Nutrient 4Rs

Stacking and Intersecting Nutrient 4R’s

Right Source @ Right Rate, Right Time, Right Place
TAKE PART IN OUR GROWER SURVEY HERE!

RESEARCH & EXTENSION TEAM:

Dr. Matt Yost, Assistant Professor, Agroclimate Extension Specialist, Utah State University

Dr. Neil Hansen, Professor, Environmental Sciences, Brigham Young University

Dr. Grant Cardon, Professor, Plant, Soils, and Climate, Extension Soils Specialist, Utah State University

Dr. Bryan Hopkins, Professor, Plant and Wildlife Sciences, Brigham Young University

Dr. Olga Walsh, Research Associate Professor, Extension Specialist, Cropping Systems Agronomy, University of Idaho

Dr. Brent Black, Professor, Extension Specialist, Polomogy, Utah State University

Dr. Jared Williams, Applied Plant Sciences, Brigham Young University Idaho 

Dr. Howard Neibling, Associate Professor, Extension Specialist, Water Management Engineer, University of Idaho

The 4R nutrient stewardship concept defines the right source, rate, time, and place for

fertilizer application as those producing the economic, social, and environmental outcomes

desired by all stakeholders to the plant ecosystem.

DELIVERABLES:

• Survey results on current nutrient and water management practices for major crops in West;
• Direct tests of all nutrient 4R’s for N, P, and K for major grain, forage, fruit, and vegetable crops in the West;
• Innovative results on interactions between nutrient and irrigation 4R’s;
• Presentations of results in multi-state field days and extension events, along with several extension, popular press, and journal articles about each crop.

SUMMARY:

This project will explore how individual and stacked nutrient and irrigation 4R’s intersect to improve the sustainability of major forage, fruit, grain, and vegetable crops in the West. It will address both priority cropping systems and priority issues outlined in the request for proposals. Four major efforts will include producer surveys to quantify 4R adoption and barriers, five coordinated field Experiments that will utilize a new innovative way to evaluate stacking nutrient 4R’s across crops, utilization of three existing stacked irrigation 4R experiments to quantify how 90 water conservation treatments influence nutrient uptake and efficiencies, and a dynamic multi-state coordinated outreach program to improve adoption of nutrient and irrigation 4R’s. Intersecting nutrient and irrigation 4R’s will guide investments by growers and industry towards combinations that result in the most profitable and sustainable outcomes.

TAKE PART IN OUR GROWER SURVEY HERE!