Environmental Needs for In-Season N Management S.B. Phillips Virginia Tech
Nutrient Inputs into the Chesapeake Bay Million lb N/Year Million lb P 2 O 5 /Year
Goal Virginia Pennsylvania Maryland District of Columbia New York Delaware West Virginia Total Phosphorus Input into the Chesapeake Bay (millions of pounds/year)
Counties with 4-20 houses Eastern Shore 31,000 tons Eastern Shore 31,000 tons Shenandoah Valley 453,000 tons Shenandoah Valley 453,000 tons South Central 48,500 tons South Central 48,500 tons Southeast 7,400 tons Southeast 7,400 tons VA Poultry Industry: Total Manure Production ~ 560,000 tons/year. N = 34.7 Million lbs; Phosphate = 35.0 Million lbs
Phosphorus applied as poultry litter (4t/A) versus crop removal CS/RS Corn-SLG-17t Rye-SLG-6t Alfalfa-4t Hay-3t Pasture Corn-GRN-130 PL AddedRemoval lbs P 2 O 5 /acre
VH
Phosphorus - Based Nutrient Management Plans Phosphorus - Based Nutrient Management Plans Delmarva Legislative Action
Nutrient Management Legislation Maryland: Water Qual. Imp. Act, 1998 NMP - 8 AU P-Based – Chemical Fertilizer 12/31/02 P-Based – Manure/Biosolids 7/01/04 Delaware: Delaware Nutrient Mgmt. Law, 1999 NMP - 8 AU or owns/leases/controls - 10 ac P-Based – P appl. to high P soils cannot exceed 3-yr crop removal rate Virginia: Poultry Waste Mgmt. Act, 1999 NMP – 200 AU P-Based – 10/01/01 P rates – not exceed crop needs or crop removal
Soil Test P - Eastern Shore of VA VERY HIGH HIGH MEDIUM 3.4 % 29.1 % 67.5 % l Applying 31,000 Tons of Litter to Produce 150 bu/acre Corn: 7,440 l N-Based - 7,440 acres required 37,000 l P-Based - 37,000 acres required
Poultry litter from broilers applied to 150 bu/acre corn crop Nitrogen Based Rate = 4.2 t/A 150 lb PAN/A 260 lb P 2 O 5 /A 122 lb K 2 O/A Land required = 36 A N needs met Surplus 240 lb P 2 O 5 /A Surplus Surplus 82 lb K 2 O/A Surplus Phosphorus Based Rate = 0.97 t/A 35 lb PAN/A 60 lb P 2 O 5 /A 28 lb K 2 O/A Land required = 181 A Deficit 115 lb N/A Deficit P 2 O 5 needs met Deficit 12 lb K 2 O/A Deficit
In-Season N Fertilization l Increased cost to growers l Need to maximize efficiency Improved Varieties Reduced Tillage Systems Accurate Rate Determination Optimize Application Timing Management of Spatial Variability NOT A PUTTING GREEN!