A voluntary group of farmers in northwest Ohio is studying how crops utilize legacy phosphorus.
Conservation Action Project coordinator Alan Sundermeier tells Brownfield growers are experimenting with how much phosphorus crops really need.
“If you have soils like we have here that have the background of nutrients already established in the soil, you don’t necessarily need to continue adding more phosphorus fertilizer,” he explains. “You can utilize the phosphorus that’s already available in your soil and still maintain your yields.”
He says the project is researching how baseline phosphorus levels are impacted by management practices and crop rotations.