Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Soil Science Commons

Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Articles 1 - 4 of 4

Full-Text Articles in Soil Science

Measured And Predicted Temporal Changes In Soil Nitrate-N Levels From Late Summer To Early Spring In Montana, Andrew W. Lenssen, Clain Jones, Chengci Chen, Kent Mcvay, Bob Stougaard, Mal Westcott, Joyce Eckhoff, Jennifer Weeding, Mark Greenwood Jan 2011

Measured And Predicted Temporal Changes In Soil Nitrate-N Levels From Late Summer To Early Spring In Montana, Andrew W. Lenssen, Clain Jones, Chengci Chen, Kent Mcvay, Bob Stougaard, Mal Westcott, Joyce Eckhoff, Jennifer Weeding, Mark Greenwood

Andrew W. Lenssen

Most soil sampling is conducted from August to November in Montana because of better soil sampling conditions and because it provides more time for growers to make fertilizer decisions prior to application. Fertilizer guidelines in Montana are based on spring nitrate-N levels in the upper 2 ft because they are more indicative of growing season available N than fall nitrate-N levels. It is not known how much nitrate-N levels change between late summer and spring, nor is it known what factors affect these changes, and large changes could result in either over-application of N fertilizer or sub-optimal yields. A three-year …


Management Strategies To Improve Yield And Nitrogen Use Of Spring Wheat And Field Pea In The Semi-Arid Northern Great Plains Usa, Andrew W. Lenssen, Brett Allen, Upendra Sainju, Thecan Caesar, Robert Lartey, Robert Evans Jan 2010

Management Strategies To Improve Yield And Nitrogen Use Of Spring Wheat And Field Pea In The Semi-Arid Northern Great Plains Usa, Andrew W. Lenssen, Brett Allen, Upendra Sainju, Thecan Caesar, Robert Lartey, Robert Evans

Andrew W. Lenssen

Available water and N fertility are primary constraints to crop production in the northern Great Plains of the USA. A field trial was initiated in 2004 to compare four crop rotations in a complete factorial of two tillage and two management systems. Rotations were continuous spring wheat (SW), pea-SW, barley hay-pea-SW, and barley hay-corn-pea-SW. Tillage systems were no till and field cultivator tillage, while management systems were conventional and ecological. Conventional management included broadcast nitrogen fertilizer, standard seeding rates, and short stubble height. Ecological management practices varied by crop, and included banded nitrogen fertilizer for cereals, increased seeding rate, delayed …


Long-Term Tillage Frequency Effects On Dryland Soil Physical And Hydraulic Properties, Andrew W. Lenssen, J. D. Jabro, U. M. Sainju, W. B. Stevens, R. G. Evans Jan 2008

Long-Term Tillage Frequency Effects On Dryland Soil Physical And Hydraulic Properties, Andrew W. Lenssen, J. D. Jabro, U. M. Sainju, W. B. Stevens, R. G. Evans

Andrew W. Lenssen

Soil tillage is considered one of most important practices in agricultural production due to its influence on physical, chemical, and biological properties of the soil environment. The effect of a long-term tillage [no-till (NT), spring till (ST), and fall and spring till (FST)] was investigated on soil penetration resistance (PR), bulk density (BD), gravimetric water content (GWC) and saturated hydraulic conductivity (Ks) under dryland conditions. Tillage effects on these physical properties were tested after 22 years on a Dooley sandy loam (fine-loamy, mixed Typic Argiborolls) derived from glacial till parent material. The statistical design used was a randomized complete block …


Farming Systems Research On Crop Diversification, Tillage, And Management Effects On Yield, Pests, And Environmental Quality In A Semi-Arid Environment, Andrew W. Lenssen, U. Sainju, T. Caesar-Tonthat, B. Allen, R. Lartey Jan 2007

Farming Systems Research On Crop Diversification, Tillage, And Management Effects On Yield, Pests, And Environmental Quality In A Semi-Arid Environment, Andrew W. Lenssen, U. Sainju, T. Caesar-Tonthat, B. Allen, R. Lartey

Andrew W. Lenssen

Available water, depleted soil quality, and weed competition are important constraints to crop production in the northern Great Plains. The traditional rotation in the region has been spring wheat with summer fallow, which is used to accrue additional soil moisture for the subsequent wheat crop. Tillage during fallow periods controls weeds, which otherwise would use substantial amounts of water and inorganic nitrogen, decreasing the efficiency of fallow and increasing soil erosion. Chemical fallow and zero tillage systems improve soil water status for subsequent crops (Lenssen et al., 2007a), allowing for increased cropping intensity and improved nutrient cycling (Lenssen et al., …