Opportunities and Challenges for Adopting New Nitrogen Management Technologies in the Southeast.

In the past, nitrogen management on crops in the southeastern US has focused on the “4 R's”, i.e. the right source, the right rate, the right timing, and the right placement.  Due to the nature of  sandy Coastal Plain soils that receive adequate rainfall and/or irrigation in this area, all four of these basic strategies are important to optimize nitrogen use efficiency on crops such as cotton, corn, forages and vegetables.  Now, additional technology tools such as nitrogen efficiency enhancers, slow and controlled release fertilizers and sensor technologies are becoming available to growers in the southeast.  While these new technologies present new opportunities they also present challenges and  may be slow to be adopted.  Both the opportunities, such as increased efficiency and environmental stewardship, and the challenges, such as increased cost compared to benefits and education to the benefits of the new technologies will be discussed.