14. Limitations of Evaluating the Effectiveness of Agricultural Management Practices at Reducing Nutrient Losses to Surface Waters

2008 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Surface Waters ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Agricultural Management ◽  
Nutrient Losses

scholarly journals Soil and water management: opportunities to mitigate nutrient losses to surface waters in the Northern Great Plains

2019 ◽  
Vol 27 (4) ◽  
pp. 447-477 ◽  
Author(s):  
Helen M. Baulch ◽  
Jane A. Elliott ◽  
Marcos R.C. Cordeiro ◽  
Don N. Flaten ◽  
David A. Lobb ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Water Management ◽  
Great Plains ◽  
Surface Waters ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Nutrient Retention ◽  
Northern Great Plains ◽  
Nutrient Losses ◽  
Nutrient Inputs ◽  
Nitrogen And Phosphorus ◽  
Soil And Water

The Northern Great Plains is a key region to global food production. It is also a region of water stress that includes poor water quality associated with high concentrations of nutrients. Agricultural nitrogen and phosphorus loads to surface waters need to be reduced, yet the unique characteristics of this environment create challenges. The biophysical reality of the Northern Great Plains is one where snowmelt is the major period of nutrient transport, and where nutrients are exported predominantly in dissolved form. This limits the efficacy of many beneficial management practices (BMPs) commonly used in other regions and necessitates place-based solutions. We discuss soil and water management BMPs through a regional lens—first understanding key aspects of hydrology and hydrochemistry affecting BMP efficacy, then discussing the merits of different BMPs for nutrient control. We recommend continued efforts to “keep water on the land” via wetlands and reservoirs. Adoption and expansion of reduced tillage and perennial forage may have contributed to current nutrient problems, but both practices have other environmental and agronomic benefits. The expansion of tile and surface drainage in the Northern Great Plains raises urgent questions about effects on nutrient export and options to mitigate drainage effects. Riparian vegetation is unlikely to significantly aid in nutrient retention, but when viewed against an alternative of extending cultivation and fertilization to the waters’ edge, the continued support of buffer strip management and refinement of best practices (e.g., harvesting vegetation) is merited. While the hydrology of the Northern Great Plains creates many challenges for mitigating nutrient losses, it also creates unique opportunities. For example, relocating winter bale-grazing to areas with low hydrologic connectivity should reduce loadings. Managing nutrient applications must be at the center of efforts to mitigate eutrophication. In this region, ensuring nutrients are not applied during hydrologically sensitive periods such as late autumn, on snow, or when soils are frozen will yield benefits. Working to ensure nutrient inputs are balanced with crop demands is crucial in all landscapes. Ultimately, a targeted approach to BMP implementation is required, and this must consider the agronomic and economic context but also the biophysical reality.

scholarly journals Regional variations in diffuse nitrogen losses from agriculture in the Nordic and Baltic regions

2004 ◽  
Vol 8 (4) ◽  
pp. 651-662 ◽  
Author(s):  
N. Vagstad ◽  
P. Stålnacke ◽  
H.-E. Andersen ◽  
J. Deelstra ◽  
V. Jansons ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Surface Waters ◽  
Regional Differences ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Agricultural Practices ◽  
Hydrological Processes ◽  
Nitrogen Losses ◽  
Water Runoff ◽  
Nutrient Losses ◽  
N Losses ◽  
Baltic Countries

Abstract. This paper describes nitrogen losses from, and the characteristics of, 35 selected catchments (12 to 2000 ha) in the Nordic and Baltic countries. Average annual losses of N in 1994–1997 ranged from 5 to 75 kg ha-1, generally highest and characterised by significant within-country and interannual variations, in Norway and the lowest losses were observed in the Baltic countries. An important finding of the study is that the average nutrient losses varied greatly among the studied catchments. The main explanations for this variability were water runoff, fertiliser use (especially the amount of manure), soil type and erosion (including stream bank erosion). However, there were several exceptions, and it was difficult to find general relationships between the individual factors. For example, there was poor correlation between nitrogen losses and surpluses. Therefore, the results suggest that the observed variability in N losses cannot have been due solely to differences in farm management practices, although the studied catchments do include a wide range of nutrient application levels, animal densities and other relevant elements. There is considerable spatial variation in the physical properties (soil, climate, hydrology, and topography) and the agricultural management of the basins, and the interaction between and relative effects of these factors has an important impact on erosion and nutrient losses. In particular, hydrological processes may have a marked effect on N losses measured in the catchment stream water. The results indicate that significant differences in hydrological pathways (e.g. the relationship between fast- and slow-flow processes) lead to major regional differences in N inputs to surface waters and therefore also in the response to changes in field management practices. Agricultural practices such as crop rotation systems, nutrient inputs and soil conservation measures obviously play a significant role in the site-specific effects, although they cannot explain the large regional differences observed in this study. The interactions between agricultural practices and basic catchment characteristics, including hydrological processes, determine the final losses of nitrogen to surface waters, hence it is necessary to understand these interactions to manage diffuse losses of agricultural nutrients efficiently. Keywords: agriculture, catchments, diffuse sources, nitrogen, losses, Baltic, Nordic

