Posts Tagged: nitrogen

UC is offering a nitrogen management course for certified crop advisors and the general public

The University of California has opened registration for a seven-part video course on nitrogen management. The series, taught by UC researchers and extension specialists, begins May 10.

The course is open to anyone interested nitrogen management or seeking certified crop advisor continuing education units related to nutrient or soil and water management. The curriculum addresses all the learning objectives set forth by the American Society of Agronomy for the new California Nitrogen Management Specialty Exam. Taking the course helps certified crop advisors prepare for the exam, but doesn't substitute for taking and passing the exam.

The course topics, release dates and continuing education units for the series are:

• Environmental impacts of nitrogen losses, May 10, 0.5 unit
• Nitrogen cycling soil transformations, May 17, 1.0 unit
• Nitrogen cycling plant utilization, May 24, 1.0 unit
• Nitrogen sources, May 31, 1.0 unit
• Nitrogen budgeting, June 7, 1.0 unit
• Irrigation and nitrogen management, June 14, 1.0 unit
• California cropping systems, June 21, 2.0 units

Registration for the course is $120. Students with a valid educational email address (.edu) receive a 50% discount. July 31 is the last day to register and Sept. 30 is the last day to access the course content.

To register or for more information visit http://ucanr.edu/NitrogenCourse

If additional information is needed, contact course organizer Sat Darshan Khalsa at sdskhalsa@ucdavis.edu, or visit the FAQ page.

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Rain

Finally, rain in November! Our last rainfall in Solano County was on September 21. Depending where you are in the county, your garden that late summer day received anywhere from one half to one inch of unusual September rain. You may have been delighted to water a bit less that week after the thorough drenching we received. But did it seem like your garden turned instantly green? Were you imagining how much better your plants looked? How does that happen? Is it a mirage?

No, it was the result of a good dosage of nitrogen deposited by the rain onto your garden. We know that nitrogen is one of the three primary elements necessary for plant growth, along with Potassium and Phosphorous. We also know that the earth’s atmosphere is made up of 78% nitrogen. This atmospheric nitrogen, deposited by a storm such as it was on September 21, can equate to a 10-pound per acre application of fertilizer. That would not be a significant amount for a farmer to apply to an acre under production, or to a homeowner for a (very unlikely) acre of lawn. But for our thirsty gardens in September, that rainstorm delivered a powerful boost towards green growth, followed as it was by the more typical warm sunny days of late September.

Today’s rainfall total will be much less that that of September 21, but be prepared for a noticeable green in your garden, thanks to a light sprinkling of free nitrogen fertilizer.

Rain on Rhaphiolepis indica. (photo by Jennifer Baumbach)

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