Md. Code Regs. 15.18.01.02

Current through Register Vol. 51, No. 22, November 1, 2024

Section 15.18.01.02 - Definitions

A. The following terms have the meanings indicated.

B. Terms Defined.

(1) "Acid-forming fertilizer" means a fertilizer capable of increasing the residual acidity of soil.

(2) "Chelate" means the type of compound or chemical union in which a central metal (cation or anion) is joined to a chelating agent in the same molecule by two or more bonds. These linkages result in the formation of one or more heterocyclic rings in which the metal is part of the ring.

(3) "Chelated plant nutrients" means compounds of metallic secondary and micro plant nutrients with organic chelating agents which have the property of being available under pH conditions in which the nutrients normally form insoluble compounds.

(4) "Chelating agent (sequestering agent)" means a compound having two or more sites of attachment to a metal (cation or anion) to form a chelate. Examples are EDTA (ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid), NTA (nitrilotriacetic acid), polyphosphoric acid, proteins and polyflavanoids.

(5) "Coated slow release fertilizer" means a fertilizer containing sources of water soluble nutrients, whose release is controlled by a coating applied to the fertilizer.

(6) "Filler" means a substance added to fertilizer materials to provide bulk, prevent caking, or serve some purpose other than providing essential plant nutrients.

(7) "Granular fertilizer" means a fertilizer in which 95 percent or more of the product is retained on a series of sieves within the range of 8 mesh (2.38 mm. opening) to 20 mesh (0.841 mm. opening), and in which the largest particle passes through a sieve having an opening not larger than four times that of the sieve which would retain 95 percent or more of the product.

Examples

Sieve opening retaining 95 percent or more of the product.			Sieve opening passing the largest particle in the product.			Maximum range of particle size.
		Opening			Opening
Mesh	U.S.No.	mm	Mesh	U.S.No.	mm	Mesh
20	20	0.841	6	6	3.36	-6	+20
16	18	1.00	5	5	4.00	-5	+16
14	16	1.19	4	4	4.76	-4	+14
12	14	1.41	3.5	3.5	5.66	-3.5	+12
10	12	1.68	3	0.265 inch	6.73	-3	+10
8	8	2.38	3/8 inch	3/8 inch	9.51	-3/8 inch	+ 8

(8) "Liquid fertilizer" means a fluid in which plant nutrients are in a true solution.

(9) "Lot" means, for purposes of obtaining an official sample, an identifiable quantity of commercial fertilizer that can be sampled, up to and including a freight car load or 50 tons maximum, or that amount contained in a single vehicle, or that amount delivered under a single invoice.

(10) "Manipulation" means the processing or treating of a substance in any manner, including drying to a moisture content of less than 30 percent.

(11) "Natural organic fertilizer" means a fertilizer derived from either plant or animal products containing one or more elements (other than carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen) which are essential for plant growth. These materials may be subjected to biological degradation processes under normal conditions of aging, rainfall, sun-curing, air drying, composting, rotting, enzymatic, or anaerobic or aerobic bacterial action, or any combination of these. These materials may not be mixed with synthetic materials, or changed in any physical or chemical manner from their initial state except by physical manipulation such as drying, cooking, chopping, grinding, shredding or pelleting.

(12) "Nitrophosphate" means a product obtained by acidulation of phosphate rock with nitric acid. The complex mixture of nitrates and phosphate thus obtained does not contain nitrate nitrogen and phosphorus in the same molecule. The process is subject to modification designed to remove the hygroscopic calcium nitrate formed. These modifications include ammoniation, physical separation, co-acidulation with sulfuric or phosphoric acids, or subsequent treatment with carbon dioxide.

(13) "Nonacid-forming fertilizer" means a fertilizer not capable of increasing the residual acidity of the soil.

(14) "Organic fertilizer" means a material containing carbon and one or more elements other than hydrogen and oxygen essential for plant growth.

(15) "Overall index value" means the value obtained from the calculation: (Commercial Value Found) 100/(Commercial Value Guaranteed) using assigned values for N, APA, and soluble K₂O, such as $3, $2, and $1 per unit.

(16) "Pelletized fertilizer" means a product, uniform in size and usually of globular shape, containing one or more nutrients produced by one of several methods including:

(a) Solidification of a melt while falling through a counter-current stream of air;

(b) Dried layers of slurry applied to recycling particles;

(c) Compaction;

(d) Extrusion;

(e) Granulation.

