Nutrient Management Workbook

Glossary

Ammonium-N
is the most common form of mineral N in manure and other organic soil amendments. It is as available to plants as fertilizer nitrogen, but is also subject to loss into the air if manure is left laying on the surface of the soil. Ammonium N will bind to soil particles so does not normally leach.

K₂0
Potash (K₂0) is the form in which fertilizer potassium is expressed. To calculate the fertilizer replacement value of potassium from various sources, it has to be converted from elemental K to potash, and then multiplied by an availability factor.

Manure
Manure includes only agricultural source material other than commercial fertilizer.

Nitrogen (N)
N is the chemical symbol for nitrogen. It is present in soil and organic materials in three main forms: Ammonium-N, Nitrate-N, and Organic N. The availability of the nitrogen to plants depends on its form.

Nitrate-N
Most ammonium-N is converted into nitrate-N in the soil before being taken up by plants. If there is more N than the plants can absorb, it can leach downwards with soil water, creating a risk to groundwater quality.

Nutrient Management Plan
An NMP is a document prepared for a farm that gives an assessment of what application rate is appropriate for the land base and what other standards for land application must be met.

Nutrient Management Strategy
An NMS is a document prepared for a farm that shows how much prescribed material(s) is going to be produced over a five-year period, as well as how it will be stored and where it will be used.

Organic N
Much of the nitrogen in manure and other soil amendments is in the organic form. This is not available to plants until it has been converted into ammonium-N. The rate at which this occurs depends on temperature and moisture, as well as on degradability of the organic material.

P₂0₅
Phosphate (P₂0₅) is the form in which fertilizer phosphorus is expressed. To calculate the fertilizer replacement value of phosphorus from various sources, it has to be converted from elemental P to phosphate, and then multiplied by an availability factor.

Surface Water

• Natural or artificial channels flowing all year or occasionally with wetland
• lakes, reservoirs, ponds or wetlands
• Does not include: grassed waterways, furrows, roadside ditches, areas normally farmed, or artificial water bodies intended for the storage of treatment of runoff from farm animal yards and manure storages.
  

Conversions - Metric and Imperial

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