The Agricultural Nutrient Management Program offers free publications which cover a wide variety of topics related to nutrient management and soil fertility. All publications are in PDF format, can be downloaded for free, and are grouped in to the following categories:
ANMP and UME Publications
Annual Report
- 2021 ANMP Annual Report
- 2020 ANMP Annual Report
- 2019 ANMP Annual Report
- 2018 ANMP Annual Report
- 2017 ANMP Annual Report
- 2016 ANMP Annual Report
- 2015 ANMP Annual Report
- 2014 ANMP Annual Report
- 2013 ANMP Annual Report
- 2012 ANMP Annual Report
- 2011 ANMP Annual Report
- 2010 ANMP Annual Report
- 2008 ANMP Annual Report
Calibration of Equipment
- SFG EC-1 "Calibration of Manure Spreaders: Uniformity, Spread Patterns and Effective Swath Width"
- SFG EC-2 "Calibration of a Manure Spreader Using the Weight-area Method"
- SFG EC-3 "Calibration of a Liquid Manure Spreader Using the Load-area Method"
- SFG EC-4 "Calibration of a Manure Spreader Using the Load-area Method (with Drive-on Scales)"
- SFG EC-5 "Calibration of a Manure Spreader Using the Load-area Method (with Estimation of Density and Load Weight)"
Cover Crops
- Cover Crops for Vegetable Crops- Podcast by alum of UMD, Natalie Lounsbury
- No-till spring vegetables after forage radish cover crop By Natalie Lounsbury , and Ray Weil
- Cover Crops overview by Jon Traunfeld and Ray Weil
- FS-824 Forage Radish Fact Sheet
- Soil fertility and cover crops by Gerald (Jerry) Brust
Manure and Organic Sources
Manure
- EB-420 "Manure as a Natural Resource"
- FS-176 "Determining the Amount of Manure in a Pile or Pool"
- FS-1017 "Vertical and Subsurfer Tillage Reduce Surface Runoff of Nutrients and Fecal Steroids from Poultry Litter Amended Fields"
- NM-6 "Sampling Manure for Nutrient Content"
- "Biosolids: Requirements for Land Application" (May-June 2001)
- FS-1055 "Manure to Energy Byproducts are Useful Nutrient Sources"
Organic Sources
- Nutrient Manager (Vol 7, Issue 2, Fall 2000) "Focus on Composting"
- Nutrient Manager (Vol 6, Issue 1, Winter 1999) "Focus on Organic Matter"
NuMan Pro Help
Visit our software page for help guides.
Nutrient Cycles
General Information
- Nutrient Manager (Vol 3, Issue 1, Summer 1996) "Focus on Nutrients and the Hydrologic Cycle"
Nitrogen (N)
- Nutrient Manager (Vol 2, Issue 1, Summer 1995) "Focus on Nitrogen"
Phosphorus (P)
- NM-3 "Phosphorus Removal By Crops in the Mid-Atlantic States"
- Nutrient Manager (Vol 4, Issue 1, Summer 1997) "Focus on Phosphorus"
- Nutrient Manager (Vol 8, Issue 1, Summer 2001) "Focus on Phosphorus Site Index"
Potassium (K)
- Nutrient Manager (Vol 7, Issue 1, Spring 2000) "Focus on Potassium"
Sulfur (S)
- Nutrient Manager (Vol 5, Issue 1, Summer 1998) "Focus on Sulfur"
Nutrient Recommendations
- Agronomic Crops
- Christmas Trees
- Cut Flowers
- Grapes
- "Pre-Plant Renovation and Soil Conditioning for New Vineyard and Small Fruit Plantings" UME Information Sheet
- Link to grape publications page
- Loblolly Pine
- Miscanthus
- Tree Fruits and Small Fruits
Orchards
- NM-5 "Nutrient Management for Tree Fruits and Small Fruits"
- SFG PF-1 "Nutrient Management Planning for Perennial Fruit Crop: An Overview"
- SFG PF-2 "Tissue and Soil Sampling for Perennial Fruit Crops"
- SFG PL-1 "Plant Tissue Analysis" (revised April 2010)
pH and Lime
- FS-1054 "Soil pH Affects Nutrient Availability"
- Nutrient Manager (Vol 3, Issue 2, Fall 1996) "Focus on pH and Lime"
- SFM-5 "Soil pH Management and Determining Liming Rates"
- Domino Sugar Lime Byproduct Information
Phosphorus Management Tool (PMT)
Plant Tissue Analysis
- NM-8 "Corn Stalk Nitrate Test" (revised June 2016)
- SFG PF-1 "Nutrient Management Planning for Perennial Fruit Crop: An Overview"
- SFG PF-2 "Tissue and Soil Sampling for Perennial Fruit Crops"
- SFG PL-1 "Plant Tissue Analysis" (revised April 2010)
- "Tissue Sampling for Vineyards" UME Information Sheet
Precision Farming
Record Keeping
Field Management Records Booklet
- This booklet is a free tool to help make crop, pesticide and nutrient management record keeping easier. It contains space to record crop information, management practices and nutrient applications on a field-by-field basis. Also contained in the booklet are common seeding rates for some agricultural crops and yield calculation formulas.
- To order your recordkeeping booklets, please e-mail Elizabeth Abebe or call (301) 405-1318 and leave your name, mailing address, and the number of booklets needed.
