HS948 Reduction of the Impact of Fertilization and Irrigation On Processes in the Nitrogen.pdf

HS948 Reduction of the Impact of Fertilization and Irrigation On Processes in the Nitrogen Cycle in Vegetable Fields with BMPs1 Eve-Marie Cockx and Eric H. Simonne 2 1. This document is HS948, one of a series of the Horticultural Sciences Department, Florida Cooperative Extension Service, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida. Publication date: September 2003. Please visit the EDIS Web site at . 2. Eve-Marie Cockx, short-term scholar, Eric H. Simonne, assistant professor, Horticultural Sciences Department, Cooperative Extension Service, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida, Gainesville, 32611. The Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer authorized to provide research, educational information and other services only to individuals and institutions that function without regard to race, color, sex, age, handicap, or national origin. For information on obtaining other extension publications, contact your county Cooperative Extension Service office. Florida Cooperative Extension Service/Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences/University of Florida/Christine Taylor Waddill, Dean. The nitrogen (N) cycle is a set of transformations that affect N in the biosphere. Through a series of microbial transformations in the soil, N is made available to vegetable crops. Thus, knowledge of this cycle by which N passes from air to soil to organisms and back to air, and how the components of the cycle are affected by human activities, is required to design effective strategies for decreasing undesirable losses of N from vegetable production to the environment. Adequate management of fertilization and irrigation has always been recognized as one of the keys to successful vegetable production in Florida. Thus, fertilization and irrigation practices have aimed at supplying enough nutrients and water to ensure economical yields.