WASHINGTON,
D.C. – The 4R Research Fund today announced it has awarded $273,500 in grants
for five research proposals aimed at identifying the current state of knowledge
and existing research gaps regarding fertilizer best management practices. The
Fund, supported by the fertilizer industry and other stakeholders, is a science-based
research initiative aimed at improving agricultural sustainability by expanding
knowledge of 4R Nutrient Stewardship (use of the right fertilizer source, at
the right rate, at the right time and in the right place).
With
guidance from an industry and academic technical advisory group, the fund’s
management committee selected the following five proposals:
- An analysis of 4R Nutrient Stewardship implementation on drained land was awarded to a project partnership between The Conservation Fund and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Agricultural Research Service (ARS)
- A meta-analysis of nitrogen losses and 4R Nutrient Stewardship in U.S. corn-based systems was awarded to researchers at Duke University
- A meta-analysis of phosphorus fertilizer placement and tillage interactions for corn and soybeans in the U.S. was awarded to researchers at Kansas State University
- An assessment of the effects of conservation practices and fertilizer application methods on nitrogen and phosphorus loss from farm fields was awarded to a project partnership between the University of Toledo and USDA ARS
- A meta-analysis of enhanced efficiency fertilizers in corn systems in the Midwest was awarded to researchers at Southern Illinois University
These
projects are scheduled to be finished within a nine-to-12 month time frame.
When complete, details from the analyses will be made available for review by
all interested stakeholders.
Understanding research gaps is an initial
priority of the 4R Research Fund. To ensure future funding is directed at addressing
unmet research needs, the first 4R Research Fund request for proposals (RFP)
solicited literature reviews of topics related to 4R Nutrient Stewardship on a
national, regional, or cropping system basis utilizing meta‐analyses. A meta-analysis is a
method of analyzing the results of a systematic literature review that allows
quantitative estimation of effect size and uncertainty.
“Recognizing
knowledge gaps helps to avoid needless and costly duplication of previous
research and helps to inform industry, academia, and agencies of areas that
need to be addressed with future research,” said International Plant Nutrition Institute
President Dr. Terry Roberts. “These meta-analyses will help position the 4R
Research Fund to provide resources to projects that will expand knowledge of
4R-related practices.”
“Our
goal is to further engage with other funding organizations to help fill those
knowledge gaps, leading to an enhanced scope and breadth of research available
on 4R Nutrient Stewardship,” said The Fertilizer Institute President Chris
Jahn. “We are grateful for the industry’s contribution to this effort and look
forward to working with multiple stakeholders to pave the way for new research
initiatives to expand the use of fertilizer best management practices.”
Created
in 2013, by The Fertilizer Institute (TFI), the Canadian Fertilizer Institute
(CFI) and the International Plant Nutrition Institute (IPNI), the Fund is
providing resources for a multi-year research effort aimed at measuring and
evaluating the economic, social and environmental
impacts of 4R
Nutrient Stewardship. The fund supports U.S. and Canadian projects in
partnership with land-grant universities, watershed stakeholders and government
agencies, as well as through industry initiatives. Last year, the North
American fertilizer industry pledged $7 million to fund this multi-year
research effort.
The fund management committee is in the process
of selecting proposals submitted for a second RFP for research and
demonstration projects. For additional details about the awarded projects, the
4R Research Fund, or contributors to the fund click
here. Future RFPs will be
announced and posted as they become available.