(17) "Primary nutrients" means nutrients that include the following plant food:

(a) Nitrogen (N);

(b) Available phosphoric acid (P₂O₅); and

(c) Potash (K₂O).

(18) "Secondary and micro plant nutrients" means nutrients other than the primary nutrients that are essential for the normal growth of plants and that may need to be added to the growth medium. Secondary plant nutrients shall include boron, chlorine, cobalt, copper, iron, manganese, molybdenum, sodium, and zinc.

(19) "Slurry fertilizer" means a fluid mixture containing dissolved and undissolved plant nutrient materials which requires continuous mechanical agitation to assure homogeneity.

(20) "Suspension fertilizer" means a fluid containing dissolved and undissolved plant nutrients. The suspension of the undissolved plant nutrients may be inherent with the materials or produced with the aid of a suspending agent of non-fertilizer properties. Mechanical agitation may be necessary in some cases to facilitate uniform suspension of undissolved plant nutrients.

(21) "Synthetic" means any substance generated from another material or materials by means of a chemical reaction.

(22) "Unit" means 20 pounds of plant food or 1 percent of a ton.

C. Manganese Products.(Mn).

(1) "Manganese sulfate" means, when applied to an ingredient of a mixed fertilizer, anhydrous manganese sulfate (MnSO₄).

D. Nitrogen Products (N).

(1) "Acidulated fish tankage, acidulated fish scrap" means the rendered product derived from fish and treated with sulfuric acid.

(2) "Activated sewage products" means those products made from sewage freed from grit and coarse solids and aerated after being inoculated with microorganisms. The resulting flocculated organic matter is withdrawn from the tanks, filtered with or without the aid of coagulants, dried, ground, and screened.

(3) "Ammoniated superphosphate" means a product obtained when superphosphate is treated with ammonia or with solutions which contain ammonia or other compounds of nitrogen. The guaranteed percentages of nitrogen and of available phosphoric acid shall be stated as part of the name.

(4) "Ammonium nitrate" means a substance, chiefly the ammonium salt of nitric acid. It shall contain not less than 33 percent of nitrogen, 1/2 of which is in the ammonium form and 1/2 in the nitrate form.

(5) "Ammonium sulfate nitrate" means a double salt of ammonium sulfate and ammonium nitrate which are present in equal molecular proportions. It shall contain not less than 26 percent nitrogen, 1/4 of which is in nitrate form and 3/4 in the ammonium form.

(6) "Bat guano" means partially decomposed bat manure.

(7) "Calcium nitrate" means a substance, chiefly the calcium salt of nitric acid. It shall contain not less than 15 percent nitrate nitrogen.

(8) "Crude, inert, or slow-acting nitrogenous materials" means unprocessed organic substances relatively high in nitrogen but having a very low value as plant food and showing a low activity by both the alkaline and neutral permanganate methods, below 50 percent and 80 percent respectively.

(9) "Cyanamid" means a commercial product consisting principally of calcium cyanamid (CaNCN) and carbon and it shall contain not less than 19.5 percent nitrogen.

(10) "Dried blood" means collected blood of slaughtered animals, dried and ground, and containing not less than 12 percent nitrogen.

(11) "Dried, pulverized, shredded, composted, or otherwise processed, manipulated, or treated animal manures" means a manure containing no more organic bedding materials, or other materials, than is necessary to follow good dairy barn, poultry house, etc., practice in order to maintain proper sanitary conditions, to conserve plant food elements in excreta, and to absorb adequately the liquid portion.

(12) "Fish tankage, fish scrap, dry ground fish, fish meal fertilizer grade" means the dried ground product derived from rendered or unrendered fish.

(13) "Garbage tankage" means the rendered, dried, and ground product from waste household food products.

(14) "Hoof and horn meal" means processed dried, ground hoofs and horns.

(15) "Isobutylene Diurea (IBDU)" means a condensation product of isobutyraldehyde and urea having a minimum total nitrogen content of 31 percent. It is a source of slowly available nitrogen by virtue of particle size, solubility decreasing with increase in partical size. Material conforming to the description of a "granular fertilizer" will have 90 percent of its nitrogen content in the water-insoluble form before grinding.

(16) "Nitrate of potash (potassium nitrate)" means a substance, chiefly the potassium salt of nitric acid. It shall contain not less than 12 percent of nitrogen and 44 percent of potash.

