Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Influence Of Rice Production On The Quality Of Water In Tailwater Collection Reservoirs, R. A. Dewell, T. L. Lavy

Technical Reports

Since maintaining high water quality standards in the state remains a high priority, monitoring for pesticides in water sources must continue. Determining the type, concentration, and characteristics of any pesticides present in water supplies are essential to the overall assessment of water quality. Five independent locations, implementing contained water management systems and recyclable water, were monitored in 1995 and 1996. Irrigation, runoff, and pond water samples were collected every 10 to 14 days between permanent flood establishment and draining. Water samples were transported to the laboratory and extracted for 16 pesticides using solid phase extraction (SPE) techniques. Quantification and confirmation …

Bioaccumulation Of Methyl Mercury Through A Food Chain, J. T. Knight

Technical Reports

The bioaccumulation of mercury through the food chain has received much attention in Arkansas during the last three years. The discovery of mercury contamination and subsequent fish consumption advisories in southwest Arkansas have increased public awareness of the potential for bioaccumulation of different toxic compounds. It is postulated that the mercury problem in Arkansas is a result of methylation and resulting bioaccumulation of mercury as methyl mercury. This study was designed to derive a Bioaccumulation Factor (BAF) for mercury in a simple food chain under controlled conditions. A BAF is calculated by dividing the concentration found in the organism by …

Effects Of Zebra, Mussel, Dreissena Polymorpha Infestation On Lake Dardanelle Water Quality, Charles J. Gagen, Joseph N. Stoeckel

Technical Reports

Zebra mussels recently invaded southern waterways including the Arkansas River. Large-scale filtration of suspended particulate matter by dense populations could alter reservoir ecosystem function. Furthermore, they attach to hard surfaces, thereby threatening normal operations of artificial structures. We designed this study to provide baseline data prior to establishment of high population levels of zebra mussels in Lake Dardanelle. The characterization of spatial and temporal variability in water quality, zooplankton, phytoplankton, and macrophytes will allow testing of several hypotheses. We sampled zebra mussel veliger and settling juvenile densities and zooplankton densities at four fixed sites and the key water quality variables …

Modeling Transport Of Colloid-Bound Herbicides And Heavy Metals To Groundwater, Anastasios D. Karathanasis, R. E. Phillips, A. K. Seta

KWRRI Research Reports

Recent studies have suggested that contaminant transport to groundwater may be enhanced by association with colloidal particles. This study evaluated the role of water dispersible colloids with diverse mineralogical composition in co-transporting selected herbicides and heavy metals through intact soil columns. Colloid recovery in the eluents ranged from 45-90% for the herbicides and 10-60% for the heavy metals. The presence of colloids enhanced the transport of atrazine by 2-18%, and metolachlor by 8-30%. The corresponding increase for Cu and Zn was 2-150 and 5-30 times, respectively. For Pb, there was essentially no elution in the absence of colloids, suggesting nearly …

Formulation Enhanced Transport Of A Soil Applied Herbicide, V. P. Evangelou, Louis M. Mcdonald, Sandra Prima

KWRRI Research Reports

Because pesticides are applied as formulated particles and the affinity of the active ingredient for the formulation is higher than for the bulk water, we hypothesized that a formulation complex could affect active ingredient transport. Our objectives were to investigate the nature and extent of surfactant-atrazine-clay/oxide surface interactions. When atrazine and an anionic surfactant were dried onto plain or Fe-coated sand and leached, atrazine concentrations in the initial leachate were lower in the Fe-coated sand treatment. This was likely due to an electrostatic attraction between the sand and surfactant. When a nonionic surfactant was used, atrazine concentration in the initial …

The Effect Of Salinity Level Upon The Yield, Root Growth, And Water Extraction Of Contrasting Rooting Subpopulations Of Alfalfa (Medicago Sativa) Under Conditions Of Zero Leaching, Laura A. Vincent

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

A major problem in irrigated agriculture in the Western U.S. is the gradual accumulation of salinity in the plant root zone. These nonuniformly saline soils contain increasing amounts of salinity with depth, and salt accumulation is accelerated in situations where leaching is minimized. Root growth and thus plant yield is limited in these soils due to decreased water uptake. We studied the root growth of two subpopulations of alfalfa differing in their ability to produce fibrous roots to determine if altering root morphology would increase plant yield and water extraction, in an irrigated saline soil.

