scholarly journals Current Knowledge, Gaps, and Future Needs for Keeping Water and Nutrients in the Root Zone of Vegetables Grown in Florida

2010 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
pp. 143-152 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eric Simonne ◽  
Chad Hutchinson ◽  
Jim DeValerio ◽  
Robert Hochmuth ◽  
Danielle Treadwell ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Best Management Practices ◽  
Drip Irrigation ◽  
Time Management ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Root Zone ◽  
Current Knowledge ◽  
Nutrient Use Efficiency ◽  
Vegetable Crops ◽  
Recycled Water ◽  
Management Tools

The success of the best management practices (BMPs) program for vegetables in Florida is measured by the level of BMP implementation and the improvement of water quality. Both require keeping water and fertilizer in the root zone of vegetables. The University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) Extension Vegetable Group has identified the fundamental principles of 1) basing UF/IFAS production recommendations on the rigors of science and the reality of field production; 2) replacing the out-of-date paradigm “pollute less by reducing nutrient application rates” with “improve water management and adjust fertilizer programs accordingly”; 3) engaging growers, consultants, educators, and regulators in open-channel discussions; and 4) regularly updating current fertilization and irrigation recommendations for vegetables grown in Florida to reflect current varieties used by the industry. The group identified 1) developing ultralow-flow drip irrigation; 2) assisting conversion from seepage to drip irrigation; 3) using recycled water; 4) developing controlled-release fertilizers for vegetables; 5) developing real-time management tools for continuous monitoring of soil water and chemical parameters; 6) developing yield mapping tools for vegetable crops; 7) developing and testing drainage lysimeter designs suitable for in-field load assessment; and 8) using grafting and breeding to develop commercially acceptable varieties with improved nutrient use efficiency by improving morphological, biochemical, and chemical traits as new strategies to keep nutrients in the root zone. These strategies should become funding priorities for state agencies to help the vegetable industry successfully transition into the BMP era.

scholarly journals (215) From Recommendation to Implementation: Involving Vegetable Growers in Best Management Practices

HortScience ◽  
2005 ◽  
Vol 40 (4) ◽  
pp. 1072D-1073
Author(s):  
Eric Simonne ◽  
David Studstill ◽  
Robert Hochmuth ◽  
Justin Jones ◽  
Cynthia Stewart
Keyword(s):  
Best Management Practices ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Cultural Practices ◽  
Water Movement ◽  
Root Zone ◽  
Average Rate ◽  
Irrigation Management ◽  
Educational Process ◽  
Adoption Process ◽  
Vegetable Crops

The Federal Clear Water Act and Florida legislation have mandated the clean-up of impaired water bodies. The BMP manual for vegetable crops lists the cultural practices that could maintain productivity while minimizing environmental impact. BMPs focus on increased fertilizer and irrigation efficiency, but growers must be involved in the demonstration and adoption process if this voluntary program is to be successful. Three commercial vegetable fields from farms recognized as leaders in fertilizer and irrigation management were selected to demonstrate how irrigation and fertilizer management are linked together and how management may prevent water movement below the root zone of melons grown with plasticulture. In Spring 2004, dye (Brilliant blue FCF) was injected into the irrigation water three times during the growing season and soil profiles were dug to determine the depth of dye movement. Similar results were found at all three locations as the dye moved below at an average rate of 1.9 to 3.6 cm per day. Water movement was greater early in the season as irrigation was applied for transplant establishment. These results suggest that some leaching is likely to occur on light-textured soils, even when sophisticated irrigation and fertilization practices are followed. Based on these observations, cooperators spontaneously proposed to use two drip tapes, reduce preplant fertilizer, use a 100% injected N/K program, and/or add organic matter to the soil as attempts to slow water movement below the root zone of their crops. This project shows that growers are more likely to try and adopt sustainable practices when they actively participate in the educational process than when production changes are mandated through legislation.

scholarly journals Keeping Water and Nutrients in the Florida Citrus Tree Root Zone

2010 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
pp. 67-73 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas A. Obreza ◽  
Arnold Schumann
Keyword(s):  
Best Management Practices ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Root Zone ◽  
Nutrient Use Efficiency ◽  
Irrigation Scheduling ◽  
Water Soluble ◽  
Soluble Nitrogen ◽  
N Budget ◽  
Citrus Grove ◽  
Florida Citrus

Florida citrus (Citrus spp.) producers must improve water and nutrient use efficiency to remain sustainable as they face increasing urbanization, plant disease, and environmental awareness. Producers have traditionally used water-soluble nitrogen (N) and phosphorus fertilizer sources with calendar-based irrigation, but they are slowly integrating enhanced efficiency fertilizers into nutrient management plans and converting to sensor or evapotranspiration-based irrigation scheduling. Recent research has improved the understanding of the citrus grove N budget, which has led to development of appropriate best management practices (BMPs) that will maintain production while protecting the environment. BMPs that have been shown to decrease N loss to groundwater include applying the appropriate fertilizer rate, splitting fertilizer applications, converting to fertigation, and improving irrigation scheduling.

