Life Sciences Commons^™

Soil Nitrate Prediction Using Ftir-Atr, Vis-Nir, And Raman Spectroscopy, Sabiha Ferdous

Department of Biological Systems Engineering: Dissertations and Theses

Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) combined with Attenuated total reflectance (ATR), Visible-Near Infrared spectroscopy (Vis-NIR), and Raman spectroscopy (RS) are non-destructive techniques for rapid determination of nitrogen compounds in soil. Leveraging FTIR-ATR and Vis-NIR spectra using partial least squares regression (PLSR) modeling, the study aims to predict soil nitrate content and explored the feasibility of Raman spectroscopy to detect nitrate (NO₃^-), nitrite (NO₂^-), and ammonium (NH₄⁺) in soil. Soil samples were collected from four different fields, dried, sieved (2mm), and then used for collecting spectra (FTIR-ATR and Vis-NIR). Laboratory analysis was …

Quantifying The Relationship Between Soil Organic Carbon And Soil Color In Nebraska, Aldi J. Airori

Applied Science Program: Theses

Soil color is easily measured in the field and holds potential to be used as an indirect measurement of soil organic carbon (SOC). The main limitation to this approach is knowledge about the specific color-SOC relationship in a region, which often varies in relation to parent material, soil texture, climate, and land use. Furthermore, the Munsell color data is subjective in nature. The objectives of this study are: 1) to develop and evaluate the accuracy of pedotransfer functions (PTFs) for the prediction of SOC based on soil color and texture in the state of Nebraska and 2) to evaluate digital …

Biochar: Properties And Potential Benefits For Agricultural Soil In Rwanda, Andromede Uwase

Honors Theses

Physical and chemical soil degradation is becoming a major challenge for agricultural productivity in Rwanda, which is the most important part of the country’s economy. The wide spreading soil degradation in Rwanda is mainly a result of naturally poor soils coupled with unsustainable soil management leading to, for example, accelerated soil erosion, acidification, nutrient loss, compaction, and to decreasing yields. Biochar, as an end product of pyrolysis of biomass in the absence of oxygen, has been proposed as a soil amendment in remediation strategies because of its positive effects on soil productivity relevant parameters such as soil pH, structure, nutrient …

Temporal Changes In The Nutrient Content Of Cattle Dung In The Nebraska Sandhills Ecosystem, Amanda Shine, Martha Mamo, Gandura O. Abagandura, Walter Schacht, Jerry Volesky

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Dung excreted by cattle composes a significant portion of the nutrient inputs in a grazed ecosystem and can have wide-ranging effects on soil properties and vegetation. However, little research has been conducted on the nutrient dynamics of excreted dung in situ that has not been disturbed prior to field sampling. In this study, we analyzed 294 dung pats (1–24 days old) collected from a Nebraska Sandhills meadow to determine water-extractable organic carbon (WEOC), water-extractable nitrogen (WEN), water-extractable phosphorus (WEP), and percent dry matter (DM) changes over time. In addition, we investigated if sample handling - frozen storage – and the …

A Method For Visualizing Water Flow Through Modified Root Zones, Dallas M. Williams

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

As the number of impervious surfaces in urban environments increases, the ability of modified root zones to infiltrate water is becoming more important. Current methods of tracing water flow through soil profiles include excavating large pits in situ or analyzing soil cores in the laboratory with computed tomography or magnetic resonance imaging. While useful, these methods may not be suitable for urban settings or practical in every laboratory. We propose a new method that is less invasive, does not require extensive technical equipment and can reliably trace water movement through the soil profile in order to calculate flow rate based …

Does Integrating Crops With Livestock Production Impact Soil Properties And Crop Production?, Lindsey Anderson

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

Re-integrating crop and livestock production through cover crop (CC) and corn residue grazing could efficiently utilize resources and ensure profitability while improving environmental quality, but how this integration affects soils and crops is not well understood. We conducted two studies to address this. In the first study, we evaluated the impact of cattle (1.3-3.7 head ha^-1) grazing an oat (Avena sativa L.) CC on soil and crop yields in two adjacent irrigated no-till corn (Zea mays L.)-soybean (Glycine max L.) fields on silt loam soils in eastern Nebraska. Field I was grazed twice, while Field …

Remediating Soil For Successful Vegetation Establishment Along Nebraska Highways, Shad Mills, Martha Mamo, Walt Schacht, Humberto Blanco-Canqui

Nebraska Department of Transportation: Research Reports

Vegetation along roadsides is important to prevent soil erosion, provide habitat, and filter water running off the road. Vegetation close to the pavement along highways in Nebraska does not readily establish and persist. It is thought that the sodium and bulk density are the driving factors behind the lack of vegetation. After a construction project the shoulder is seeded into the compacted soil, and during winter salts can accumulate in the soil because of deicing agents being used. The purpose of our study was to determine if the sodium and bulk density are the driving factors of the vegetation cover. …

