Managing Surface Water Inputs to Reduce Phosphorus Loss from Cranberry Farms.

Cranberry ( Ait.) production in Massachusetts represents one-fourth of the US cranberry supply, but water quality concerns, water use, and wetland protection laws challenge the future viability of the state's cranberry industry. Pond water used for harvest and winter flooding accounts for up to two-thirds of phosphorus (P) losses in drainage waters.

Spatial Scale and Field Management Affect Patterns of Phosphorus Loss in Cranberry Floodwaters.

Although cranberries ( Ait.) are indigenous to the northeastern United States, phosphorus (P) fertilizer additions and periodic flooding make commercial cranberry a potential source of P to the region's lakes and streams. In this study, we report values of P export in cranberry floodwaters that range from <0.

Chemical and Isotopic Tracers Illustrate Pathways of Nitrogen Loss in Cranberry Floodwaters.

Limited research exists on the sources of nitrogen (N) in cranberry floodwaters, which have been identified as a prominent cause of concern to watershed N loading in the cranberry-producing region of southeastern Massachusetts. In this study, we used naturally occurring chemical and isotopic tracers to infer the sources of N transported by harvest floodwaters. In 2012, the cranberry bed was a net source of total N (TN), exporting 0.