Field Measurements and Simulation of Nitrogen Fate under Citrus Production

HortScience ◽  
1998 ◽  
Vol 33 (3) ◽  
pp. 498c-498
Author(s):  
A. Fares ◽  
A.K. Alva ◽  
S. Paramasivam
Keyword(s):  
Mass Balance ◽  
Best Management Practices ◽  
Rainy Season ◽  
Crop Production ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Root Zone ◽  
Field Measurements ◽  
Irrigation Scheduling ◽  
N Leaching ◽  
Citrus Production

Water and nitrogen (N) are important inputs for most crop production. The main objectives of nitrogen best management practices (NBMP) are to improve N and water management to maximize the uptake efficiency and minimize the leaching losses. This require a complete understanding of fate of N and water mass balance within and below the root zone of the crop in question. The fate of nitrogen applied for citrus production in sandy soils (>95% sand) was simulated using a mathematical model LEACHM (Leaching Estimation And Chemistry Model). Nitrogen removal in harvested fruits and storage in the tree accounted the major portion of the applied N. Nitrogen volatilization mainly as ammonia and N leaching below the root zone were the next two major components of the N mass balance. A proper irrigation scheduling based on continuous monitoring of the soil water content in the rooting was used as a part of the NBMP. More than 50% of the total annual leached water below the root zone was predicted to occur in the the rainy season. Since this would contribute to nitrate leaching, it is recomended to avoid N application during the rainy season.

Adapting Nitrogen Fertilization to Unpredictable Seasonal Conditions with the Least Impact on the Environment

2006 ◽  
Vol 16 (3) ◽  
pp. 408-412 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicolas Tremblay ◽  
Carl Bélec
Keyword(s):  
Best Management Practices ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Saturation Index ◽  
N Fertilization ◽  
Soil Conditions ◽  
Vegetable Crops ◽  
N Budget ◽  
Reference Plot ◽  
Weather Events ◽  
Primary Driver

Weather is the primary driver of both plant growth and soil conditions. As a consequence of unpredictable weather effects on crop requirements, more inputs are being applied as an insurance policy. Best management practices (BMPs) are therefore about using minimal input for maximal return in a context of unpredictable weather events. This paper proposes a set of complementary actions and tools as BMP for nitrogen (N) fertilization of vegetable crops: 1) planning from an N budget, 2) reference plot establishment, and 3) crop sensing prior to in-season N application based on a saturation index related to N requirement.

scholarly journals Soil Fertility Management for Better Crop Production

Agronomy ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (9) ◽  
pp. 1349
Author(s):  
John Havlin ◽  
Ron Heiniger
Keyword(s):  
Soil Fertility ◽  
Crop Production ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Nutrient Management ◽  
Root Zone ◽  
Nutrient Use Efficiency ◽  
Soil Nutrient ◽  
Crop Productivity ◽  
Soil Fertility Management ◽  
Fertility Management

Increasing crop productivity per unit of land area to meet future food and fiber demand increases both soil nutrient removal and the importance of replenishing soil fertility through efficient nutrient management practices. Significant progress in enhancing nutrient-use efficiency in production agriculture requires improved estimates of plant-available nutrients in the root zone, enhanced crop response to applied nutrients, and reduced offsite nutrient transport. This special issue, Soil Fertility Management for Better Crop Production, presents 15 manuscripts that advance our knowledge of interrelated soil, plant, and management factors important to increasing the nutrient availability and crop recovery of applied nutrients.