(17) "Nitrate of soda (sodium nitrate)" means a substance, chiefly the sodium salt of nitric acid. It shall contain not less than 16 percent nitrate nitrogen and 26 percent sodium.

(18) "Nitrate of soda and potash (sodium and potassium nitrate)" means a substance, chiefly the sodium and potassium salts of nitric acid. It shall contain not less that 15 percent of nitrate nitrogen, 1 percent of potash, and 18 percent of sodium.

(19) "Peat" means partly decayed vegetable matter of natural occurrence. It is chiefly composed of organic matter that contains some nitrogen of low activity.

(20) "Process tankage" means a product made under steam pressure from crude inert nitrogenous materials, with or without the use of acids, for the purpose of increasing the activity of nitrogen. These products shall be called process tankage with or without further qualification. The water-insoluble nitrogen in these products shall test at least 50 percent active by the alkaline, or 80 percent by the neutral permanganate method.

(21) "Sheep manure-wool waste" means the by-product from wool-carding establishments consisting chiefly of sheep manure, seeds, and wool fiber.

(22) "Sulfur Coated Urea (SCU)" means a coated slow release fertilizer consisting of urea particles coated with sulfur. The product is usually further coated with a sealant (2 percent to 3 percent of total weight) and a conditioner (2 percent to 3 percent of total weight). It typically contains about 30 percent to 40 percent nitrogen and about 10 percent to 30 percent sulfur.

(23) "Sulfate of ammonia (ammonium sulfate)" means a substance, chiefly the ammonium salt of sulfuric acid. It shall contain not less than 20.5 percent of nitrogen.

(24) "Tankage (without qualification)" means the rendered, dried, ground by-product, largely meat and bone from animals (slaughtered or that have died otherwise).

(25) "Urea" means the commercial synthetic acid amide of carbonic acid which contains not less than 45 percent nitrogen.

(26) "Urea-form fertilizer materials" means reaction products of urea and formaldehyde containing at least 35 percent nitrogen largely in insoluble but slowly available form. The water-insoluble content shall be at least 60 percent of the total nitrogen. The water-insoluble nitrogen in these products shall have an activity of not less than 40 percent.

(27) "Urea-formaldehyde products" means a product containing not less than 35 percent total nitrogen.

E. Phosphorus Products (P).

(1) "Acidulated bone" means a ground bone or bone meal that has been treated with sulfuric acid.

(2) "Ammoniated superphosphate" means a product obtained when superphosphate is treated with ammonia or with solutions which contain ammonia and other compounds of nitrogen. The guaranteed percentages of nitrogen and of available phosphoric acid shall be stated as part of the name.

(3) "Ammonium phosphate (fertilizer grade)" means a product obtained when phosphoric acid is treated with ammonia, and consists principally of monoammonium phosphate or a mixture of these two salts. The guaranteed percentage of nitrogen and of available phosphoric acid shall be stated as part of the name.

(4) "Ammonium phosphate-sulfate" (fertilizer grade) means a product obtained when a mixture of phosphoric acid and sulfuric acid is treated with ammonia. It consists principally of a mixture of ammonium phosphate and ammonium sulfate. The guaranteed percentages of nitrogen and of available phosphoric acid shall be stated as a part of the name.

(5) "Available phosphoric acid" means the sum of the water-soluble and the citrate-soluble phosphoric acid.

(6) "Basic lime phosphate (lime-based superphosphate)" means a superphosphate to which liming materials have been added in a quantity at least 6 percent calcium carbonate equivalent in excess of the quantity required to convert all water-insoluble phosphate to the citrate-soluble form.

(7) "Basic phosphate slag" means a by-product obtained in the manufacture of steel from phosphatic iron ores. The product shall contain no admixture of materials other than those resulting from the original process of manufacture. It shall contain not less than 12 percent of total phosphoric acid, of which at least 80 percent shall be available phosphoric acid. It shall be ground so that not less than 70 percent of the material passes through a U.S. Standard No. 100 sieve and 90 percent passes through a U.S. Standard No. 50 sieve. Any basic phosphoric slag not conforming to this definition shall be designated low phosphate.

(8) "Calcined phosphate" means a phosphate rock which has been heated, with or without one or more catalysts or reagents, sufficient to volatize and remove most or all organic, carbonate, fluoride, and other impurities, or thermally altered to more available phosphate compounds, or both, depending on the process. A significant portion of the phosphorus is citrate soluble and the percentage shall be stated as part of the brand name. Include are products known as fused tricalcium phosphate, defluorinated phosphate, rhenania phosphate, and various trade names.

