Editing Nutrient management (section)

{{Short description|Management of nutrients in agriculture}}
[[Image:Fertilizer applied to corn field.jpg|thumb|right|Nitrogen [[fertilizer]] being applied to growing corn ([[maize]]) in a [[Contour plowing|contoured]], [[No-till farming|no-tilled]] field in [[Iowa]].]]
'''Nutrient management''' is the science and practice directed to link [[soil]], [[crop]], [[weather]], and [[hydrologic]] factors with cultural, [[irrigation]], and [[soil conservation|soil]] and [[water conservation]] practices to achieve optimal nutrient use efficiency, [[crop yield]]s, crop quality, and [[economic returns]], while reducing off-site transport of [[soil nutrient|nutrients]] ([[fertilizer]]) that may [[environmental impact of agriculture|impact the environment]].<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=627Qopsj7bsC&pg=PA1157 Delgado and Lemunyon. “Nutrient Management.” In Encyclopedia of Soil Science (Vol 2). Ed. Rattan Lal. CRC Press, 2006. pp 1157 – 1160.]</ref> It involves matching a specific field soil, climate, and crop management conditions to rate, source, timing, and place (commonly known as the '''4R nutrient stewardship''') of nutrient application.<ref>[http://www.nutrientstewardship.com/ 4R Nutrient Stewardship]</ref>

Important factors that need to be considered when managing nutrients include (a) the application of nutrients considering the achievable optimum yields and, in some cases, crop quality; (b) the management, application, and timing of nutrients using a budget based on all sources and sinks active at the site; and (c) the management of soil, water, and crop to minimize the off-site transport of nutrients from nutrient leaching out of the root zone, [[surface runoff]], and volatilization (or other gas exchanges).

There can be potential interactions because of differences in nutrient pathways and dynamics. For instance, practices that reduce the off-site surface transport of a given nutrient may increase the leaching losses of other nutrients. These complex dynamics present nutrient managers the difficult task of achieve the best balance for [[profit maximization|maximizing profit]] while contributing to the conservation of our [[biosphere]].