Managing Landscape Irrigation to Avoid Soil and Nutrient Losses

EDIS ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 2013 (11) ◽  
Author(s):  
George Hochmuth ◽  
Laurie Trenholm ◽  
Don Rainey ◽  
Esen Momol ◽  
Claire Lewis ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Natural Environment ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Root Zone ◽  
Irrigation Management ◽  
Critical Factor ◽  
Nutrient Losses ◽  
County Agents ◽  
The Right ◽  
Soil And Water

Proper irrigation management is critical to conserve and protect water resources and to properly manage nutrients in the home landscape. How lawns and landscapes are irrigated directly impacts the natural environment, so landscape maintenance professionals and homeowners must adopt environmentally-friendly approaches to irrigation management. After selecting the right plant for the right place, water is the next critical factor to establish and maintain a healthy lawn and landscape. Fertilization is another important component of lawn and landscape maintenance, and irrigation must be applied correctly, especially following fertilization, to minimize potential nutrient losses. This publication supplements other UF/IFAS Extension publications that also include information on the role of soil and the root zone in irrigation management. This publication is designed to help UF/IFAS Extension county agents prepare materials to directly address nutrient losses from lawns and landscapes caused by inadequate irrigation management practices. This 6-page fact sheet was written by George Hochmuth, Laurie Trenholm, Don Rainey, Esen Momol, Claire Lewis, and Brian Niemann, and published by the UF Department of Soil and Water Science, October 2013. http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ss586

The response of soil multi-functionality to agricultural management practices can be predicted by key soil abiotic and biotic properties

2021 ◽  
Vol 307 ◽  
pp. 107206
Author(s):  
Loïc Nazaries ◽  
Bhupinder Pal Singh ◽  
Jharna Rani Sarker ◽  
Yunying Fang ◽  
Marcus Klein ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Management Practices ◽  
Agricultural Management

scholarly journals Sources and Species of Cryptosporidium Oocysts in the Wachusett Reservoir Watershed

2002 ◽  
Vol 68 (2) ◽  
pp. 569-575 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kristen L. Jellison ◽  
Harold F. Hemond ◽  
David B. Schauer
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Surface Waters ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Immunofluorescence Microscopy ◽  
Cold Water ◽  
Environmental Data ◽  
The Public ◽  
Specificity And Sensitivity ◽  
Cryptosporidium Oocysts ◽  
Reservoir Watershed

ABSTRACT Understanding the behavior of Cryptosporidium oocysts in the environment is critical to developing improved watershed management practices for protection of the public from waterborne cryptosporidiosis. Analytical methods of improved specificity and sensitivity are essential to this task. We developed a nested PCR-restriction fragment length polymorphism assay that allows detection of a single oocyst in environmental samples and differentiates the human pathogen Cryptosporidium parvum from other Cryptosporidium species. We tested our method on surface water and animal fecal samples from the Wachusett Reservoir watershed in central Massachusetts. We also directly compared results from our method with those from the immunofluorescence microscopy assay recommended in the Information Collection Rule. Our results suggest that immunofluorescence microscopy may not be a reliable indicator of public health risk for waterborne cryptosporidiosis. Molecular and environmental data identify both wildlife and dairy farms as sources of oocysts in the watershed, implicate times of cold water temperatures as high-risk periods for oocyst contamination of surface waters, and suggest that not all oocysts in the environment pose a threat to public health.

Influence of agricultural management on soil organic carbon: A compendium and assessment of Canadian studies

2003 ◽  
Vol 83 (4) ◽  
pp. 363-380 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. J. VandenBygaart ◽  
E. G. Gregorich ◽  
D. A. Angers
Keyword(s):  
Organic Carbon ◽  
Soil Organic Carbon ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Agricultural Management ◽  
Organic Fertilizers ◽  
Published Data ◽  
Native Land ◽  
Soc Stocks ◽  
Long Term Studies

To fulfill commitments under the Kyoto Protocol, Canada is required to provide verifiable estimates and uncertainties for soil organic carbon (SOC) stocks, and for changes in those stocks over time. Estimates and uncertainties for agricultural soils can be derived from long-term studies that have measured differences in SOC between different management practices. We compiled published data from long-term studies in Canada to assess the effect of agricultural management on SOC. A total of 62 studies were compiled, in which the difference in SOC was determined for conversion from native land to cropland, and for different tillage, crop rotation and fertilizer management practices. There was a loss of 24 ± 6% of the SOC after native land was converted to agricultural land. No-till (NT) increased the storage of SOC in western Canada by 2.9 ± 1.3 Mg ha-1; however, in eastern Canada conversion to NT did not increase SOC. In general, the potential to store SOC when NT was adopted decreased with increasing background levels of SOC. Using no-tillage, reducing summer fallow, including hay in rotation with wheat (Triticum aestivum L.), plowing green manures into the soil, and applying N and organic fertilizers were the practices that tended to show the most consistent in creases in SOC storage. By relating treatment SOC levels to those in the control treatments, SOC stock change factors and their levels of uncertainty were derived for use in empirical models, such as the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). Guidelines model for C stock changes. However, we must be careful when attempting to extrapolate research plot data to farmers’ fields since the history of soil and crop management has a significant influence on existing and future SOC stocks. Key words: C sequestration, tillage, crop rotations, fertilizer, cropping intensity, Canada

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