(9) "Calcium metaphosphate" means a vitreous product substantially free from crystalline phosphates, resulting from the treatment of phosphate rock with gaseous phosphorus pentoxide at high temperatures. The guaranteed percentage of available phosphoric acid shall be stated as part of the name.

(10) "Citrate-soluble phosphoric acid" means that part of the total phosphoric acid in a fertilizer that is insoluble in water but soluble in a solution of citrate of ammonia.

(11) "Dicalcium phosphate" means a manufactured product consisting chiefly of dicalcic salt of phosphoric acid.

(12) "Ground raw bone" means ground animal bones that have not previously been steamed under pressure.

(13) "Ground steamed bone" means ground animal bones that have been previously steamed under pressure.

(14) "Phosphate rock" means a natural rock containing one or more calcium phosphate minerals of sufficient purity and quantity to permit its use, either directly or after concentration, in the manufacture of commercial products.

(15) "Phosphoric acid" means phosphorus pentoxide (P₂O₅).

(16) "Polyphosphates" means a general term pertaining to salts of any of a series of polyphosphoric acids, whose molecular structure contain two or more phosphorus atoms linked by oxygen. Solutions may contain several species such as orthophosphates, pyrophosphates, and polyphosphates containing three or more phosphorus atoms, commonly known as tripolyphosphates or tetrapolyphosphates and water.

(17) "Precipitated phosphate" means a product consisting mainly of dicalcium phosphate obtained by neutralizing with calcium hydroxide the acid solution of either phosphate rock or processed bone.

(18) "Soft phosphate with colloidal clay" means a very finely divided low-analysis by-product from mining Florida rock phosphate by a hydraulic process in which the colloidal materials settle at points in artificial ponds and basins farthest from the washer, and are later removed after the natural evaporation of the water.

(19) "Superphosphate" means a product obtained when rock phosphate is treated with either sulfuric acid, phosphoric acid, or a mixture of those acids. The guaranteed percentage of available phosphoric acid shall be stated as a part of the name.

(20) "Superphosphoric acid" means the acid form of polyphosphates, consisting of a mixture of orthophosphoric and polyphosphoric acids. Species distribution varies with concentration, typically 68 percent to 83 percent P₂O₅.

F. Potassium Products (K).

(1) "Double sulfate of potash and magnesia (Langbeinite)" means a commercial product containing not less than 21 percent of soluble potash (K₂O), or less than 53 percent of sulfate of magnesia and not more than 2.5 percent of chlorine.

(2) "Kainit" means a potash salt containing potassium and sodium chlorides and sometimes sulfate of magnesia with not less than 12 percent of soluble potash (K₂O).

(3) "Mine run potash salts" means potash salts containing a high percentage of chloride and from 20 percent to 30 percent of soluble potash (K₂O).

(4) "Muriate of potash (commercial potassium chloride)" means a potash salt containing 48 percent to 62 percent of soluble potash (K₂O) chiefly as chloride.

(5) "Nitrate of potash (potassium nitrate)" means a substance, chiefly the potassium salt of nitric acid. It shall contain not less than 12 percent of nitrogen and 44 percent of soluble potash.

(6) "Nitrate of soda and potash (sodium and potassium nitrate)" means a substance, chiefly the sodium and potassium salts of nitric acid. It shall contain not less than 15 percent of nitrate nitrogen, 10 percent of soluble potash, and 18 percent of sodium.

(7) "Potash" means potassium oxide (K₂O).

(8) "Soluble potash" means that portion of the potash contained in fertilizer or fertilizer materials which is soluble in an aqueous ammoniacal solution of 0.8 percent ammonium oxalate, after boiling in a 1.14 percent solution of ammonium oxalate.

(9) "Sulfate of potash (commercial potassium sulfate)" means a potash salt containing not less than 48 percent of soluble potash (K₂O) chiefly as sulfate, and not more than 2.5 percent of chlorine.

(10) "Sulfate of potash-magnesia" means a potash salt containing not less than 25 percent soluble potash (K₂O), or less than 25 percent of sulfate of magnesia, and not more than 2.5 percent of chlorine.

Md. Code Regs. 15.18.01.02