regional Landscapes and the Hydrologic Cycle............................22 W. Lee Daniels Introduction................................................................................................23 Soils and landscapes of the Mid-Atlantic region .......................................23 The hydrologic cycle and soil-water balances...........................................27 References cited.........................................................................................30 Chapter 3. Concepts of Basic Soil Science ........................................................31 W. Lee Daniels and Kathryn C. Haering Soil formation and soil horizons................................................................33 Soil physical properties..............................................................................37 Soil organic matter.....................................................................................43 Soil-water relationships .............................................................................44 Soil chemical properties.............................................................................46 Soil survey .................................................................................................50 References cited.........................................................................................52 References for additional information .......................................................52 Chapter 4. Basic Soil Fertility.............................................................................53 Greg Mullins and David J. Hansen Plant nutrition.............................................................................................55 Nutrient deficiency symptoms ...................................................................59 Nutrient uptake by crops............................................................................63 Soil properties that influence nutrient availability.....................................65 Liming........................................................................................................68 Nitrogen .....................................................................................................71 Phosphorus.................................................................................................78 Potassium ...................................................................................................82 Secondary plant nutrients...........................................................................85 Micronutrients............................................................................................87 References cited.........................................................................................93 Chapter 5. Crop Production ...............................................................................94 Thomas J. Basden, A.O. Abaye, and Richard W. Taylor Introduction................................................................................................96 v Agronomic crops........................................................................................96 Nitrogen uptake and fertilization for corn and small grains ....................106 Forage, hay, and cover crops ...................................................................109 Links to information on turfgrass, fruit, and vegetable production .........125 References cited.......................................................................................126 References for additional information .....................................................126 Chapter 6. Soil Management ............................................................................127
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