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Full-Text Articles in Life Sciences

Animal And Forage Performance Of Integrated Crop-Livestock Systems, S. L. Dillard Feb 2024

Animal And Forage Performance Of Integrated Crop-Livestock Systems, S. L. Dillard

IGC Proceedings (1997-2023)

Grazing of cool-season cover crops has been shown to be a viable tool for extending the grazing season while mitigating environmental risks associated with row-crop farming systems. Grazing cover crops is not novel, but most recent information available on this practice focuses on soil health as opposed to forage production and animal performance. Research has shown that forage quality of cool-season annual cover crops is sufficient to maintain an average daily gain of at least 1 kg/d and as high as 1.5 kg/d. Forage species selection plays an important role in the success of an integrated crop-livestock system. Grasses typically …


Assessing The Evaporation Method For Soil-Water Retention Curve Development And Comparison Of Soil-Water Characteristics Across Different Tillage Practices In A Furrow-Irrigated Corn (Zea Mays L.) System, Jeferson Prass Pimentel Dec 2023

Assessing The Evaporation Method For Soil-Water Retention Curve Development And Comparison Of Soil-Water Characteristics Across Different Tillage Practices In A Furrow-Irrigated Corn (Zea Mays L.) System, Jeferson Prass Pimentel

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The thesis comprises three studies. The first study in this thesis (Chapter I) focused on a six-year corn field experiment to assess the influence of conservation agricultural practices on soil properties and their long-term effects on water-use efficiency and yield. Non-tillage management did not significantly reduce soil bulk density compared to conventional tillage, as no differences were observed between non-tillage and tillage systems throughout the 6-year experiment. There was no difference in total water-use efficiency among soil management practices in 2018, 2019, 2020, and 2021. Even though in one year of the study, a significant 24 kg ha-1 mm-1 improvement …


Addressing Soil Carbon Sequestration Response From Multispecies Dairy Forage Systems And Modeling Rangeland Beef Cow Dry Matter Intake Using Precision Enteric Emissions Measurements, Lillian J. Mcfadden Jan 2023

Addressing Soil Carbon Sequestration Response From Multispecies Dairy Forage Systems And Modeling Rangeland Beef Cow Dry Matter Intake Using Precision Enteric Emissions Measurements, Lillian J. Mcfadden

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Regenerative agriculture is a pressing matter for the dairy industry to address cropland sustainability and carbon sequestration. One regenerative management practice that has been identified to help with row crop sustainability for key metrics like soil organic carbon (SOC) is complex covers. When producers use complex covers one of the main challenges is that it takes time to detect a change in SOC. However, simulation models are a tool that can be used to help determine if a regenerative practice is a strategy that gives the best results (i.e., increased SOC) while aligning with long-term production goals. Therefore, our objectives …


Seabem: An Artificial Intelligence Powered Web Application To Predict Cover Crop Biomass, Aime Christian Tuyishime, Andrea Basche Mar 2022

Seabem: An Artificial Intelligence Powered Web Application To Predict Cover Crop Biomass, Aime Christian Tuyishime, Andrea Basche

Honors Theses

SEABEM, the Stacked Ensemble Algorithms Biomass Estimator Model, is a web application with a stacked ensemble of Machine Learning (ML) algorithms running on the backend to predict cover crop biomass for locations in Sub-Saharan. The SEABEM model was developed using a previously developed database of crop growth and yield that included site characteristics such as latitude, longitude, soil texture (sand, silt, and clay percentages), temperature, and precipitation. The goal of SEABEM is to provide global farmers, mainly small-scale African farmers, the knowledge they need before practicing and benefiting from cover crops while avoiding the expensive and time-consuming operations that come …


Influence Of Cover Crop Management Practices On Rainfed Corn Production In Semi-Arid Western Nebraska, Alexandre Tonon Rosa Jul 2020

Influence Of Cover Crop Management Practices On Rainfed Corn Production In Semi-Arid Western Nebraska, Alexandre Tonon Rosa

