Agriculture and Water Quality on the Maryland Eastern Shore: Where Do We Go from Here?

Staver, K. W.; Brinsfield, R. B.

doi:10.1641/0006-3568(2001)051[0859:aawqot]2.0.co;2

Cited by 37 publications

(41 citation statements)

References 27 publications

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“…24) (Staver and Brinsfield, 2001;Fisher and others, 2006;Whitall and others, 2010;Ator and others, 2011). More than half (53 percent) of the nitrogen reaching the Eastern Shore landscape is applied in inorganic fertilizers or fixed directly from the atmosphere in cropland; an additional 37 percent is contributed by manure.…”

Section: Sources Of Nitrogen and Phosphorusmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Soils and surficial aquifer sediments are sandy and permeable over much of the area-conditions that promote the movement of nutrients from application areas to groundwater, streams, and tidal waters (Böhlke and Denver, 1995; Denver and others, 2004;Ator, Denver, and Brayton, 2005; Debrewer and others, 2007). In addition, the proximity of most areas of the Eastern Shore to tidal waters limits the opportunities for natural storage and mitigation of landapplied nutrients in upland landscapes and increases the likelihood of their delivery to the bay (Staver and Brinsfield, 2001).…”

Section: Importance Of the Eastern Shore To Water Quality In Chesapeamentioning

confidence: 99%

“…16). Most agricultural land is used for row crops, primarily corn and soybeans for poultry feed, although plant nurseries, dairy farms, and other operations are present in some areas (Staver and Brinsfield, 2001;Denver and others, 2004). In 2012, more than 550 million broiler chickens were produced on the Delmarva Peninsula (U.S. Department of Agriculture, 2014).…”

Section: Land Usementioning

confidence: 99%

“…Phosphorus from manure applications in excess of crop needs has been accumulating in Eastern Shore soils for decades ( fig. 26), and such soils may carry greater phosphorus to streams during runoff periods than in the past and be less likely to sequester newly applied phosphorus (Heckrath and others, 1995;Staver and Brinsfield, 2001). Agricultural management practices (such as no-till cropping) that increase phosphorus at the land surface may also increase dissolved phosphorus in runoff (Staver and Brinsfield, 1995).…”

Section: Phosphorusmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Understanding nutrients in the Chesapeake Bay watershed and implications for management and restoration: The Eastern Shore

Ator¹,

Denver²

2015

Circular

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), onlineFor more information on the USGS-the Federal source for science about the Earth, its natural and living resources, natural hazards, and the environment, visit http://www.usgs.gov or call 1-888-ASK-USGS For an overview of USGS information products, including maps, imagery, and publications, visit http://www.usgs.gov/pubprodTo order this and other USGS information products, visit http://store.usgs.gov Any use of trade, product, or firm names is for descriptive purposes only and does not imply endorsement by the U.S. Government.Although this report is in the public domain, permission must be secured from the individual copyright owners to reproduce any copyrighted materials contained within this report. SEE CHAPTER 2The Eastern Shore ( fig. 1) includes only a small part of the Chesapeake Bay watershed, but contributes disproportionately large loads of the excess nitrogen and phosphorus that have contributed to ecological and economic degradation of the bay in recent decades. Chesapeake Bay is the largest estuary in the United States and a vital ecological and economic resource. The bay and its tributaries have been degraded in recent decades by excessive nitrogen and phosphorus in the water column, however, which cause harmful algal blooms and decreased water clarity, submerged aquatic vegetation, and dissolved oxygen. The disproportionately large nitrogen and phosphorus yields from the Eastern Shore to Chesapeake Bay are attributable to human land-use practices as well as natural hydrogeologic and soil conditions. Applications of nitrogen and phosphorus compounds to the Eastern Shore from human activities are intensive. Also, hydrogeologic and soil conditions promote the movement of these compounds from application areas on the landscape to groundwater and (or) surface waters, and the proximity of much of the Eastern Shore to tidal waters limits opportunities for natural removal of these compounds in the landscape. The Eastern Shore only includes 7 percent of the Chesapeake Bay watershed, but receives nearly twice as much nitrogen and phosphorus applications (per area) as the remainder of the watershed and yields greater nitrogen and phosphorus, on average, to the bay ( fig. 2). SOURCE INPUTS TO THE EASTERN SHORE Sources of Nitrogen and Phosphorus on the Eastern Shore SEE CHAPTER 3Agricultural operations contribute the vast majority of nitrogen and phosphorus to the landscape on the Eastern Shore. Land use in the area has been primarily agricultural for several hundred years. Nitrogen and phosphorus applications in support of agriculture increased substantially during the second half of the last century, however, but have since stabilized or decreased ( fig. 3). More than 90 percent of nitrogen and phosphorus reaching the land in the Eastern Shore is applied as part of inorganic fertilizers or manure, or (for nitrogen) fixed directly from the atmosphere in cropland ( fig. 4). Nonagricultural sources such as atmospheric deposition, septic systems, sewage treatment plants, or other urban sources...

