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Nutrient Management of Vegetable and Row Crops handbook (SP500)


Summary

The vegetable and agronomic crops industry is extremely diverse and covers many geographic regions of the state. In 2012, Florida had approximately 237,000 acres of vegetables and a farm value exceeding $2 billion in revenue. The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS) has established Best Management Practices (BMPs) based on research, field testing, and expert review to reduce the impact of agricultural production on surface and groundwater quality. BMPs are specific cultural practices aimed at reducing the load of a specific compound, while maintaining or increasing economical yields that have been determined to be the most effective and practicable means for maintaining or improving the water quality of surface and ground waters. The BMPs that apply to production of vegetable and agronomic crops in Florida are described in Water Quality/Quantity Best Management Practices for Florida Vegetable and Agronomic Crops (114 p. PDF, 2.5MB).

Compiled Handbook

Editorial Team

Publications


Showing 11 of 11 Publications

The Four Rs of Fertilizer Management

George Hochmuth, Rao Mylavarapu, and Ed Hanlon

A UF/IFAS numbered Fact Sheet. in support of UF/IFAS Extension program: Integrated Pest Management

Plant Tissue Analysis and Interpretation for Vegetable Crops in Florida

George Hochmuth andEdward Hanlon
Other Contacts: Rao Mylavarapu

A UF/IFAS numbered Fact Sheet for Commercial audience(s). in support of UF/IFAS Extension program: Plant Systems

Soil and Fertilizer Management for Vegetable Production in Florida

Eric Simonne, Guodong Liu, Kelly T. Morgan, andGeorge Hochmuth

Best Management Practices (BMPs) are specific cultural practices aimed at reducing the load of a specific compound, while maintaining or increasing economical yields. They are tools available to vegetable growers to achieve the TMDLs. BMPs are intended to be educational, economically sound, environmentally effective, and based on science. It is important to recognize that BMPs do not aim at becoming an obstacle to vegetable production. Instead, they should be viewed as a means to balance economical vegetable production with environmental responsibility.

Fertilization of Agronomic Crops

David L. Wright andCheryl Mackowiak
Other Contacts: Hardeep Singh

Development of fertilization programs for Florida field or forage crops requires that consideration be given to nutrient requirements for each crop, soil nutrient levels, reactions of the soil with added nutrients, and the ability of the soil to retain and deliver nutrients and water. These factors are used to determine rates, placement, and timing of fertilizer applications.

Soil pH Range for Optimum Commercial Vegetable Production

Guodong Liu and Edward Hanlon

A UF/IFAS numbered Fact Sheet for Commercial audience(s).

Liming of Agronomic Crops

David L. Wright andCheryl Mackowiak
Other Contacts: Hardeep Singh

The primary reason for liming acid soil is to improve the yield or quality of the crop being grown. It is difficult to determine the precise factor that is responsible for the improved growth after liming because a number of soil parameters change simultaneously as soil acidity is altered.

Drip Irrigation: The BMP Era—An Integrated Approach to Water and Fertilizer Management for Vegetables Grown with Plasticulture

Eric Simonne, David Studstill, Bob Hochmuth, Teresa Olczyk, Michael Dukes, Rafael Munoz-Carpena, and Yuncong Li

Automatic Irrigation Based on Soil Moisture for Vegetable Crops

Rafael Muñoz-Carpena, Michael D. Dukes, and Bernard Cardenas

Improving irrigation efficiency can contribute greatly to reducing production costs of vegetables, making the industry more competitive and sustainable. This publication is intended to help growers to conserve water through the use of soil moisture sensors. Written by Rafael Muñoz-Carpena, Michael D. Dukes, and Bernard Cardenas, and published by the UF/IFAS Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering, revised August 2024.

Using Composted Poultry Manure (Litter) in Mulched Vegetable Production

George Hochmuth, Robert Hochmuth, and Rao Mylavarapu

This fact sheet answers vegetable producers’ questions about what poultry manure and litter are, what plant nutrients they contain, considerations for using them, results of research in Florida, how to use it in a mulched-bed system, and how to collect and submit for testing poultry manure samples.

