Best management practices for nitrogen fertilizer in Missouri

Abstract

Missouri crop producers use a wide range of practices to supply nitrogen to their crops. The timing, rate and method of application, as well as the source of nitrogen and the use of additives, vary widely across the state and often between neighbors. Under certain weather conditions, nitrogen can be lost from the soil between application and crop uptake. This publication is intended to describe crop production practices that have the greatest potential for success in dealing with the complexities of managing nitrogen fertilizer. Successful nitrogen management delivers enough nitrogen to the crop to optimize yield and profitability while minimizing losses to water and air. With nitrogen, economic success and environmental success overlap almost completely. Everyone wants the nitrogen to end up in the crop. Thus, the best management practices (BMPs) presented here are identified as sound practices from economic, production and environmental viewpoints.