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

With the increased cover crop (CC) popularity, producers of semi-arid regions of western Nebraska are questioning whether they could successfully incorporate CC into their rainfed winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)-corn (Zea mays L.)-fallow rotations. The major concern is that CCs may deplete soil water affecting the subsequent crop. Therefore, three studies were established under rainfed conditions of western Nebraska to access the effects of CCs on soil water, soil compaction, nutrient cycling, weed demographics, residue coverage, and subsequent corn yield. The first study evaluated the influence of CC planting and termination times prior to corn establishment. …


Influence Of Six Herbicides Applied To Silage Corn On Fall Planted Rye And Radish Cover Crop Growth In South Dakota Soils, Sydney Pridie May 2020

Influence Of Six Herbicides Applied To Silage Corn On Fall Planted Rye And Radish Cover Crop Growth In South Dakota Soils, Sydney Pridie

The Journal of Undergraduate Research

Spring preemergence herbicide applications are often used for burndown of existing weeds and residual control, eliminating weed presence during early season crop growth. There has been an increase in the interest in planting cover crops soon after cash crop removal, due to the potential soil and production benefits. However, soil herbicide residuals may result in poor cover crop growth. This study examined the growth of radish (Raphanus sativa) and rye (Secale cereal), species often used as cover crops, in soils that had been treated with residual herbicides about 100 d prior to cover crop planting. The …


Quantifying The Short-Term Impacts Of Cover Crops And Grazing On Soil Health Under An Integrated Crop-Livestock System In South Dakota, Vishal Seth Jan 2018

Quantifying The Short-Term Impacts Of Cover Crops And Grazing On Soil Health Under An Integrated Crop-Livestock System In South Dakota, Vishal Seth

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Cover crops and grazing under Integrated Crop-Livestock System (ICLS) can impact the rhizosphere nutrient cycling and may have potential to increase the long-term sustainability and economic profitability of agricultural production system. In South Dakota, crop production practices and livestock husbandry are both common which provide the opportunity for ICLS to be successful in this region. However, little is known about the impacts of the cover crops and grazing under ICLS on soil properties in this region. The present study was conducted at South Dakota State University Research Farm (44°20'34.8"N, 96°48'14.8"W), Brookings, SD, to quantify the impacts of cover crops and …


Cover Crop Effect On Subsequent Wheat Yield In The Central Great Plains, David C. Nielsen, Drew J. Lyon, Robert K. Higgins, Gary W. Hergert, Johnathon D. Holman, Merle F. Vigil Oct 2016

Cover Crop Effect On Subsequent Wheat Yield In The Central Great Plains, David C. Nielsen, Drew J. Lyon, Robert K. Higgins, Gary W. Hergert, Johnathon D. Holman, Merle F. Vigil

David C. Nielsen

Crop production systems in the water-limited environment of the semiarid central Great Plains may not have potential to profitably use cover crops because of lowered subsequent wheat (Triticum asestivum L.) yields following the cover crop. Mixtures have reportedly shown less yield-reducing effects on subsequent crops than single-species plantings. This study was conducted to determine winter wheat yields following both mixtures and single-species plantings of spring-planted cover crops. The study was conducted at Akron, CO, and Sidney, NE, during the 2012–2013 and 2013–2014 wheat growing seasons under both rainfed and irrigated conditions. Precipitation storage efficiency before wheat planting, wheat water use, …


Winter Cover Crops Impact On The Distribution Of Soil Inorganic Nitrogen And Subsequent Crop Uptake And Yield Following Fall Applied Anhydrous Ammonium, William Travis Deppe Jan 2016

Winter Cover Crops Impact On The Distribution Of Soil Inorganic Nitrogen And Subsequent Crop Uptake And Yield Following Fall Applied Anhydrous Ammonium, William Travis Deppe

