Use of innovative tools to increase nitrogen use efficiency and protect environmental quality in crop rotations

Cropping systems grown over sandy coarse soils are susceptible to nutrient leaching, due to local thunderstorms and irrigation. Additionally, erosion can contribute to removal of nutrients, soil organic matter, and fine parti cles. Balancing nutrients for these systems while protecting water and soil quality requires best management practices (BMPs). Crop rotations with dee per rooted small grains and winter cover crops reduced potential losses of fine particles, soil organic matter, nitrogen, and other nutrients due to w ind erosion and protected soil and water quality. The cropping system N sta tus can be monitored by assessing chlorophyll, sap NO3--N concentrations an d N indexes of the canopy. The Nitrogen Leaching Economic Analysis Package (NLEAP) model simulated residual soil NO3--N and soil water and showed that there is potential to use precision farming to improve NUE. Simulations of the system showed that BMPs increased NUE and that NO3--N can potentially be removed from the shallow underground water table protecting water qualit y. These results show that with the application of models, and tools to mon itor the N status of the aboveground canopy, such as chlorophyl readings, s ap NO3--N concentrations, N indices, and other new technologies such as pre cision farming and remote sensing, nutrient use efficiency in the new mille nnium will be significantly increased, environmental quality will be conser ved, and product quality will be improved at the farm level for the benefit of producers, processors and consumers.