Introduction to Nutrient Management, Nutrient Cycling and Regional Nutrient Balance Issues Tom Basden Ag. and Natural Resources WVU Extension Service, Morgantown WV 2009 Fundamentals of Nutrient Management Training Course Dec

Introduction  Why is Nutrient Management So Important?  Changes in Farming Systems and Nutrient Cycling  2 Watersheds with Issues in WV  Chesapeake Bay Basin and Mississippi River Basin

Importance of Nutrient Management Loss of nutrients to the environment Water Quality Impairment

Why the Concern?  Eutrophication Critical problem in impaired fresh waters Critical problem in impaired fresh waters Freshwater eutrophication usually P limited Freshwater eutrophication usually P limited Algal Blooms! Algal Blooms! Fish kills due to hypoxia (“Dead Zone”)Fish kills due to hypoxia (“Dead Zone”) Pfiesteria PiscicidiaPfiesteria Piscicidia acute risk acute risk Chlorination of eutrophic drinking watersChlorination of eutrophic drinking waters carcinogenic risk. carcinogenic risk.

Eutrophication and Agriculture With 30 years of “point source” control the relative contribution of agricultural non-point sources of P has increased.

P P P P P P P P The Problem: Changes in the P Cycle Pre P cycle occurred within the farm

P fertilizers have helped to build productive agriculture!

Manure P Today’s P Cycle is Fragmented P Rock Grain P Manure P

Cash crop 30 ha 1280 hogs 30 ha 65 Holsteins 40 ha Farming System and P Balance CropDairyPigPoultry kg P/ha/yr Input Fertilizer Feed Output Balance Pennsylvania farms 75,000 birds 12 ha

N-Based Manure Management results in excess P application P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P P PP P P P P P P P P P P N N N N N N N N N N N N:P for crops (7:1-11:1) N:P for manures (2:1-6:1)

N-Based Manure Management N-Based Manure Management More P is added in manure than needed by the crop! P added in manure Phosphorus (kg/ha) Poultry litter Poultry manure P removed Corn harvest Pig slurry Dairy manure

Nutrient Cycling

Nutrient Cycling II

Nutrient Cycling III

Chesapeake Bay Basin

 64,000 sq. miles – second largest estuary in the world  >15 million people in the basin  Easy to pollute – long coastline (7,900 mi.) & shallow depth (~ 21 ft)  Major economic resource – 50% of blue crab catch; 90% of soft shell crab Chesapeake Bay Basin (cont’d) Features:

 Health concerns due to pfiesteria outbreak in Md. and Va. rivers  Aesthetic, taste, and odor problems Chesapeake Bay Basin (cont’d) Problems: Decline in fisheries -Oysters: 92% decline during Clam (MD): 95% decline during

 Nitrogen: agricultural (60%), atmospheric deposition (25%), & other (15%) -~70,000 tons-N from Potomac ( ), 23% of total  Phosphorus – agricultural (30%) & point sources (70%) -~3,750 tons-P from Potomac ( ), 25% of total  Sediments  Toxics Chesapeake Bay Basin (cont’d) Problem pollutants

 Nutrients move into receiving waters in dissolved and sediment-bound forms  Sediments blanket stream floor degrading or destroying aquatic habitat & breeding areas  Eutrophication - high inorganic dissolved N and P may result in rapid growth of algae Chesapeake Bay Basin (cont’d) Detrimental effects of nutrients and sediments

 Algae, both alive and dead (during decomposition) consume dissolved oxygen (DO), depriving other aquatic organisms of DO, degrading aquatic habitat  Hypoxia – very low DO levels (<2 mg/L) can result in fish kills  Healthy DO range for estuaries mg/L Chesapeake Bay Basin (cont’d) Detrimental effects of nutrients and sediments

Hypoxia

Gulf of Mexico Basin

 Drains nearly 2 million sq. miles  20% ($) of commercial fishery landings  Annual nitrate loading ~1 million tons -75% from agriculture -Ohio River contributes less nitrate compared to discharge  Annual orthophosphate loading ~38,600 tons Gulf of Mexico Basin (cont’d)

 ~8,600 sq. miles of the Gulf below LA & TX affected in summer 2002 (worst case yet)  Excessive nutrient loadings from farmlands suspected as prime factor in hypoxia  Hypoxia could occur due to natural causes Gulf of Mexico Basin (cont’d) Hypoxia in the Gulf

Nutrient Eco-regions WV in Eco-region XI, Central and Eastern Forested Uplands

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