Size of subsoil clods affects soil-water availability in sand–clay mixtures

Soil Research ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 54 (3) ◽  
pp. 276 ◽  
Author(s):  
Giacomo Betti ◽  
Cameron D. Grant ◽  
Robert S. Murray ◽  
G. Jock Churchman
Keyword(s):  
Hydraulic Conductivity ◽  
Soil Water ◽  
Best Management Practices ◽  
Water Availability ◽  
Water Retention ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Crop Yields ◽  
Root Zone ◽  
Soil Water Availability ◽  
Application Rates

Clay delving in strongly texture-contrast soils brings up subsoil clay in clumps ranging from large clods to tiny aggregates depending on the equipment used and the extent of secondary cultivation. Clay delving usually increases crop yields but not universally; this has generated questions about best management practices. It was postulated that the size distribution of the subsoil clumps created by delving might influence soil-water availability (and hence crop yield) because, although the clay increases water retention in the root-zone, it can also cause poor soil aeration, high soil strength and greatly reduced hydraulic conductivity. We prepared laboratory mixtures of sand and clay-rich subsoil in amounts considered practical (10% and 20% by weight) and excessive (40% and 60% by weight) with different subsoil clod sizes (<2, 6, 20 and 45 mm), for which we measured water retention, soil resistance, and saturated hydraulic conductivity. We calculated soil water availability by traditional means (plant-available water, PAW) and by the integral water capacity (IWC). We found that PAW increased with subsoil clay, particularly when smaller aggregates were used (≤6 mm). However, when the potential restrictions on PAW were taken into account, the benefits of adding clay reached a peak at ~40%, beyond which IWC declined towards that of pure subsoil clay. Furthermore, the smaller the aggregates the less effective they were at increasing IWC, particularly in the practical range of application rates (<20% by weight). We conclude that excessive post-delving cultivation may not be warranted and may explain some of the variability found in crop yields after delving.

scholarly journals Best Management Practices for Florida Citrus

2006 ◽  
Vol 16 (3) ◽  
pp. 389-393 ◽  
Author(s):  
Larry Parsons ◽  
Brian Boman
Keyword(s):  
Best Management Practices ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Root Zone ◽  
Agricultural Practices ◽  
Runoff Water ◽  
Cost Share ◽  
Central Florida ◽  
Best Management ◽  
Drinking Water Standard ◽  
Florida Citrus

Best management practices (BMPs) started in Florida citrus (Citrus spp.) in the 1990s and have evolved to play a major role in production practices today. One of the earliest BMPs in Florida arose from concerns over nitrate-nitrogen concentrations in some surficial groundwater aquifers exceeding the 10 mg·L-1 drinking water standard. This occurred in an area of well-drained sandy soils known as the Central Florida Ridge that extends north and south through the central part of the Florida peninsula. State agencies could have used a strictly regulatory approach and restricted how much nitrogen growers could apply. Instead of setting arbitrary regulations, the agencies promoted a scientific-based BMP approach. A nitrogen BMP for Central Florida Ridge citrus was established, and research is now validating the earlier groundwater work on more grower field sites. The purpose of this BMP was to minimize the risk of leaching nitrates from fertilizer into the groundwater. Several important aspects of the BMP involve: 1) limiting the amount of nitrogen fertilizer applied at any one time, 2) increasing the frequency of fertilizer applications, 3) reducing fertilizer applications during the summer rainy season, and 4) managing irrigation to reduce leaching below the root zone. Since this Central Florida Ridge nitrogen BMP was established, major BMP actions to improve water quality and reduce the quantity of runoff water have taken place in the Indian River production area of Florida's east coast. BMPs continue to be set up in other parts of the state for a variety of plant and animal agricultural practices. In some cases, cost-share funds have been provided to help implement BMPs. With voluntary BMPs, growers have scientifically based guidelines, a waiver of liability, and an avoidance of arbitrary regulations.

Implementation of best management practices in agriculture: modelling and monitoring of impacts on nitrogen leaching

2002 ◽  
Vol 45 (9) ◽  
pp. 43-50 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Joelsson ◽  
K. Kyllmar
Keyword(s):  
Best Management Practices ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Time Perspective ◽  
Agricultural Land ◽  
Root Zone ◽  
Agricultural Practices ◽  
Nitrogen Leaching ◽  
Best Management ◽  
Indexing Technique ◽  
The Impact

