2014 ASHS Annual Conference

Objective(s):
The objectives of the workshop are: 1) to identify local governmental concerns to nutrient runoff, 2) to understand the viewpoints of industry and allied trade on the issues related to legal restrictions on fertilizer formulations and application times; and 3) to get an overview of research on reducing nutrient runoff.

Horticultural crop production and landscape maintenance in Florida and other states often occurs in proximity to wetlands, rivers, lakes, and coastal water body ecosystems.  These geographical constraints mean that nutrient-laden runoff water can contaminate receiving ecosystems resulting in a process called eutrophication, simply, a change in nutrient levels, primarily nitrogen and phosphorus that alter native flora and fauna.  Eutrophication can lead to excessive vegetative growth and cause harmful algal blooms that reduce light penetration and oxygen levels, and introduce biologically toxic compounds to water bodies.  As a result, state and local governments are enacting regulations to change fertilizer formulations, such as omitting phosphorus, and regulating timing of fertilizer applications, i.e. restrictions during the rainy season.  These regulations are impacting the green industry crop producers and the landscape industry.  This workshop aims to bring environmental interests, and nursery industry, fertilizer manufactures, and researchers together for a discussion on these issues from identifying problems to describing potential solutions.