The vegetable and agronomic crops industry is extremely diverse and covers many geographic regions of the state. In 2012, Florida had approximately 237,000 acres of vegetables and a farm value exceeding $2 billion in revenue. The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS) has established Best Management Practices (BMPs) based on research, field testing, and expert review to reduce the impact of agricultural production on surface and groundwater quality. BMPs are specific cultural practices aimed at reducing the load of a specific compound, while maintaining or increasing economical yields that have been determined to be the most effective and practicable means for maintaining or improving the water quality of surface and ground waters. The BMPs that apply to production of vegetable and agronomic crops in Florida are described in Water Quality/Quantity Best Management Practices for Florida Vegetable and Agronomic Crops (114 p. PDF, 2.5MB).

Compiled Handbook

Editorial Team

Publications


Showing 11 of 11 Publications

The Four Rs of Fertilizer Management

George Hochmuth, Rao Mylavarapu, and Ed Hanlon

A UF/IFAS numbered Fact Sheet. in support of UF/IFAS Extension program: Integrated Pest Management

Plant Tissue Analysis and Interpretation for Vegetable Crops in Florida

George Hochmuth andEdward Hanlon
Other Contacts: Rao Mylavarapu

A UF/IFAS numbered Fact Sheet for Commercial audience(s). in support of UF/IFAS Extension program: Plant Systems

Soil and Fertilizer Management for Vegetable Production in Florida

Eric Simonne, Guodong Liu, Kelly T. Morgan, andGeorge Hochmuth

Best Management Practices (BMPs) are specific cultural practices aimed at reducing the load of a specific compound, while maintaining or increasing economical yields. They are tools available to vegetable growers to achieve the TMDLs. BMPs are intended to be educational, economically sound, environmentally effective, and based on science. It is important to recognize that BMPs do not aim at becoming an obstacle to vegetable production. Instead, they should be viewed as a means to balance economical vegetable production with environmental responsibility.

Fertilization of Agronomic Crops

David L. Wright andCheryl Mackowiak
Other Contacts: Hardeep Singh

Development of fertilization programs for Florida field or forage crops requires that consideration be given to nutrient requirements for each crop, soil nutrient levels, reactions of the soil with added nutrients, and the ability of the soil to retain and deliver nutrients and water. These factors are used to determine rates, placement, and timing of fertilizer applications.

Soil pH Range for Optimum Commercial Vegetable Production

Guodong Liu and Edward Hanlon

A UF/IFAS numbered Fact Sheet for Commercial audience(s).

Liming of Agronomic Crops

David L. Wright andCheryl Mackowiak
Other Contacts: Hardeep Singh

The primary reason for liming acid soil is to improve the yield or quality of the crop being grown. It is difficult to determine the precise factor that is responsible for the improved growth after liming because a number of soil parameters change simultaneously as soil acidity is altered.

Drip Irrigation: The BMP Era—An Integrated Approach to Water and Fertilizer Management for Vegetables Grown with Plasticulture

Eric Simonne, David Studstill, Bob Hochmuth, Teresa Olczyk, Michael Dukes, Rafael Munoz-Carpena, and Yuncong Li

Automatic Irrigation Based on Soil Moisture for Vegetable Crops

Rafael Muñoz-Carpena, Michael D. Dukes, and Bernard Cardenas

Improving irrigation efficiency can contribute greatly to reducing production costs of vegetables, making the industry more competitive and sustainable. This publication is intended to help growers to conserve water through the use of soil moisture sensors. Written by Rafael Muñoz-Carpena, Michael D. Dukes, and Bernard Cardenas, and published by the UF/IFAS Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering, revised August 2024.

Using Composted Poultry Manure (Litter) in Mulched Vegetable Production

George Hochmuth, Robert Hochmuth, and Rao Mylavarapu

This fact sheet answers vegetable producers’ questions about what poultry manure and litter are, what plant nutrients they contain, considerations for using them, results of research in Florida, how to use it in a mulched-bed system, and how to collect and submit for testing poultry manure samples.

Showing of 12 Experts