Nutrient Management Update · Phosphorus Management Katie Campbell-Nelson UMass Extension Vegetable Specialist [email protected] 413-545-1051. Thank you! Joel Tilley ... MA all crops

Phosphorus Management

Katie Campbell-NelsonUMass Extension

Vegetable Specialist

[email protected]

413-545-1051

Thank you!Joel Tilley

Tracy Allen

Dawn Pettinelli

Bruce Hoskins

Phosphorus (P)Outline

• Phosphorus cycle

• National P use and removal rates

• New England soil test interpretations

• 24,000 Soil test P results!

• Phosphorus Management and Discussion

Quick

VeryVerySlow

ReleaseRates

Journal of Environmental Quality-Jarvie et al., 2015

Ratio of phosphorus removed to phosphorus applied, 2007Summarized by USGS hydrologic regions

IPNI. 2012. A Nutrient Use Information System (NuGIS) for the U.S. Norcross, GA. January 12, 2012. Available on line >www.ipni.net/nugis<

Magdoff et al., 1999. Soil Sci. Soc. Am. J. 63:999-1006

Relative yield of alfalfa in 31 Vermont soils with a range in soil test P (low to high).

Critical soil test P = 4 ppm

P Interpretation example

P interpretations for Modified Morgan (mg/kg or ppm)

Very Low

Low/ Below

Optimum Medium OptimumAbove

Optimum Excessive

MA all crops 0-2 2-4 4-14 14-40 > 40

CT Agronomic Crops 0-6.5 9-10 10-17.5 > 17.5

VT all crops 0-1.9 2-3.9 4-7.9 8-39.9 >40

ME established lawn 0-1.75 1.75-3.5 3.5-5 >5

ME potatoes 0-1.75 1.75-5 5-25 >25

SARE 'Building Soils for Better Crops'

0-2 2-4 4-7 7-20

0

1000

2000

3000

4000

5000

6000

0 2000 4000 6000 8000 10000 12000 14000

P p

pm

Number of samples

Agronomic Fruit Gardener Lawn and Turf

Trees and Nursery Vegetable Organic Other

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

16

18

Median P ppm

‘Optimum’ range in VT

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

Below Optimum Optimum Above Optimum

% of samples in 3 P levels

Agronomic Fruit GardenerLawn and Turf Trees and Nursery VegetableOrganic Other

0

100

200

300

400

500

600

0.00 1.00 2.00 3.00 4.00 5.00 6.00 7.00 8.00 9.00 10.00 11.00

P p

pm

pH

Modified Morgan extracted P ppm in relation to pH

Slide credit: Jennifer Weld, PennState, 2016

Slide from Tom Morris

8/4/2014

2.5 miles out into the lake

Toledo

Lake Erie

Bloom

Phosphorus Discussion

• Agronomy farms have low P; why?

• Vegetable and Organic crops have higher P; why?

• What does the soil test P level have to do with environmental risk?

• Where are areas of P risk on your farm?

• What practices will you try to reduce your P risk?

Katie Campbell-NelsonUMass Extension

Vegetable Specialist

[email protected]

413-545-1051

Nitrogen Management

Nitrogen (N)Outline

• Nitrogen Cycle

• How vegetables use N

• How to increase N efficiency

• Nitrogen stories from 6 farms

• Nitrogen Management and Discussion

ReleaseRates

TheNitrogen

Cycle

Slow

Organic N

Quick

NH4NO3

Nitrogen use curves

Time to take a PSNT

Estimating Nitrogen availabilityNew England Vegetable Management Guide:

https://nevegetable.org/

Most Plant Available Nitrogen is released 4-6 weeks after cover crop kill.

Divide the total estimated N content of your green manure by 2 if you are plowing it down and the weather is expected to be warm with adequate rain (based on seasonal averages, or, if you’re feeling lucky, on astrological predictions). Divide by 4 (conservative estimate) if you are leaving the green manure on the surface in a no-till system or if you are cropping during a cold or very wet season.

Thanks!

