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ARS Home » Northeast Area » University Park, Pennsylvania » Pasture Systems & Watershed Management Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #224080
Title: The Pennsylvania Phosphorus Index, Version 2

Author
item WELD, JENNIFER - PENN STATE UNIV
item BEEGLE, DOUGLAS - PENN STATE UNIV
item Bryant, Ray
item Gburek, William
item Kleinman, Peter
item SHARPLEY, ANDREW - UNIV OF ARKANSAS

Submitted to: Government Publication/Report
Publication Type: Government Publication
Publication Acceptance Date: 10/1/2007
Publication Date: 10/1/2007
Citation: Weld, J., Beegle, D., Bryant, R.B., Gburek, W., Kleinman, P.J., Sharpley, A. 2007. The Pennsylvania Phosphorus Index, Version 2. Government Publication/Report. Publications Distribution Center, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA.

Interpretive Summary: The Phosphorus Index provides agricultural phosphorus management guidelines for nearly all US states. The Pennsylvania Phosphorus Index was updated to reflect advances in the science of phosphorus and practical insight gained from implementing the first version of the Phosphorus Index. Among the several changes to the original Phosphorus Index, version 2 of the Pennsylvania Phosphorus Index provides a better means of differentiating between sources of land applied phosphorus.

Technical Abstract: Increased attention on phosphorus based management due to water quality concerns has prompted federal and state governments to generate guidelines for phosphorus management on certain agricultural operations. Pennsylvania’s Nutrient Management Program (Act 38 of 2005), the Concentrated Animal Feeding Operation program, and USDA-NRCS’s 590 Practice Standard required phosphorus-based plans developed using the Phosphorus Index. This fact sheet describes the updated Pennsylvania Phosphorus Index (version 2), which is used as a field evaluation tool to identify areas that have a high risk of phosphorus loss to bodies of surface water.