Soil profiles for a control …

Data Dictionary, Coastal Land And Groundwater For Horticulture From Gingin To Augusta, Werner Runge, Dennis Van Gool

Agriculture reports

This report summaries the primary digital data which was used to analyse the land and groundwater resources along the coastal strip between the shires of Gingin adn Augusta - Margaret River.

Marketing Options For Quality Kentucky Alfalfa Hay, Tom Keene

Kentucky Alfalfa and Stored Forage Conference

As today's farmer becomes more and more business like, running his farming operation as a commercial business, the production of alfalfa hay should be treated no differently. When the farmer makes the decision to plant alfalfa, he should have already done a great deal of research and given a great deal of thought into the markets he is going to try to target for his product. Any successful commercial business looks into market potential even before production begins, whether they produce toys, cars, appliances, computers, etc. Alfalfa hay production should be no different in regards to seeking out various markets …

What Leading Alfalfa Growers Do To Produce Quality Hay, Jimmy C. Henning, Garry D. Lacefield, Buddy Sims

Kentucky Alfalfa and Stored Forage Conference

Alfalfa is the highest quality forage legume crop grown in Kentucky and is the number one cash hay crop. Hay raised by Kentucky farmers has been recognized for its quality at local, state (state fair and Kentucky Alfalfa Conference), and national (American Forage and Grassland Council) hay contests. The testing records of the Kentucky Department of Agriculture also document the high quality alfalfa hay of Kentucky. However, little has been written about the farm practices used to produce high quality alfalfa hay in Kentucky. The current practices of top hay growers may be helpful in defining the options available to …

Are We Making Progress With Hay Quality In Kentucky?, Buddy Sims

Kentucky Alfalfa and Stored Forage Conference

During the Kentucky State Fair, Garry Lacefield asked if I would be on the XVI Kentucky Alfalfa Conference program. Certainly I never miss an opportunity to talk, especially about testing forages. Then in October we communicated again and it was decided that my topic would be "Are We Making Progress With Hay Quality in Kentucky?" Seems like a simple yes or no question! Well ... l elected to think about this under the middle of December. Of course, during this time, the people of the Commonwealth elected a new Commissioner of Agriculture. Your selection was Billy Ray Smith, who throughout …

Role Of Alfalfa In Our Farming Operation, Larry Jeffries

Kentucky Alfalfa and Stored Forage Conference

Our farming operation consists of 214 acres. We raise 14,000 pounds of tobacco, have a purebred beef cattle herd, and sell hay. Alfalfa is the only one of the three sources of income that we can project an increase for 1996.

Our alfalfa cash hay sales have increased for several years due to the increase of suburban horse owners in the Louisville area.

I think it is important to have a written plan for 1996. We wouldn't think of making a long trip without a map, especially into strange territory - we farmers are in strange territory. If you don't …

Utilizing Alfalfa Hay In Horse Diets, Laurie Lawrence

Kentucky Alfalfa and Stored Forage Conference

All horses need fiber in their diets. Forages, usually as pasture or hay, are the primary sources of fiber in most rations. The exact amount of hay that a horse will eat on a daily or yearly basis will depend on the size of the horse, the class of the horse (pregnant, working, etc) and the type of hay being fed. The type and amount of other feeds in the ration will also impact the amount of hay consumed, but in general, horse owners/managers should try to maximize forage intake and then supplement with grain or other feeds to meet …

Advances In Harvesting And Storing High Quality Alfalfa, Michael Collins

Kentucky Alfalfa and Stored Forage Conference

On suitable soils, alfalfa produces the highest yields of dry matter and nutrients possible under Kentucky conditions. Limitations to achievement of this potential are often related to losses that occur during alfalfa harvest and storage. We have conducted a number of studies addressing technologies designed to minimize the extent of these losses.

Fencing And Watering Systems For Grazing Alfalfa, Larry Turner

Kentucky Alfalfa and Stored Forage Conference

Controlled or rotational grazing can result in better utilization of the forage resources on your farm. By better forage management through controlled grazing, you can increase profitability of cattle/forage systems. To effectively develop a controlled grazing system, however, fencing must be used to subdivide the pasture into sub-fields or paddocks. The animals may then be rotated among the paddocks to optimize forage and beef or dairy production from the system. Alfalfa grazing can play an important part in such a system. By using alfalfa, additional grazing management options are available, including avoiding high-endophyte fescue in hot summer periods thereby gaining …

Opportunities For Alfalfa As A Grazing Crop In Kentucky, Ken Johnson

Kentucky Alfalfa and Stored Forage Conference

As we think about the possibilities of alfalfa as a grazing crop, maybe we need to look at some of the limitations and where alfalfa may fit into Kentucky producers programs.

