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Reduction of Excess Nutrients and Pesticides in Vegetable Production Systems
Dr. Gerald Brust is the PI. Mid-Atlantic vegetable growers produce a high-return agricultural product called vegetables. To ensure a profitable harvest they often add too many resources such as pesticides and fertilizer. Both are environmental hazards and decrease the profitability of the farm when added in too great of amounts. Growers need to add the correct amount of fertilizer and pesticides so they get the highest yield and quality of harvest with the minimum of inputs.
To reduce excess nutrient use, studies were conducted throughout Maryland on research farms looking at how nitrogen could be cut back and yet maintain or increase yields and quality of produce. Using nitrate sap sampling of vegetable crops it was possible to determine how much nitrogen the plant needed during the growing season and then add that amount to the plant just at the time the plant most needed it. The Pesticide reduction program was accomplished by conducting studies on UM research farms and on grower farms that reduced pesticide use in tomato and cucurbits, by using newly developed scouting techniques developed that reduced insecticide applications by 50% each year.
Growers were instructed how to implement the nutrient and pesticide reduction programs on their farms at various meetings and field days throughout the last year. So far, 12% of growers have adopted some aspect of the two reduction programs. More intense one-on-one meetings and instruction will be necessary to get more growers to adopt the programs. If 25% of the vegetable acreage would be run under these two programs 150,000 lbs less nitrogen and 12,000 fewer insecticide applications would be applied to vegetable crop land reducing nutrient infiltration and pesticide movement into ground waters and the Chesapeake Bay.
For more information, contact Dr. Gerald Brust
Last updated: 04/9/2009
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