Module 13: Agricultural BMPs and Wetlands

Question 1

what are the two major pathways for implementation of the CWA’s watershed approach to maintain water quality?

Answer 1

• stricter permits through the national pollution discharge elimination system (point)
• incentives, training, research, and outreach for BMP (non-point)

Question 2

BMPs for non-point source pollution

Answer 2

• Adopt standards
• Monitor and assess
• List impaired waters
• Implement plan

Question 3

what are the purposes of best management practices?

Answer 3

• Technically feasible
• Economically viable
• Socially acceptable
• Based on sound science

Question 4

nutrient management

Answer 4

reduce fertilizer use, reduce leaching losses

Question 5

water or irrigation management

Answer 5

conserve water, reduce leaching losses

Question 6

Manure management

Answer 6

store/utilize animal manures safely, reduce leaching losses

Question 7

integrated pest management

Answer 7

reduce pesticide use

Question 8

factors related sol quality

Answer 8

• Soil texture
• Soil organic matter
• Soil quality impacts plant growth

Question 9

what does the USDA conservation reserve program has what?

Answer 9

• Prevented 600 million dump truck loads of soil from eroding
• Reduced nitrogen and phosphorous runoff
• Created 2.7 million acres of restored wetlands

Question 10

nutrient management plan purpose

Answer 10

• reduce fertilizer use
• reduce leaching losses

Question 11

nutrient management plan principles and practices

Answer 11

• right source, right rate, right place, right time
• use soil data to inform nutrient additions

Question 12

water/irrigation management plan purpose

Answer 12

• conserve water
• reduce leaching losses

Question 13

water/irrigation management plan principles and practices

Answer 13

• manage fertilizer and irrigation together
• use soil data to inform water additions

Question 14

manure management plan purpose

Answer 14

• store/utilize animal manures safely
• reduce leaching losses

Question 15

manure management plan principles and practices

Answer 15

utilize the six basic waste management function

Question 16

IPM plan purpose

Answer 16

• reduce pesticide use
• improve soil quality

Question 17

IPM plan principles and practices

Answer 17

• pest monitoring
• economic injury level
• cultural, biological, mechanical, and chemical controls
• make soil habitat unfavorable to pest

Question 18

high soil quality

Answer 18

• Higher organic matter = stable soil structure
• Water infiltration
• Soil surface protected with decomposing plant debris
• Little to no erosion

Question 19

degraded soil

Answer 19

• Low organic matter = weak soil structure
• Low water infiltration into soil pores
• Soil surface: a crust created from splash erosion
• Splash erosion: leads to rill erosion

Question 20

what are soil conservation strategies?

Answer 20

• Right plant, right place
• Enrich soil with organic matter
• Adopt rotational grazing
• Control tile drainage

Question 21

how do you enrich the soil with organic matter?

Answer 21

• Compost
• Fresh manure
• Composted manure
• Green manure
• Direct incorporation of organic amendments

Question 22

Conservation tillage

Answer 22

residues left on surface, minimal to no soil tillage

Question 23

Conventional tillage

Answer 23

mixes soil to bury residues or prepare soil for planting

Question 24

Advantages of conventional tillage

Answer 24

• This process buries weeds so seeds cannot germinate
• Mixing of soil also buries and physically destroys disease organisms and insects
• In some regions with wet springs tillage speeds up the drying of the soil
• It may be required for certain crips, like potatoes and peanuts

Question 25

Disadvantages of conventional tillage

Answer 25

• Soil is prone to erosion if left bare
• Soil organic matter decreases and so does soil quality (requiring increased inputs of nutrients, water)
• It can lead to a loss of beneficial insects

Question 26

control drainage

Answer 26

Maintaining carbon content in organic soils with BMPs in water table management

Question 27

what does soil texture and soil qualities?

Answer 27

determine the porosity, water holding capacity, and nutrient holding capacity

Question 28

how can erosion losses occur?

Answer 28

wind and water action

Question 29

offsite erosion

Answer 29

• erosion is a source of sediment pollution to downstream water bodies
• Phosphorous readily absorbs onto soil particles, erosion is likely a source of phosphorous nutrient pollution to surface water bodies

Question 30

onsite erosion

Answer 30

• erosion decreases soil quality by removing the most valuable layer of soil, the surface later or A horizon
• Has highest organic matter content and where most crop roots are

Question 31

riparian buffers

Answer 31

• Planting crops right up to a water body offers no protection from agricultural runoff and stream and bank erosion
• Permanent buffers stabilize stream banks and filter runoff water
• Sediment and nutrients entering the water are reduced significantly