Features
Field Crops
Production
Developing 4R practices for manured cropping systems
July 30, 2024 by Carolyn King
The 4R nutrient management system – using the right nutrient source at the right rate, right time, and right place to meet the crop’s needs – is well known as a system to help increase farm profitability, reduce the risk of environmental impacts, and improve sustainability.
However, Ontario’s 4R recommendations were developed for cropping systems in which only chemical fertilizers are used. What about 4R practices for fertilizers applied to manured cropping systems?
Tiequan Zhang is leading a five-year project to fill that important information gap.
A look at the issues
“There were several reasons why we were thinking about the need to develop 4R for chemical fertilizer applications for manure-amended cropping systems,” says Zhang, a senior research scientist focusing on soil fertility and environmental quality with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) in Harrow, Ont. | READ MORE