Statistical And Machine Learning Methods Evaluated For Incorporating Soil And Weather Into Corn Nitrogen Recommendations, Curtis J. Ransom, Newell R. Kitchen, James J. Camberato, Paul R. Carter, Richard B. Ferguson, Fabian G. Fernandez, David W. Franzen, Carrie A. M. Laboski, D. Brenton Myers, Emerson D. Nafziger, John E. Sawyer, John F. Shanahan

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Nitrogen (N) fertilizer recommendation tools could be improved for estimating corn (Zea mays L.) N needs by incorporating site-specific soil and weather information. However, an evaluation of analytical methods is needed to determine the success of incorporating this information. The objectives of this research were to evaluate statistical and machine learning (ML) algorithms for utilizing soil and weather information for improving corn N recommendation tools. Eight algorithms [stepwise, ridge regression, least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (Lasso), elastic net regression, principal component regression (PCR), partial least squares regression (PLSR), decision tree, and random forest] were evaluated using a dataset …

Tetracycline And Sulfonamide Antibiotic Resistance Genes In Soils From Nebraska Organic Farming Operations, Marylynn Cadena, Lisa M. Durso, Daniel N. Miller, Heidi M. Waldrip, B. L. Castleberry, Rhae A. Drijber, Charles S. Wortmann

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

There is widespread agreement that agricultural antibiotic resistance should be reduced, however, it is unclear from the available literature what an appropriate target for reduction would be. Organic farms provide a unique opportunity to disentangle questions of agricultural antibiotic drug use from questions of antibiotic resistance in the soil. In this study, soil was collected from 12 certified organic farms in Nebraska, evaluated for the presence of tetracycline and sulfonamide resistance genes (n = 15 targets), and correlated to soil physical, chemical, and biological parameters. Tetracycline and sulfonamide antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) were found in soils from all 12 …

Assessing Explanatory Factors For Variation In On-Farm Irrigation In Us Maize-Soybean Systems, Katherine E.B. Gibson, Haishun S. Yang, Trenton E. Franz, Dean E. Eisenhauer, John B. Gates, Paolo Nasta, Bhupinder S. Farmaha, Patricio Grassini

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Irrigation exhibits large variation across producer fields, even within same region and year. A knowledge gap exists relative to factors that explain this variation, in part due to lack of availability of high-quality irrigation data from multiple field-years. This study assessed sources of variation in irrigation using a large database collected during 9 years (2005–2013) from ca. 1400 maize and soybean producer fields in Nebraska, central USA (total of 12,750 field-year observations). The study area is representative of ca. 4.5 million ha of irrigated land sown with maize and soybean. Influence of biophysical (weather, soil, and crop type) and behavioral …

Isolation And Analysis Of Microbial Communities In Soil, Rhizosphere, And Roots In Perennial Grass Experiments, Morgan R. Mcpherson, Peng Wang, Robert B. Mitchell, Daniel P. Schachtman

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Plant and soil microbiome studies are becoming increasingly important for understanding the roles microorganisms play in agricultural productivity. The purpose of this manuscript is to provide detail on how to rapidly sample soil, rhizosphere, and endosphere of replicated field trials and analyze changes that may occur in the microbial communities due to sample type, treatment, and plant genotype. The experiment used to demonstrate these methods consists of replicated field plots containing two, pure, warm-season grasses (Panicum virgatum and Andropogon gerardii) and a low-diversity grass mixture (A. gerardii, Sorghastrum nutans, and Bouteloua curtipendula). Briefly, plants …

Maize Genomes To Fields: 2014 And 2015 Field Season Genotype, Phenotype, Environment, And Inbred Ear Image Datasets, Naser Alkhalifah, Darwin A. Campbell, Celeste M. Falcon, Jack M. Gardiner, Nathan D. Miller, Maria Cinta Romay, Ramona Walls, Renee Walton, Cheng-Ting Yeh, Martin Bohn, Jessica Bubert, Edward S. Buckler, Ignacio Ciampitti, Sherry Flint-Garcia, Michael A. Gore, Christopher Graham, Candice Hirsch, James B. Holland, David Hooker, Shawn Kaeppler, Joseph Knoll, Nick Lauter, Elizabeth C. Lee, Aaron Lorenz, Jonathan P. Lynch, Stephen P. Moose, Seth C. Murray, Rebecca Nelson, Torbert Rocheford, Oscar Rodriguez, James C. Schnable, Brian Scully, Margaret Smith, Nathan Springer, Peter Thomison, Mitchell Tuinstra, Randall J. Wisser, Wenwei Xu, David Ertl, Patrick S. Schnable, Natalia De Leon, Edgar P. Spalding, Jode Edwards, Carolyn J. Lawrence-Dill

