Agricultural Phosphorus Management and Water Quality Protection in the Midwest
Editor's note
The following abstract describes a publication that is intended for print distribution or as a downloadable PDF. Please see links to the PDF file and ordering information on this page.
North Central Regional Publication
Charles Wortmann
Nutrient Management Specialist
University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Co-authors
Phosphorus (P) is an essential nutrient for growth of crops and aquatic vegetation and often needs to be applied to land for optimal crop growth. Land application of P as animal manure, biosolids (sewage sludge), and mineral fertilizer can increase the risk of P pollution of freshwater.
The movement of P from agricultural land to surface and ground water is a complex process involving multiple pathways. Phosphorus moves into surface freshwaters dissolved in runoff water and attached to particulate matter eroded from the land. Recently applied P is particularly prone to losses and is affected by factors such as the form of P applied, the time since application, and the placement. The factors contributing to P loss from agricultural land to surface waters are commonly grouped as source (site and management) factors and transport factors.
This publication is targeted to U.S. EPA Region 7 comprised of Iowa, Kansas, Missouri and Nebraska.
Iowa State University
- Matt Helmers, Agricultural and Water Resources Engineer
- Antonio Mallarino, Soil Fertility and Nutrient Management Specialist
Kansas State University
- Charles Barden, Forestry Specialist
- Daniel Devlin, Water Quality Specialist
- Gary Pierzynski, Soil Fertility and Soil Chemistry Specialist
MU
- John Lory, Environmental Nutrient Management Specialist
- Ray Massey, Agricultural Economist
University of Nebraska-Lincoln
- John Holz, Water Quality Specialist
- Charles Shapiro, Soil Scientist - Crop Nutrition
USDA-ARS National Soil Tilth Laboratory
- John Kovar, Soil Scientist
Keywords
- Nutrient management planners
- Risk of phosphorus delivery to surface waters
- Assessment of risk
- Management options for reducing risk
Pages
NCR187, new January 2006