Do you know your phosphorus index? The phosphorus index is used as a means to address the risk of surface water environmental concerns resulting from phosphorus.
OMAFRA factsheet “Determining the Phosphorus Index for a Field”: http://www.omafra.gov.on.ca/english/engineer/facts/05-067.htm
The Phosphorus (P) Index is used in Ontario to:
- rank the relative risk of surface water contamination resulting from phosphorus application on crop land
- select management strategies that can be used to reduce this risk
- determine the distance that phosphorus applications must be set back from surface water
- set restrictions on rates of phosphorus applied to a field
If you have a nutrient management plan, you will already be familiar with the phosphorus index. For those who don’t have a nutrient management plan, it’s a good tool to help manage your phosphorus. Give it a try!
Want more on phosphorus? Try the BMP quiz!