In Kattegat and the coastal water of the Baltic Sea, high nitrogen input from agricultural land is considered to be the main reason for eutrophication. International agreements and governmental programs have set a target to reduce the anthropogenic nitrogen load by 50 percent. Improved nitrogen removal in treatment plants and efforts in agriculture have so far not decreased nitrogen transport to a sufficient extent. In this project the impact of agricultural practices on nitrogen leaching was investigated in two small agricultural catchments in Southwest Sweden. The root-zone leaching was estimated by an indexing technique. Simultaneously the transports in the stream outlets were monitored. During 1995 and 1999 the agricultural practices in the catchments were surveyed. Field data from the first survey indicated that fertilisation did not always match crop requirements, the area of undersown catch crop can be increased and autumn cultivation can be reduced. The second survey was preceded by an advisory campaign where each farmer was visited and presented with an environmental plan including fertilisation, cultivation, and crop rotation for the farm. The plan summarised the best management practices that could be realised under actual conditions. Results from the second survey showed that some changes in the agricultural practices were carried out after the advisory campaign. The nitrogen leaching from the root-zone was then estimated by the indexing technique, both for the time before and after the advisory program. The results showed that the estimated nitrogen leaching, as a mean value for 330 fields, decreased from 53 to 50 kgN ha−1, due to adjustments of the agricultural practices. Monitoring of stream transports showed values of the same magnitude after correction for retention and other sources. In this short time perspective, decreases in transport due to changes in agricultural practices could not be separated from influence of weather conditions. In comparison to results from the Swedish monitoring programme for agriculture, the measured transports were normal for the region, where annual variation in precipitation and runoff is large. Theoretically, nitrogen leaching could be reduced by one third without any major economic constraints for the farmers. In general, the farmers were positive to advice and willing to try new farming techniques even if some measurements were not fully implemented during the investigation period.

Adoption of environmental management tools: the dynamic capabilities contributions

2018 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 229-252 ◽  
Author(s):  
Moez Essid ◽  
Nicolas Berland
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Management ◽  
Dynamic Capabilities ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Current Knowledge ◽  
Organizational Capabilities ◽  
Management Systems ◽  
Management Tools ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Societal Pressure ◽  
The Impact

PurposeThis paper aims to analyze the organizational capabilities involved in the adoption of environmental management tools in eight large French firms. The analysis also examines the antecedents that contributed to the emergence of those capabilities and the consequences of their involvement in terms of environmental management.Design/methodology/approachTo analyze the organizational capabilities deployed when environmental management tools are adopted, this paper takes an exploratory approach based on a qualitative study of eight large French firms.FindingsThe findings show how organizational capabilities, dynamic and ordinary, are operationalized in the adoption of environmental management tools. This operationalization is made possible by internal and external antecedents and simple and complex routines. The findings also identify two possible configurations of organizational capabilities, each one leading to a specific form of environmental management. The first configuration leads to stand-alone environmental management systems, while the second succeeds in engendering integrated management systems. This study shows that this difference is explained by heterogeneous endowments in terms of antecedents across firms.Practical implicationsThe study provides useful information for managers about the conditions that favor and facilitate adoption of environmental management tools and the ways these conditions operate.Social implicationsThe study illustrates the impact of society on large firms’ adoption of certain environmental management practices. It shows that external visibility – which has created strong societal pressure – is one of the external antecedents that led eight large French firms to develop specific organizational capabilities.Originality/valueIn analyzing the antecedents, routines and capabilities involved in the adoption of environmental management tools, the study adds some original, innovative contributions to current knowledge on the conditions for adoption of such tools.

scholarly journals Toward Best Management Practices for Ecological Corridors

Land ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 140
Author(s):  
Andrew Gregory ◽  
Emma Spence ◽  
Paul Beier ◽  
Emily Garding
Keyword(s):  
Transmission Lines ◽  
Best Management Practices ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Scientific Management ◽  
Guidance Document ◽  
Riparian Areas ◽  
Ecological Processes ◽  
Management Tools ◽  
Ecological Corridors ◽  
Available Information

Ecological corridors are one of the best, and possibly only viable, management tools to maintain biodiversity at large scales and to allow species, and ecological processes, to track climate change. This document has been assembled as a summary of the best available information about managing these systems. Our aim with this paper is to provide managers with a convenient guidance document and tool to assist in applying scientific management principles to management of corridors. We do not cover issues related to corridor design or political buy in, but focus on how a corridor should be managed once it has been established. The first part of our paper outlines the history and value of ecological corridors. We next describe our methodologies for developing this guidance document. We then summarize the information about the impacts of linear features on corridors and strategies for dealing with them—specifically, we focus on the effects of roads, canals, security fences, and transmission lines. Following the description of effects, we provide a summary of the best practices for managing the impacts of linear barriers. Globally, many corridors are established in the flood plains of stream and rivers and occur in riparian areas associated with surface waters. Therefore, we next provide guidance on how to manage corridors that occur in riparian areas. We then segue into corridors and the urban/suburban environment, and summarize strategies for dealing with urban development within corridors. The final major anthropic land use that may affect corridor management is cultivation and grazing agriculture. We end this review by identifying gaps in knowledge pertaining to how best to manage corridors.

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