Agriculture Commons^™

Corn Response To Late-Spring Nitrogen Management In The Walnut Creek Watershed, Douglas L. Karlen, Ana L. Dinnes, Dan B. Jaynes, Charles R. Hurburgh Jr., Cynthia A. Cambardella, Thomas S. Colvin, Glen R. Rippke

Douglas L Karlen

A 400-ha subbasin study within the Walnut Creek watershed near Ames, IA, confirmed that using late-spring soil nitrate nitrogen (NO₃–N) test (LSNT) fertilizer recommendations could significantly reduce NO₃–N loss in drainage water, but detailed crop response was not reported. Herein we summarize corn (Zea mays L.) response to the LSNT program when implemented across the Clarion–Nicollet–Webster soil association. The LSNT was used to determine the recommended N fertilizer rate that was applied uniformly across each field except on check strips where zero or nonlimiting (>220 kg N ha⁻¹) sidedress N was applied. …

Evaluation Of Tillage And Crop Rotation Effects On Groundwater Quality—Nashua Project, Rameshwar S. Kanwar, Douglas Karlen, Thomas S. Colvin, William W. Simpkins, Vince J. Mcfadden

Douglas L Karlen

Sampling shows that agricultural chemicals are occurring increasingly in ground- and surface water in Iowa. The same trend has been reported throughout the United States; one study reported finding 73 pesticides in the groundwater of 34 states. Even pesticides known to be adsorbed to soil particles (and thus relatively immobile) have been found in a few sampled wells in trace concentrations. Nitrate-nitrogen (NO3-N) is the most common agricultural chemical found in groundwater. Nitrogen fertilizers and pesticides applied to the soil surface prior to and immediately following crop planting are particularly susceptible to surface runoff or leaching to groundwater through the …

Planting Date Effects On Wintertriticale Grain And Forage Yield, Lance R. Gibson, Aaron J. Schwarte, David N. Sundberg, Douglas L. Karlen

Douglas L Karlen

Triticale (trit-ah-kay-lee) is a close relative of wheat. When durum wheat is pollinated with rye pollen, the cross is used in a breeding program to produce these stable, self-replicating varieties. Triticale yield, stress tolerance, and disease resistance are typically greater than similar traits found in wheat. Triticale doesn’t currently possess the grain traits of bread wheat, so its greatest market potential is as animal feed.

Planting Date Effects On Winter Triticale Grain Yield, Lance R. Gibson, Aaron J. Schwarte, David N. Sundberg, Douglas L. Karlen

Douglas L Karlen

Triticale (trit-ah-kay-lee) is a close relative of wheat resulting from pollinating durum wheat with rye pollen and using the cross in a breeding program to produce stable, self-replicating varieties. Yield, stress tolerance, and disease resistance are typically greater in triticale than in wheat. Triticale doesn’t currently possess the grain traits of bread wheat, so its greatest market potential is as animal feed.

Soil Quality, Yield Stability And Economic Attributes Of Alternative Crop Rotations, Douglas L. Karlen, Cynthia A. Cambardella, Antonio P. Mallarino

Douglas L Karlen

Three long-term rotational crop studies in Iowa and one in Wisconsin were examined for conclusive evidence of rotational effects on soil quality. Long-term yield data also were evaluated to determine if there was a quantifiable relationship between soil quality and yield or yield stability.

Simulated N Management Effects On Corn Yield And Tile-Drainage Nitrate Loss, Robert W. Malone, Liwang Ma, Philip Heilman, Douglas L. Karlen, Ramesh S. Kanwar, Jerry L. Hatfield

Douglas L Karlen

Thoroughly tested simulation models are needed to help quantify the long-term effects of agriculture. We evaluated the Root Zone Water Quality Model (RZWQM) response to different N management strategies and then used the tested model with observed weather data from 1961–2003 to quantify long-term effects on corn (Zea mays L.) yield and flow weighted nitrate-N concentration in subsurface “tile” drainage water (Nconc). Fourteen years (1990–2003) of field data from 30, 0.4 ha plots in northeast Iowa were available for model testing. Annual crop yield, nitrate-N loss to subsurface “tile” drainage water (Nloss), Nconc, and subsurface “tile” drainage amount (drain) …

A Five-Year Assessment Of Corn Stover Harvest In Central Iowa, Usa, Douglas Karlen, Stuart J. Birrell, J. Richard Hess

