Potential Blind Spots and Hot Spots for Nutrient Loss

The application and fate of nutrients are two of the biggest questions agriculture faces today, affecting everything from profit margins to water quality. Researchers work to examine the issue from all angles, such as the kinds of fertilizers widely used in the United States to how the topography of a field can impact the distribution and runoff of nutrients. In this article, we look at two recent research articles that approach these questions from different angles. One sees the nitrogen content of ammonium phosphate fertilizers as a “blind spot” in nitrogen budgets. The other sees farmed prairie potholes as potential “hot spots” for nutrient runoff downstream. Earn 1 CEU in Nutrient Management by reading this article and taking the quiz at https://web.sciencesocieties.org/Learning-Center/Courses.