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Section: Sources Of Nitrogen and Phosphorusmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Importance Of the Eastern Shore To Water Quality In Chesapeamentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Land Usementioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Phosphorusmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Understanding nutrients in the Chesapeake Bay watershed and implications for management and restoration: The Eastern Shore

Ator¹,

Denver²

2015

Circular

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“…When the phytoplankton die, their decomposition uses the oxygen dissolved in the water, resulting in the death of fish and other aquatic animals (Magnien et al 1995;Carpenter et al 1998). Nutrient runoff from agricultural fields on the Eastern Shore of Maryland may have contributed to recent outbreaks of Pfiesteria piscicida, a dinoflagellate, whose presence in high densities coincided with lesions and fish death (Burkholder et al 1997;Staver and Brinsfield 2001).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Is phosphorus fertilization necessary for watermelon production on high phosphorus soils?

Geleta¹,

Briand²,

Womack³

et al. 2006

Can. J. Plant Sci.

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. 2006. Is phosphorus fertilization necessary for watermelon production on high phosphorus soils? Can. J. Plant Sci. 86: 205-211. Nutrient loading has created water quality problems in the Chesapeake Bay watershed of the United States. This study was designed to examine if a high yield of quality watermelon [Citrullus lanatus (Thunb.) Matsum. & Nakai] can be produced with reduced phosphorus (P) fertilizer inputs and the use of a preceding cover crop on high P soils of the Eastern Shore of Maryland. Watermelon was planted on a Norfolk soil (fine loamy, siliceous, thermic type kandiudults) in a split plot design, with four replications. The main plot treatments were cover crops (rye versus no cover) and the sub-plot treatments were five different P-fertilizer rates ranging from 0 to 60 kg P ha -1 , at 15 kg ha -1 increments. Following harvest, all P fertility regimes left behind "excessive" P levels based on soil tests. The addition of P-fertilizer to these soils was unnecessary for the production of a high yield of marketable quality watermelons. In two of three sites, the use of cover crops preceding the watermelon crop increased yields and fruit size. Use of a rye cover crop and reduced Pfertilizer inputs could have a positive environmental impact by reducing the risk of P over-loading without negatively impacting watermelon yield and quality. & Nakai] malgré un plus faible apport d'engrais phosphaté (P) en utilisant une culture-abri l'année antérieure sur les sols riches en P de la rive est du Maryland. Des pastèques ont été plantées dans un sol Norfolk (kandiudult de type thermique à loam fin et siliceux) dans le cadre d'une expérience à dispositif en tiroir comprenant quatre répétitions. Le traitement appliqué à la parcelle principale se limitait à la culture-abri (seigle c. aucune culture-abri), tandis que les parcelles secondaires ont reçu cinq concentrations différentes d'engrais P allant de 0 à 60 kg de P par hectare, par échelons de 15 kg par hectare. Après la récolte, toutes les applications de P avaient laissé derrière elles une concentration excessive de P, ainsi que l'a révélé l'analyse du sol. L'addition d'engrais P à ces sols était inutile pour l'obtention d'un rendement élevé en pastèques de qualité commerciale. À deux endroits sur trois, l'utilisation de la culture-abri avant celle du melon a accru le rendement et le calibre des fruits. L'usage du seigle comme culture-abri et l'application d'une moins grande quantité d'engrais P auraient un effet bénéfique sur l'environnement en diminuant les risques de surcharge de P sans que le rendement et la qualité des pastèques en souffrent.

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Watershed Nitrogen Budgets

Fisher¹,

Fox²,

Knee³

et al. 2019

Encyclopedia of Water

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Nitrogen (N) limits primary production in many terrestrial and aquatic systems, a paradox in a world with 78% N 2 in the atmosphere. Nitrogen has nine valence states ranging from reduced (−3, NH 3 , amino groups) to oxidized (+5, NO 3 − ), creating opportunities for energy‐yielding microbial transformations of N along redox gradients. Anthropogenic N additions increase plant production and food supplies on land, but simultaneously result in contaminated drinking water, algal blooms, and hypoxia in adjacent waters. Management of these problems is often informed by N flux measurements and budgets. However, in watershed N budgets, measured N inputs typically exceed measured stream output, leading to the conundrum of “missing N.” The missing N is either stored internally within watersheds or lost to the atmosphere as N gases (NH 3 , N 2 , N 2 O, NO). Measurements of both N storage and N gas fluxes have accounted for the missing N in a few cases, but there are few examples of complete N budgets because measurements of the spatially/temporally heterogeneous N pools and N gas fluxes are difficult at the watershed scale. Therefore, investigating watershed N budgets remains a fruitful area for future research to control the deleterious effects of anthropogenic N in aquatic systems.

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Agriculture and Water Quality on the Maryland Eastern Shore: Where Do We Go from Here?

Cited by 37 publications

References 27 publications

Understanding nutrients in the Chesapeake Bay watershed and implications for management and restoration: The Eastern Shore

Understanding nutrients in the Chesapeake Bay watershed and implications for management and restoration: The Eastern Shore

Is phosphorus fertilization necessary for watermelon production on high phosphorus soils?

Watershed Nitrogen Budgets

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