When looking at Kentucky's land area of 25 million acres we see that nearly half is in woodland. Of the 12 million acres remaining; about 3 million is in row crops, 2 million in hay, 2 million in non farm uses, and the rest is pasture. That is about 5 million acres in pasture or at least available to the pastured. With at least 7 million acres in hay …

Grazing Alfalfa: Putting The Puzzle Together, Garry D. Lacefield, Jimmy C. Henning, David Stalion

Kentucky Alfalfa and Stored Forage Conference

Interest in alfalfa as a grazing crop has increased dramatically over the past decade. There are many research and demonstrations being conducted in Kentucky and across the U.S. as we continue to investigate and learn more about alfalfa's role in forage-based livestock production.

Listed below are some of the reasons farmers, researchers and agribusiness personnel are excited about the opportunity for alfalfa as a grazing crop.

Foreword [1996], Garry D. Lacefield, Christi L. Forsythe

Kentucky Alfalfa and Stored Forage Conference

This is the front matter of the proceedings.

Infiltration Of Fecal Bacteria Through Soils: Timing And Tillage Effects, Mark S. Coyne, C. S. Stoddard, John H. Grove, William O. Thom

Soil Science News and Views

Land-applying animal wastes potentially exposes humans and animals to fecal pathogens, either by direct contact with soil and produce, or via ground water contamination. Some of these organisms are Salmonella, certain pathogenic Escherichia coli strains, protozoa such as Cryptosporidium and Giardia, and enteric viruses. Whether soil adequately filters these pathogens before they reach ground water depends on the interaction of porosity, texture, depth, water content, rainfall intensity and duration, and soil management.

No-Tilling Corn Into Hairy Vetch: Fertilizer Nitrogen Substitution Without Penalty Due To Delayed Planting, H. M. Saha, John H. Grove

Soil Science News and Views

Previous studies conducted in Kentucky have shown that hairy vetch is an agronomically viable winter legume cover crop for notill corn production. However, to fully realize the benefits of this cover crop it is necessary to allow enough time for it to accumulate biomass and nitrogen (N) before no-till corn is planted. Thus, early corn planting may not always be feasible. Since delaying corn planting after May 15 in Kentucky usually leads to a decline in corn grain yields, the main question addressed in this study (one for which little information was available) was whether the benefits provided by hairy …

Fertility Status And Changes Of 50 Crp Fields, Lloyd W. Murdock, Dottie Call

Soil Science News and Views

The CRP program in Kentucky has 435,000 acres ofland which will be released soon. Since these fields were highly eroded when they were placed into the program, it was felt it would be helpful to determine the general fertility status of the CRP fields in Kentucky and see what changes had taken place during their years of enrollment in the CRP program. Since most of the fields had a previous erosive history, we expected the fields to be low in pH and in the low to medium range for phosphorus and potassium.

We would like to thank the producers who …

Seeding Cover Crops In Kentucky, Kenneth L. Wells, Morris J. Bitzer

Soil Science News and Views

The most common reason for seeding a cover crop is to establish cover onto a tilled area following harvest of the previous crop, or onto a disturbed area for a "critical seeding", as soon as possible after tillage or disturbance. The reason for establishing the cover crop is to stabilize the exposed surface of bare soil to prevent erosion.

Vegetative Filter Strip Design For Grassed Areas Treated With Animal Manures, Dwayne R. Edwards, Tommy C. Daniel, Philip A. Moore Jr.

Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering Faculty Publications

Vegetative filter strips (VFS) are a low-cost management option that have been demonstrated to be effective in reducing runoff transport of fertilizer constituents applied to grassed areas (pasture or meadow). Runoff quality studies involving fertilizers applied to grassed areas suggest that VFS can be designed by assuming that (1) only infiltration is responsible for pollutant removal, (2) the first post-application runoff event is most important from a water quality perspective (enabling a design event approach), and (3) no pollutant build-up that degrades VFS performance will occur. The purpose of this study was to develop a VFS design algorithm for grassed …

Poultry Litter-Treated Length Effects On Quality Of Runoff From Fescue Plots, Dwayne R. Edwards, Philip A. Moore Jr., Tommy C. Daniel, Puneet Srivastava

Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering Faculty Publications

Using experimental data and/or mathematical simulation models to identify practices that reduce pollution from manure-treated areas is sometimes perceived as limited by the unknown validity of extrapolating plot-scale data to larger areas and by uncertainties in modeling transport of various pollutants. The objectives of this study were to assess the effect of length of manure treatment on runoff concentrations of poultry litter constituents and to define the modes of transport (particulate versus soluble) for nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), carbon (C), and solids. Poultry litter was applied to three 1.5- x 18.3-m fescue (Festuca arundinacea Schreb.) plots with runoff collection …

Quality Of Runoff From Four Northwest Arkansas Pasture Fields Treated With Organic And Inorganic Fertilizer, Dwayne R. Edwards, Tommy C. Daniel, John F. Murdoch, Philip A. Moore Jr.

Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering Faculty Publications

Long-term land application of animal manures, even at agronomic rates, can promote accumulation of soil phosphorus (P) which can, in turn, contribute to increased P loadings to downstream waters. The objective of this study was to assess the soil and runoff effects of replacing animal manure as a soil amendment with inorganic fertilizer (ammonium nitrate, NH₄NO₃) on fields that had been treated previously with animal manures. Runoff from two pairs of small fields (0.57 to 1.46 ha) was sampled from September 1991 to April 1994. All fields had been treated previously with animal manures; after runoff …

Performance Of Vegetative Filter Strips With Varying Pollutant Source And Filter Strip Lengths, Puneet Srivastava, Dwayne R. Edwards, Tommy C. Daniel, Philip A. Moore Jr., Thomas A. Costello

Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering Faculty Publications

Vegetative filter strips (VFS) can reduce runoff losses of pollutants such as nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) from land areas treated with fertilizers. While VFS effectiveness is considered to depend on lengths of pollutant source and VFS areas, there is little experimental evidence of this dependence, particularly when the pollutant source is manure-treated pasture. This study assessed the effects of pollutant source area (fescue pasture treated with poultry litter) length and VFS (fescue pasture) length on VFS removal of nitrate N (NO₃-N), ammonia N (NH₃-N), total Kjeldahl N (TKN), ortho-P (PO₄-P), total P (TP), …

Application Of Simplified Phosphorus Transport Models To Pasture Fields In Northwest Arkansas, Dwayne R. Edwards, C. T. Haan, Andrew N. Sharpley, John F. Murdoch, Tommy C. Daniel, Philip A. Moore Jr.

Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering Faculty Publications

Runoff transport of phosphorus (P) is often predicted from simple equations with parameters determined from data applicable primarily to row-cropped and fallow cover conditions. The applicability, accuracy, and precision of such P transport prediction equations under pasture situations are less well defined. The objectives of this study were to determine parameters of simplified runoff P transport equations for pasture fields and to assess the accuracy and precision of the equations. Runoff, sediment yield, soluble P transport, and particulate P transport data were collected from four pasture fields in northwestern Arkansas. Runoff event enrichment ratios and extraction coefficients were computed, and …

Evaluation Of The Crop Growth Component Of The Root Zone Water Quality Model For Corn In Ohio, Sue E. Nokes, Feliks M. Landa, Jon D. Hanson

Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering Faculty Publications

The Root Zone Water Quality Model (RZWQM) is a computer model developed to simulate water, chemical, and biological processes in the root zone of agricultural management systems. As of this writing RZWQM is in the beta-testing phase of development. This article reports on a parameterization and evaluation study performed in Ohio on field corn for the crop growth component of RZWQM. The generic crop growth model in RZWQM had not previously been parameterized or tested on field corn. This article reports the results of such a study. One year of data was used to calibrate RZWQM, and two additional years …

Nutrient Mapping Implications Of Short-Range Variability, Stuart J. Birrell

Stuart J. Birrell

Successful site specific nutrient application depends on accurate soil nutrient maps, which are generally developed from grid samples. The implication of short range variability for soil nutrient mapping is investigated. Interpretation of soil nutrient maps must consider the level of confidence associated with estimated values.

Analysis Of Spatial Factors Influencing Crop Yield, K. A. Sudduth, S. T. Drummond, Stuart J. Birrell, N. R. Kitchen

Stuart J. Birrell

The spatial relationship between crop yields and soil and site parameters was modeled using several methods. Yield maps estimated by projection pursuit regression and neural network analysis agreed well with measured yields. These methods also allowed generation of response curves for estimated yield as a function of each of the input parameters. These response curves were useful for investigating the relationship between yields and individual soil and site parameters.

Burt County Test Hole Logs, Raymond R. Burchett, Frank A. Smith

Conservation and Survey Division

No abstract provided.