Douglas L Karlen

Sustainable feedstock harvest strategies are needed to ensure bioenergy production does not irreversibly degrade soil resources. The objective for this study was to document corn (Zea mays L.) grain and stover fraction yields, plant nutrient removal and replacement costs, feedstock quality, soil-test changes, and soil quality indicator response to four stover harvest strategies for continuous corn and a corn–soybean [Glycine max. (L.) Merr.] rotation. The treatments included collecting (1) all standing plant material above a stubble height of 10 cm (whole plant), (2) the upper-half by height (ear shank upward), (3) the lower-half by height (from the …

Corn Stover Nutrient Removal Estimates For Central Iowa, Usa, Douglas Karlen, John Kovar, Stuart J. Birrell

Douglas L Karlen

One of the most frequent producer-asked questions to those persons striving to secure sustainable corn (Zea mays L.) stover feedstock supplies for Iowa’s new bioenergy conversion or other bio-product facilities is “what quantity of nutrients will be removed if I harvest my stover?” Our objective is to summarize six years of field research from central Iowa, U.S.A. where more than 600, 1.5 m2 samples were collected by hand and divided into four plant fractions: vegetative material from the ear shank upward (top), vegetative material from approximately 10 cm above the soil surface to just below the ear (bottom), cobs, and …

Cropping System Effects On No3-N Loss With Subsurface Drainage Water, Allah Bakhsh, Rameshwar S. Kanwar, Theodore B. Bailey, Cynthia A. Cambardella, Douglas Karlen, Thomas S. Colvin

Douglas L Karlen

An appropriate combination of tillage and nitrogen management practices will be necessary to develop sustainable farming practices. A six–year (1993–1998) field study was conducted on subsurface–drained Clyde–Kenyon–Floyd soils to quantify the impact of two tillage systems (chisel plow vs. no tillage) and two N fertilizer management practices (preplant single application vs. late–spring soil test based application) on nitrate–nitrogen (NO3–N) leaching loss with subsurface drain discharge from corn (Zea mays L.) soybean (Glycine max L.) rotation plots. Preplant injected urea ammonium nitrate solution (UAN) fertilizer was applied at the rate of 110 kg ha–1 to chisel plow and no–till corn plots, …

Tillage System Effects On 15-Year Carbon-Based And Simulated N Budgets In A Tile-Drained Iowa Field, Douglas L. Karlen, Ajay Kumar, Ramesh S. Kanwar, Cynthia A. Cambardella, Thomas S. Colvin

Douglas L Karlen

Tillage influences N fate and transport by changing soil structure, aeration, macropore continuity, plant-residue placement, and organic-matter mineralization rates. Our objective was to use 15-year N budgets to compare four primary tillage treatments for continuous corn (Zea mays L.) production on tile-drained Aquic Hapludolls (FAO: Haplic Phaeozems) in northeastern Iowa, USA. A carbon-based N budget used annual grain yield, grain-N concentrations measured in 1992, changes in surface-soil C content between 1977 and 1988 or 1992, surface-soil C : N ratios, and measurements of NO3–N lost in tile-drainage water. It accounted for 98, 104, 99, and 99% of the fertilizer N …

Alternative N Fertilizer Management Strategies Effects On Subsurface Drain Effluent And N Uptake, David L. Bjorneberg, Douglas L. Karlen, Rameshwar S. Kanwar, Cynthia A. Cambardella

Douglas L Karlen

Demonstrating positive environmental benefits of alternative N fertilizer management strategies, without adversely affecting crop growth or yield, was a major goal for the Midwest Management Systems Evaluation Areas (MSEA) program. Our project objectives within this program were to quantify the effects of split- and single-N fertilization strategies on NO3-N concentration and loss in subsurface drain effluent and N accumulation and yield of corn (Zea mays L.) and soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.]. The study was conducted on glacial till derived soils in northeast Iowa from 1993 through 1995 using no-till and chisel plow tillage treatments. One-third of the 2,611 effluent …

Winter Grazing Of Corn Residues: Effects On Soil Properties And Subsequent Crop Yields From A Corn-Soybean Crop Rotation, W. Darrell Busby, James R. Russell, Douglas L. Karlen, L. James Secor, Brian Peterson, Carroll Olson, Shawn C. Shouse, Dallas L. Maxwell

Douglas L Karlen

Corn residues could be a good resource for winter cattle grazing. The study investigates whether winter grazing causes soil compaction and yield reduction in crops that are planted following grazing.