Theses and Dissertations

The pairing of cover crops with spring application of nitrogen has shown improved nitrogen efficiency in corn production systems. However, studies have shown that only 50% of central Illinois farmers practice spring application of nitrogen. Furthermore, the literature demonstrates that in years with above average rainfall, fall applied N management systems are more susceptible to N loading relative to spring systems. Therefore, the objective of this research was to determine the efficacy of winter cover crops to impact the distribution of soil inorganic N following fall applied anhydrous ammonium. The experimental site is located at the Illinois State University Research …


Cover Crop Biomass Production And Water Use In The Central Great Plains, David C. Nielsen, Drew J. Lyon, Gary W. Hergert, Robert K. Higgins, Johnathon D. Holman Aug 2015

Cover Crop Biomass Production And Water Use In The Central Great Plains, David C. Nielsen, Drew J. Lyon, Gary W. Hergert, Robert K. Higgins, Johnathon D. Holman

David C. Nielsen

The water-limited environment of the semiarid Central Great Plains may not produce enough cover crop biomass to generate benefits associated with cover crop use in more humid regions. There have been reports that cover crops grown in mixtures produce more biomass with greater water use efficiency than single-species plantings. This study was conducted to determine differences in cover crop biomass production, water use efficiency, and residue cover between a mixture and single-species plantings. The study was conducted at Akron, CO, and Sidney, NE, during the 2012 and 2013 growing seasons under both rainfed and irrigated conditions. Water use, biomass, and …


Cover Crop Mixtures Do Not Use Water Differently Than Single-Species Plantings, David C. Nielsen, Drew J. Lyon, Gary W. Hergert, Robert K. Higgins, Francisco J. Calderon, Merle F. Vigil Jan 2015

Cover Crop Mixtures Do Not Use Water Differently Than Single-Species Plantings, David C. Nielsen, Drew J. Lyon, Gary W. Hergert, Robert K. Higgins, Francisco J. Calderon, Merle F. Vigil

David C. Nielsen

Recent recommendations advocating the use of cover crop mixtures instead of single-species in semi-arid environments require rigorous scientific studies. One of those stated benefits is greatly reduced water use by cover crops grown in mixtures. The objectives of this study were to characterize soil water extraction patterns and determine water use of cover crops grown in single species plantings and in a 10-species mixture and to compare cover crop water use to evaporative water loss from no-till fallow. The study was conducted at Akron, CO, and Sidney, NE, during the 2012 and 2013 growing seasons on silt loam soils. At …


Improving The Efficiency Of Fall Applied N With Cover Crops, Corey Lacey Nov 2013

Improving The Efficiency Of Fall Applied N With Cover Crops, Corey Lacey

Theses and Dissertations

Nitrate loss studies in Midwestern tile-drained fields have found that fall applied nitrogen (N) resulted in elevated nitrate concentrations in tile water during both the corn and soybean year of a 2 year rotation. The effectiveness of cover crops to reduce nitrate leaching when N is spring applied has been well demonstrated, however there is a dearth of knowledge on the ability of cover crops to reduce nitrate leaching in a system where N is fall applied. Thus, the objectives of this research were to (i) investigate the efficacy of winter cover crops to reduce nitrate leaching from fall applied …


Abatement Of Nitrate Pollution In Groundwater And Surface Runoff From Cropland Using Legume Cover Crops With No-Till Corn, M. Scott Smith, Jac J. Varco Jul 1986

Abatement Of Nitrate Pollution In Groundwater And Surface Runoff From Cropland Using Legume Cover Crops With No-Till Corn, M. Scott Smith, Jac J. Varco

KWRRI Research Reports

Agricultural practices can have a significant impact on water quality. The effects of leguminous winter cover crops on leaching of NO-3; from soil have been investigated in this project. Legume cover crops, by fixation of atmospheric N, can reduce the amount of fertilizer N required to produce summer grain crops. The methods initially used to evaluate cover crop effects on No; transport included suction probe lysimeters and measurement of NO-3; in soil samples collected to a depth of 90 cm. These measurements demonstrated extreme spatial variability in NO-3; distribution and water …