• Thanks to Farmers: Andrew Lawson, Kevin O’Dwyer and crew, Ryan Karb, Steve Chiarizo, Laura and Charlie Tangerini, Edwin and Joe Matuszko, and Maria Topitzer.

• Thanks to staff and advisors: Genevieve Higgins, Michele Meder, Julie Stultz-Fine, Samantha Glaze Corcoran, and Masoud Hashemi, Kate Parsons, Paul Peckham

MethodsSix farms

Three treatments 1. No Cover Crop2. Rye (70lbs/A) and Vetch (20lbs/A) 3. Farmer Choice

• With and without 60lbsN/Ac after incorporation

Four Replications, Complete Randomized Block Design

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

140

160

UMass Twin Oaks Langwater Tangerini Lyonsville ManyHands

lbs

N p

er

Acr

e

Farm

Nitrogen in Aboveground Covercrop Biomass

No Cover (weeds) Rye Vetch Farmer Choice

May 22, 2017

RV

Farm

Farmer Choice

(lbs/acre)

and $/acre

Cash Crop

and N needs

(lbs/acre)

Fall 2016 %

SOM and

(ppm NO3)

Soil TypeMethod of

incorporation

UMassRye (60), Vetch (20),

Tillage Radish (5)

$ 96

Sweet corn

(100-130)

1.7

(20)

Winooski

silt loam

flail mow,

moldboard

plow

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

0 2 4 6 8

pp

m N

O3

Weeks after coverincorporation

UMass Soil Nitrate

No Cover Crop

Rye, Vetch

Farmer Choice

60 lbs N/A + No Cover Crop

60 lbs N/A + Rye, Vetch

60lbs N/A + Farmer Choice

ns

*

* *

apply 60lbs N/A germination 1 ft. tall6 in. tallSweetcorn growth stage

NC

NC + N RV + N FC + N

RV FC

UMass Yield

* A 'Good' yield for sweetcorn is 750-1,500 doz/A and for cabbage is 20,000-40,000 lbs/A according to the New England Vegetable Management Guide.

C

B

AB AB

ABA

0

500

1000

1500

2000

2500

No CoverCrop

Rye, Vetch FarmerChoice: Rye,

Vetch, Radish

No CoverCrop + 60 lbs

N/A

Rye, Vetch+ 60 lbs N/A

FarmerChoice: Rye,

Vetch, Radish+ 60lbs N/A

Yiel

d d

oz/

A

Cover Crop and Nitrogen Treatments

UMass: Sweetcorn Yield doz/A*

GO

OD

EX

CEL

LEN

T P

OO

R

P = 0.0016

RV

FC

NC

April, 2017

Farm

Farmer Choice

(lbs/acre)

and $/acre

Cash Crop

and N

needs

(lbs/acre)

Fall 2016 %

SOM and

(ppm NO3)

Soil TypeMethod of

incorporation

Twin

Oaks

Fria annual rye (6),

Crimson Clover (4),

Tillage Radish (10)

$51

Cabbage

(160)

2.2

(28)

Deerfield

loamy fine

sand

rotary mow,

moldboard

plow

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

0 2 4 6 8

pp

m N

O3

Twin Oaks Soil Nitrate

ns

*

ns

ns

apply 60lbs N/A transplant cupping6 in. tallCabbage growth stage

Twin Oaks Yield

NC NC + N RV + N FC + NRV FC

C

BC

B

B

A

A

0

10000

20000

30000

40000

50000

60000

No CoverCrop

Rye, Vetch FarmerChoice: Friarye, Crimson

clover,Radish

No CoverCrop + 60 lbs

N/A

Rye, Vetch +60 lbs N/A

FarmerChoice: Friarye, Crimson

Clover,Radish +

60lbs N/A

Yie

ld lb

s/A

Cover Crop and Nitrogen Treatments

Twin Oaks: Cabbage Yield lbs/A*

PO

OR

G

OO

D

EXC

ELLE

NT

P = 0.0002

* A 'Good' yield for cabbage is 20,000-40,000 lbs/A according to the New England Vegetable Management Guide

RV

May 26, 2017

Farm

Farmer Choice

(lbs/acre)

and $/acre

Cash Crop

and N

needs

(lbs/acre)