Soil Nitrate Test (PSNT and FSNT)
- SFM-2 "Making Decisions for Nitrogen Fertilization Using the Pre-Sidedress Soil Nitrate Test (PSNT)" (revised April 2010)
- EBR-15 "Fall Soil Nitrate Test" (revised 2013)
- Soil Nitrate Testing with a NitraChek Meter Guide
Soil Testing and Sampling
- FS-1184 (November 2021) Soil Sampling for Optimizing Agricultural Production in Maryland
- Soil Sampling Brochure (May 2022)
- Nutrient Manager (Vol 1, Issue 2, Fall 1994) "Focus on Soil Testing and Nutrient Recommendations"
- SFG PF-2 "Tissue and Soil Sampling for Perennial Fruit Crops"
- SFM-3 "Descriptions of Soil Test Interpretive Categories Used by UMD Soil Test Laboratory"
- SFM-4 "Converting Among Soil Test Analyses Frequently Used in Maryland"
- FS-1046 "Precision Soil Sampling Helps Farmers Target Nutrient Application"
Turfgrass
- TT-115 "Nutrient Management Guidelines for State Property and Commercially Managed Turfgrass"
- TT-116 "Nutrient Management Guidelines for Commercial Turfgrass Seeding"
Other publications addressing turfgrass fertility can be found on the Maryland Turfgrass Council website.
Yield Determination
- NM-1 "Estimating Corn Silage Yield"
- NM-4 "Estimating Corn Grain Yield"
- "Artificial Neural Networks for Corn and Soybean Yield Production" (This is a link to the abstract only. To receive the entire article, please contact Elizabeth Abebe in the Agricultural Nutrient Management Program College Park office.)
Other Organizations' Publications
Best Management Practices and Nutrient Management
Cover Crops
Food Safety
- The decision trees from the National GAPs program, including the soil amendments tree
- In addition to the chart itself, each decision tree includes sample logsheets, template language (which can be used in a food safety plan), and a glossary. These decision trees are currently based on Good Agricultural Practices – they are currently being updated to include language from the FSMA Produce Safety Rule. Additional information can be found at the National GAPs program website, under GAPs Educational Materials.
- University of Maryland’s produce safety website: The website contains contact information for the Maryland GAP educators, sample recordkeeping sheets, a fill-in-the-blank food safety plan for growers, and videos answering food safety frequently asked questions. Additionally, GAP training dates will be posted here.
- A brief factsheet developed by the FDA on the FSMA Produce Safety Rule
Grape Nutrient Recommendations
- "Wine Grape Production Guide for Eastern North America" (Appendix 1: recommendations)
Gypsum
International Plant Nutrition Institute (IPNI)
- A Global Framework for Best Management Practices for Fertilizer Use (March 2008)
- Fertilizing Crops to Improve Human Health: a Scientific Review
- Volume 1: Food and Nutrition Security (May 2012)
- Volume 2: Functional Foods (July 2012)
- Volume 3: Risk Reduction (August 2012)
- The Fertility of North American Soils (2010)
- 4R Phosphorus Management Practices for Major Commodity Crops of North America (2017)
IPNI Website and Stewardship Specifics Pubs
Liquid Fertilizer Densities
- MDA: Common Liquid Fertilizer Weights
- Fluid Fertilizer Foundation: Fluid Fertilizer Densities
Nutrients (N, P, K, S)
- Nitrogen
- Phosphorus
- Managing Legacy and New Sources of Phosphorus to Reduce Leaching in Mid-Atlantic Soils
- Understanding Soil Phosphorus
- A Modeling Milestone for Soil Phosphorus Management
- Celebrating the 350th Anniversary of Phosphorus Discovery: A Conundrum of Deficiency and Excess
- Increasing the Effectiveness and Adoption of Agricultural Phosphorus Management Strategies to Minimize Water Quality Impairment
- Phosphorus and the Chesapeake Bay: Lingering Issues and Emerging Concerns for Agriculture
- The Latitudes, Attitudes, and Platitudes of Watershed Phosphorus Management in North America
- Phosphorus mirabilis: Illuminating the Past and Future of Phosphorus Stewardship
Organic Production
Precision Soil Sampling
Record Keeping Templates
Residue
- Farming with Crop Residues (USDA, NRCS)
- Crop Residue Management Guide (USDA, SCS)
Sewage Sludge (Biosolids)
- Sewage Sludge Management (Title 26, Chapter 06)
Soil Health
- Soil Health: What Does it Mean in North Carolina (Deanna Osmond et al., NC State Extension, Nov 2018)
- Phosphorus and Soil Health Management Practices (Emily Duncan et al., Agricultural & Environmental Letters, July 2019)
Soil Taxonomy
Tillage Equipment
Yield Goal Issues
- USDA-NASS Crops Summary
- USDA-NASS Vegetables Summary
- USDA-NASS 2020 State Agriculture Overview for Maryland
- North Dakota State University and USDA Yield Mapping and Use of Yield Map Data
- USDA Vegetable Yield Data (Chapter 4)
- USDA-NASS Non-Citrus Fruit and Nuts Summary
- University of Vermont Vegetable and Berry Crop Yield Estimates for New England
- Knott's Handbook for Vegetable Growers (5th Edition)