4R nutrient stewardship electronic resources now avaiable
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EmailThe 4R nutrient stewardship concept defines the four rights of fertilizer practices. IPNI has now released an e-book version of its 4R Nutrient Stewardship Manual, and a powerpoint slide set capturing every chapter of the manual will be released soon.
The International Plant Nutrition Institute (IPNI) is providing worldwide leadership to promote the implementation of “Four Rights” (4R) nutrient stewardship concept. The 4R nutrient stewardship concept defines the right source, right rate, right time and right placement for plant nutrient application as those producing the economic, social and environmental outcomes desired by all stakeholders to the soil-plant ecosystem (Figure 1). Even though the concept is simple, the implementation is knowledge intensive and site specicific. Additional information on the 4R nutrient stewardship concept is found in the Michigan State University Extension article The four rights of fertilizer practices.
Figure 1. 4R nutrient stewardship model.
This sustainble and innovative approach to fertilizer management is now being adapted by the fertilizer industry around the world. It is also accepted in many sectors of agriculture including on-farm practices, nutrient management education and research, and the development of government policy. MSU Extension plans to conduct preliminary case studies in 2013 to understand how scientific principles and practical choices will interact in the implementation of the 4R concept at the farm level.
To further promote the 4R concept, IPNI has now released the 4R Nutrient Stewardship Manual in a e-book version. You can order the e-book online by visiting the iTunes store. It can also be downloaded to mobile devices. This format provides an engaging learning experience while taking advantage of tools provided for easy navigation, bookmarking and Q&A exercises. It is a complimentary resource and provides on-the-go access to the contents of the manual.
IPNI will be soon releasing another educational resource, a complete set of nine PowerPoint presentations that captures the nine chapters in the 4R manual. For more information on the status of this resource, please visit the 4R web portal.