Fall 2016 %

SOM and

(ppm NO3)

Soil TypeMethod of

incorporation

Langwater

Oat (90), Pea (50),

Vetch (40)

$308

Winter

Squash

(110-140)

6.8

(105)

Charlton-

Paxton fine

sandy loam

flail mow,

chisel plow,

disc harrow

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

0 2 4 6 8

pp

m N

O3

Weeks after incorporation

Langwater Soil Nitrate

apply60lbs N/A germination vining

2-6 true leavesWinter squash growth stage

*

*

*

*

FC

May 26, 2017

Farm

Farmer Choice

(lbs/acre)

and $/acre

Cash Crop

and N

needs

(lbs/acre)

Fall 2016 %

SOM and

(ppm NO3)

Soil TypeMethod of

incorporation

Tangerini

Oat (90), Crimson

clover (15), Vetch (18)

$205

Chard

(105-130)

3.4

(30)

Merrimac

fine sandy

loam

flail mow,

rototill,

perfecta

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

0* 2 4 6 8

pp

m N

O3

Tangerini Soil Nitrate

apply60lbs N/A

near harvest!transplantChard growth stage

* 25 lbsN/A from 5-4-3 chicken manure was applied to the whole plot by the farmer.

*

*

*

*

May 23, 2017

NC FC RV

Farm

Farmer Choice

(lbs/acre)

and $/acre

Cash Crop

and N needs

(lbs/acre)

Fall 2016 %

SOM and

(ppm NO3)

Soil TypeMethod of

incorporation

Many

Hands

Summer 2016 seeded:

Sorghum Sudan (90)

$234

Spring 2017 Seeded:

Oat (100), Pea (100)

$251

Cabbage

(160)

6.2

(5)

Pootatuck

fine sandy

loam

disced twice

September 4, 2016

RV

Farm

Farmer Choice

(lbs/acre)

and $/acre

Cash Crop

and N

needs

(lbs/acre)

Fall 2016 %

SOM and

(ppm NO3)

Soil TypeMethod of

incorporation

Langwater

Oat (90), Pea (50),

Vetch (40)

$308

Winter

Squash

(110-140)

6.8

(105)

Charlton-

Paxton fine

sandy

loam

flail mow,

chisel plow,

disc harrow

Many

Hands

Summer 2016 seeded:

Sorghum Sudan (90)

$234

Spring 2017 Seeded:

Oat (100), Pea (100)

$251

Cabbage

(160)

6.2

(5)

Pootatuck

fine sandy

loam

disced twice

RV

May 26, 2017

Langwater vs. Many Hands

May 23, 2017

NC FC RV

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

0 2 4 6 8

pp

m N

O3

Weeks after incorporation

Many Hands Soil Nitrate

apply 60lbs N/A

transplant not yet cupping

Cabbage growth stage7" tall x

10" wide

ns

ns

ns ns

Many Hands Yield

NC

NC + N RV + N FC + N

RV FC

0

10000

20000

30000

40000

50000

60000

No Cover Crop Rye, Vetch Farmer Choice:Fall; SorghumSudan, Spring;

Oat, Pea

No Cover Crop+ 60 lbs N/A

Rye, Vetch +60 lbs N/A

Farmer Choice+ 60lbs N/A

Yie

ld lb

s/A

Cover Crop and Nitrogen Treatments

Many Hands: Cabbage Yield lbs/A

PO

OR

G

OO

D

EXC

ELLE

NT

B

* A 'Good' yield for cabbage is 20,000-40,000 lbs/A according to the New England Vegetable Management Guide 2016-2017.

A

AA

B

B

P=0.0016

Farmer Adaptations• Transplants 4 weeks after incorporation.

• Direct seed 2 weeks after incorporation.

• Experiment with less nitrogen fertilizer.

• Take more soil Nitrate tests

Plant tillage radish at 10lbs/Ac for weed control Start growing crimson clover

Nitrogen Discussion

• How else can the soil nitrate test be used besides predicting need for sidedressing?

• What sources of nitrogen do you currently use?

• What steps can you take on your farm to increase your N use efficiency?