Effects Of Corn Crop Residue Grazing On Soil Physical Properties And Subsequent Soybean Production In A Corn–Soybean Crop Rotation, Justin Clark, James R. Russell, Douglas Karlen, W. Darrell Busby, Brian Peterson, Larry Pellack, Dallas L. Maxwell

Douglas L Karlen

For three years beginning in 1999, a 96-acre field near Atlantic, Iowa was used to study the effects of corn residue grazing by beef cows on soil characteristics and soybean yields in subsequent years. Each winter, cows were allowed to graze corn crop residues inside selected paddocks in four sub-fields over five monthly periods. To compare the effects of grazing, one paddock was left as an ungrazed control. At the end of grazing in the spring, soil bulk density, moisture content, and penetration resistance were measured inside and 15 ft outside twelve grazing exclosures in each paddock. Soil surface roughness, …

Choosing A Bt Transgenic Corn Hybrid, R. J. Wright, Thomas E. Hunt, J. F. Witkowski, Blair Siegfried, John E. Foster

John E. Foster

Describes traits of various Bt corn hybrids and factors to consider when selecting and using these hybrids.

Interagency Disputes Over Dry Fields Or Clean Water: A Case Study Of The Conflict Between Agricultural Drainage Programs And The Chesapeake Bay Cleanup, Timothy J. Lindon, Mark P. Gergen

Mark P. Gergen

Despite the threat posed to Chesapeake Bay by agricultural runoff, SCS continues to plan and fund agricultural drainage projects which will worsen the already critical condition of the bay. One such project now under consideration for the Delmarva peninsula in Maryland and Delaware is discussed. The upper Chester river watershed project provides a case study of the environmental peril posed by drainage projects and of the difficulty environmental agencies confront in seeking to compel other agencies to consider adequately the harmful consequences of their actions. ( 24 references, )

Tb181: 2000 Milk Processing Costs In Maine, Timothy J. Dalton, George K. Criner, John Halloran

George K. Criner

The objective of this study is to provide an estimate of the theoretically lowest achievable costs of processing and distributing milk in Maine. This processing and distribution margin (referred hence as "margin") is estimated for a state-of-the-art processing plant assumed to be located in the Portland, Maine, area. The plant is assumed to produce and distribute a line of products including white milk, chocolate milk, orange juice, and other fruit drinks, and to distribute additional purchased products such as cheeses and yogurts. This report will present information for four plants to better study the impact of plant size and production …

Tb158: Milk Processing And Distribution Costs: Maine 1993, Stephan C. Howick, George K. Criner, Stephen L. Jacobs

George K. Criner

The objective of this study is to provide an updated estimate of the theoretically lowest achievable costs of processing and distributing milk in Maine. Costs are estimated for a state-of-the-art processing plant assumed to be located in the Portland, Maine, area. The plant produces and distributes a full line of products, including white milk, chocolate milk, and orange juice, and distributes additional products such as cheeses and yogurts.

B853: Cost Of Producing Milk In Maine: Results From The 2010 Dairy Cost Of Production Survey, Richard Kersbergen, Gary Anderson, George Criner, Anthony Davis

George K. Criner

The present study reports on a survey conducted for the Maine Milk Commission to determine the cost of milk production for 2010. This assessment was undertaken sooner than the normal three-year update because of the difficult economic climate for dairy farms in Maine.

Tb204: Organic Milk Production In Maine: Attributes, Costs, And Returns, Amelia L. Cook, Patrick S. Heacock, George K. Criner, Lisa A. Bragg

George K. Criner

This report summarizes attributes, costs, and returns for organic dairy farms in Maine that responded to the 2008 dairy cost of production survey. This survey and analysis was conducted by the University of Maine in cooperation with the Maine Milk Commission. This publication reports on data collected over the 2007 production year. Analysis and discussion of the data revolve around four categories. The first category averages all 30 organic farms to create a statewide group. The authors then broke these 30 farms into three size groups (small, medium, and large) based on the number of cows on each farm. There …

Tb205: Cost Of Supplemental Irrigation For Potato Production In Maine, David Silver, Ermias Afeworki, George Criner

George K. Criner

This report presents estimated irrigation costs for potato production in Maine. The variability of the weather in Maine (particularly precipitation) has a large influence on crop yields and overall farm profitability. The use of supplemental irrigation on high-value agricultural crops can improve the economic situation of farmers who use this equipment efficiently. Costs considered in this report include capital costs (equipment, interest, water development (pond construction, permitting, engineering), and operating and maintenance costs (labor, power, repair).

