Nutrient and Water Management Tools in a Water-Short World.

1.0 NM, SSp

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Farmers and urban land managers have to strike a tenuous balance between achieving plant growth goals while responsibly managing natural resources. Water quality and scarcity issues are prominent concerns, along with soil quality preservation and conservation of fuel and fertilizer resources. The purpose of this presentation will be to highlight case studies where implementing scientifically sound practices were performed in a way that was economically, environmentally, and socially sustainable. Various climate, soil, and plant genetics considerations will be examined in various soil-plant-water systems. Various plant water and nutrient need/uptake scenarios will be presented. The impacts of excess/deficit water and nutrients on each other will be briefly considered with an emphasis on management options. Tools for assessment for use in management considerations will be covered for fertilization and irrigation, including: soil and tissue analysis, enhanced efficiency fertilizers, aerial imagery, variable rate technology, and water management options. In one potato-grain system example, a grower achieved a 4.6% increase in net income while achieving a 22% reduction in irrigation water. In another example in a corn-bean system, the grower eliminated 4.3% of their unprofitable land and increased net income by 10.1% while minimizing environmental risks. In an urban system example, desired plant canopy cover was maintained with near three-fold reduction in irrigation water. This presentation will focus on application of science in soil-plant-water systems with examples of successes, as well as some failures.