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Objectives: Crop improvement relies on analysis of phenotypic, genotypic, and environmental data. Given large, well-integrated, multi-year datasets, diverse queries can be made: Which lines perform best in hot, dry environments? Which alleles of specific genes are required for optimal performance in each environment? Such datasets also can be leveraged to predict cultivar performance, even in uncharacterized environments. The maize Genomes to Fields (G2F) Initiative is a multi-institutional organization of scientists working to generate and analyze such datasets from existing, publicly available inbred lines and hybrids. G2F’s genotype by environment project has released 2014 and 2015 datasets to the public, with …

Evaluation Of Concrete Grinding Residue (Cgr) Slurry Application On Vegetation And Soil Responses Along Nebraska State Highway 31, Martha Mamo, Dennis L. Mccallister, Walter H. Schacht

Nebraska Department of Transportation: Research Reports

No abstract provided.

Collaboration For Improved Soil And Water Management In Eastern And Southern Africa, Charles S. Wortmann

INTSORMIL Presentations

INTSORMIL Technical Focal Areas:

Enhancing productivity and livelihood in marginal areas

Soil and water management

Integrated pest management

Mitigating post-harvest losses

Nutrition and health

Food quality, processing and safety

Broadening market access

Increasing income

Breeding, biotechnology, and biodiversity

Nf05-631 Understanding Watersheds, Thomas G. Franti, Steven R. Tonn

University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension: Historical Materials

Watersheds are dynamic and unique places. They are complex webs of natural resources, — soil, water, air, plants and animals. Together land and water make a watershed a whole system.

This NebFacts covers what a watershed is, how it works, its functions, how human activities can alter watershed functions, and its management.

Nf05-632 Protecting Your Watershed, Thomas G. Franti, Steven R. Tonn

University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension: Historical Materials

Everyone lives in a watershed. A watershed is the land area that contributes water to a location, usually a stream, pond, lake or river. Everything we do on the suface of our watershed impacts the water quality of our streams, wetlands, ponds, lakes and rivers. Like organs in a body, every part of the watershed is essential. What happens in one part affects other downstream parts. This NebFacts discusses the threat of pollutions in our watersheds, common runoff pollutants, and best management practices for protecting the watershed.

Ec05-705 Precision Agriculture: Site-Specific Of Soil Ph (Faq), Viacheslav I. Adamchuk, Jerry Mulliken

University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension: Historical Materials

Site-specific management of soil pH is a precision agriculture practice that can provide positive economic and environmental impacts on modern crop production. This publication addresses several frequently asked questions related to the meaning of soil pH, lime requirement, and quality of data used to prescribe site-specific management of soil pH. What is soil pH? The term “pH” is defined as the negative logarithm of the hydrogen ion activity, and values range from 1 (very acidic) to 14 (very basic).

G03-1528 Recommended Seeding Rates And Hybrid Selection For Rainfed (Dryland) Corn In Nebraska, Robert N. Klein, Drew J. Lyon

University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension: Historical Materials

Differences in climate between Lincoln and Scottsbluff are as great as from Lincoln to the east coast of the United States. These climatic differences across the state greatly affect recommended seeding rates for rainfed corn in Nebraska. This NebGuide provides information useful in assessing accumulated growing degree days, soil type and field conditions, average precipitation, and the field's microclimate when determining seeding rate for dryland corn.

G03-1504 Lime Use For Soil Acidity Management, Martha Mamo, Charles S. Wortmann, Charles A. Shapiro

University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension: Historical Materials

Soil acidity can reduce crop production by directly affecting roots and changing the availability of essential nutrients and toxic elements. Liming can neutralize soil acidity, but several factors can affect the economic benefits of liming. With continuous cropping, soil pH can decrease (i.e., increase in acidity) because of various factors, including crop removal and leaching of basic cations, application of ammoniabased nitrogen fertilizers, and organic matter decomposition. Adding lime or other materials can raise soil pH to the ideal range for crop production, create an environment for a healthy function of microbes, and increase the levels of calcium or magnesium …

Ec02-178 Precision Agriculture: On-The-Go Vehicle-Based Soil Sensors, Viacheslav I. Adamchuk, Paul J. Jasa

University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension: Historical Materials

Imagine that you are entering an unknown field and would like to estimate the productivity of the unfamiliar soil. You may pick up a handful of soil to evaluate its color and texture. You also can feel how difficult it is to break a clod apart, roll it into a ball or press out a ribbon. After repeating this procedure at different field locations, soil depths and times, you get a feeling of both spatial and temporal soil variability. Some of this variability can explain the non-uniformity of crop yield. If you collect soil samples and send them to a …

Nf518 Management Of Phytophthora Diseases Of Soybeans, Loren J. Giesler, Jane A. Christensen, Christopher M. Zwiener

University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension: Historical Materials

Phytophthora diseases of soybean, present wherever soybeans are grown, is outlined in this NebFact.

