Virginia Cooperative ExtensionMaguire, Rory O.2016-04-212016-04-212014-12-19http://hdl.handle.net/10919/70741Phosphorus is a naturally occurring element that is one of 16 elements essential for plant growth and animal health. Research has documented that applying phosphorus in fertilizers or manure increases crop growth and yield on soils that are below critical agronomic levels, as measured during routine soil testing. Although the economic benefits of phosphorus fertilization on crop production are well-documented, too much of a good thing can be detrimental to the environment. Excessive soil phosphorus is a potential threat to water quality.5 pagesapplication/pdfen-USVirginia Cooperative Extension materials are available for public use, re-print, or citation without further permission, provided the use includes credit to the author and to Virginia Cooperative Extension, Virginia Tech, and Virginia State University.CropsSoilsPesticide Safety EducationExtension publicationhttps://pubs.ext.vt.edu/CSES/CSES-98/CSES-98-pdf.pdfphosphorusbest management practices