Estimating Nitrogen and Phosphorus Total Maximum Daily Loads for Container Nursery and Greenhouse Production Systems
2002
In 1998, the state of Maryland adopted one of the toughest nutrient management planning laws in
the United States, requiring that virtually all agricultural operations to write and implement nitrogen-
(N) and phosphorus- (P) based management plans by December 31, 2002. Writing nutrient
management plans for most ornamental nursery and greenhouse operations is a complicated task,
since these operations grow a large number of plant species, and utilize a range of fertilization and
irrigation strategies. A nutrient management planning process has been developed which combines
water management (i.e. leaching fraction, interception efficiency and potential runoff) data with
nutrient management (source and application rate) data into an estimate of total daily maximum
loading (TMDL) rates. A risk assessment process based on operational management units identifies
those site-specific factors that contribute most to nutrient leaching and runoff, and enables targeted
best management practices to be developed to reduce the risk of N and P run-off into surface waters
and the Chesapeake Bay.
In association with this process, our research is examining interactions between irrigation and
nutrient strategies with two model ornamental plant species that are widely grown in the nursery
industry. Nitrogen and P applications, plant uptake and nutrient leaching are being continuously
quantified to provide nutrient budgets over a three-year production cycle, to assess the effects of
different management strategies on leaching and nutrient runoff potential. The development and use
of new moisture-sensing technology, which can sense real-time water availability in soilless
substrates will be necessary to provide more accurate irrigation scheduling and applications to
nursery systems.
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