Ec01-158 Integrating Management Objectives And Grazing Strategies On Semi-Arid Rangeland, Patrick E. Reece, Jerry D. Volesky, Walter H. Schacht

University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension: Historical Materials

Rangelands account for about half of Nebraska's total land area or about 24 million acres. Much of these expansive natural resource areas are in the semi-arid climatic region of Nebraska where grazing management decisions have a profound effect on ranch survival.

The educational object of this circular is to explain management practices that optimize the sustainability of rangeland-based enterprises. Additionally a decision-support tool is provided for selecting grazing systems best suited to livestock production and natural resource management objectives.

Nf01-491 The Corn Stalk Nitrate Test, Charles A. Shapiro, Richard L. Deloughery

University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension: Historical Materials

This NebFact is about several soil and plant nitrogen tests that have been developed for use, before planting or mid-season, to help farmers decide how much nitrogen to apply to their corn.

G01-1433, Environmental Stresses And Tree Health, Jon S. Wilson, Mark O. Harrell

University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension: Historical Materials

Environmental stresses cause many health problems in Nebraska trees. Hot and cold temperatures, drying winds, poor soil and root conditions and human activity can damage leaves, bark and roots, and can predispose trees to secondary insect and disease attack. Keeping a tree in good condition through proper maintenance can prevent many environmentally related health problems.

This NebGuide is intended to help tree owners identify tree health problems caused by environmental stresses and provide ways to prevent or reduce damage.

Ec00-154 Precision Agriculture: Soil Sampling For Precision Agriculture, Richard B. Ferguson, Gary W. Hergert

University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension: Historical Materials

As various aspects of precision agriculture are implemented in Nebraska, some of the most frequent questions asked by producers, fertilizer dealers and crop consultants relate to soil sampling. Should I soil sample this field on a grid? What grid spacing should I use? How often should I sample? Can I use a yield map to tell where to soil sample? All of these are good questions, but often we do not have definitive answers. Site-specific management research conducted in recent years in Nebraska, however, provides some direction on how to implement a soil sampling program for precision agriculture.

G00-1417 Site Preparation: Key To Successful Conservation Tree Planting In Western Nebraska (Revised February 2002), Doak Nickerson

University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension: Historical Materials

Establishing a conservation tree planting can be a challenge in semiarid regions like western Nebraska, where annual precipitation of 20 inches or less is the norm. Tree planting failure commonly occurs as a result of poor site preparation coupled with inadequate weed and grass control the first three to five years after planting. Effective site preparation begins the year before planting. The results help young trees survive and grow in several ways. This NebGuide explains when and how to do site preparation for conservation tree planting in Western Nebraska.

G99-1395 Soybean Seeding Rates, Roger Wesley Elmore, James E. Specht

University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension: Historical Materials

Recommended soybean seeding rates, stand assessment and replanting rates based on Nebraska field research are addressed in this NebGuide. The soybean stand looked horrible late that May. The field had a good seed bed at planting, but rain after planting crusted the soil over the seed furrows. Rain was in the short-term forecast. All other row crops were planted and looked fine, but this field concerned the producer.

Ec98-787 Glossary Of Ecosystem Terms, Thomas G. Franti, R. Herpel, G.R. Lingle

University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension: Historical Materials

This extension circular contains ecosystem definitions from abiotic to wildlife refuge.

G98-1356 Polyacrylamide – A Method To Reduce Soil Erosion, C. Dean Yonts, Brian Benham

University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension: Historical Materials

This NebGuide describes polyacrylamide, what it is, how it can be used to reduce soil erosion due to, irrigation and what water management changes must be considered.

Topsoil loss can mean a long-term reduction in soil productivity, crop yield and the life expectancy of downstream storage reservoirs. In the short term, producers are faced with reuse pits to clean or a buildup of soil at the lower ends of fields which must be redistributed. Measures must be taken to reduce or eliminate soil erosion and sustain Nebraska's soil resource.

G98-1354 Irrigating Corn, Brian Benham

University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension: Historical Materials

This NebGuide discusses corn irrigation strategies options and objectives.

There are over 16 million acres in harvested row crop production in Nebraska. About 8 million of these acres are irrigated. Corn occupies approximately 70 percent of the irrigated acreage, or 5.6 million acres. Given this, improving irrigation management on corn production can have significant positive impacts on the quantity and quality of Nebraska's most precious resource: water.