Tb140: Milk Processing And Distribution Costs: The Maine Model, Steven L. Jacobs, George K. Criner

George K. Criner

The objective of this study is to estimate the theoretically lowest achievable costs of processing and distributing milk in Maine. Costs are estimated for two state-of-the-art processing plants. The first plant produces and distributes a full line of products, including white milk, chocolate milk, orange juice, buttermilk, and distributes additional products such as cheeses and yogurts. The other plant produces a limited line of products including white milk packaged in plastic gallon and plastic half-gallon containers only. Both hypothetical plants are assumed to be located in the Portland, Maine, area.

Work Integrated Learning In Stem In Australian Universities: Final Report: Submitted To The Office Of The Chief Scientist, Daniel Edwards, Kate Perkins, Jacob Pearce, Jennifer Hong

Dr Daniel Edwards

The Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) undertook this study for the Office of the Chief Scientist (OCS). It explores the practice and application of Work Integrated Learning (WIL) in STEM, with a particular focus on natural and physical sciences, information technology, and agriculture departments in Australian universities. The project involved a detailed ‘stocktake’ of WIL in practice in these disciplines, with collection of information by interview, survey instruments, consultation with stakeholders and literature reviews. Every university in Australia was visited as part of this project, with interviews and consultation sessions gathering insight from more than 120 academics and support …

Work Integrated Learning In Stem In Australian Universities: Final Report: Submitted To The Office Of The Chief Scientist, Daniel Edwards, Kate Perkins, Jacob Pearce, Jennifer Hong

Dr Jacob Pearce

The Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) undertook this study for the Office of the Chief Scientist (OCS). It explores the practice and application of Work Integrated Learning (WIL) in STEM, with a particular focus on natural and physical sciences, information technology, and agriculture departments in Australian universities. The project involved a detailed ‘stocktake’ of WIL in practice in these disciplines, with collection of information by interview, survey instruments, consultation with stakeholders and literature reviews. Every university in Australia was visited as part of this project, with interviews and consultation sessions gathering insight from more than 120 academics and support …

Effect Of Particle Size, Coupling Agent And Ddgs Additions On Paulownia Wood Polypropylene Composites, Brent Tisserat, Louis Reifschneider, David A. Grewell, Gowrishankar Srinivasan

Gowrishankar Srinivasan

Studies aimed at improving the tensile, flexural, impact, thermal, and physical characteristics of wood–plastic composites composed of Paulownia wood flour derived from 36-month-old trees blended with polypropylene were conducted. Composites of 25% and 40% w/w of Paulownia wood were produced by twin-screw compounding and injection molding. Composites containing 0–10% by weight of maleated polypropylene were evaluated and an optimum maleated polypropylene concentration determined, i.e., 5%. The particle size distribution of Paulownia wood filler is shown to have an effect on the tensile and flexural properties of the composites. Novel combination composites of dried distiller’s grain with solubles mixed with Paulownia …

Ultrasonic Enhanced Liquefaction And Saccharification Of Corn For Bio-Fuel Production, Samir Kumar Khanal, Melissa T. Montalbo, Johannes Van Leeuwen, Gowrishankar Srinivasan, David A. Grewell

Gowrishankar Srinivasan

Dry grind corn milling does not reach full efficiency of starch conversion to sugars and subsequently to ethanol because of limitations in the milling process. This paper examines the use of high-power ultrasonics to enhance the release of fermentable sugars from milled dry corn. In this work, 20 kHz ultrasonic energy was used to pretreat corn mash prior to enzymatic conversion of corn starch to glucose in a batch-mode. The ultrasonic amplitude was varied from 0, 191 to 320 µm _pp . The corn mash was sonicated for 0 (control), 20 and 40 seconds. Other experimental variables that were studied …

Improvement Of Mechanical Properties And Water Stability Of Vegetable Protein Based Plastics, Gowrishankar Srinivasan

Gowrishankar Srinivasan

Bio-renewable bio-degradable plastics are a potential solution to the growing problems of pollution caused by petroleum plastics and dependency on foreign nations for petroleum resources. One possible feed stock for these materials are vegetable proteins, especially from soy bean and corn. These proteins have relatively high molecular weights and have the potential of being processed with standard polymer processing technologies. But some issues that need to be addressed are their water instability (soy protein) and inferior mechanical properties as compared to petroleum derived plastics. In this study, soy protein isolates (SPI) and zein protein was processed with various additives and …

Spectroscopic Characterization Of Disodium Hydrogen Orthophosphate And Sodium Nitrate After Biofield Treatment, Mahendra Kumar Trivedi, Alice Branton, Dahryn Trivedi, Gopal Nayak, Khemraj Bairwa, Snehasis Jana

Mahendra Kumar Trivedi

Characterization Of Physical, Thermal And Structural Properties Of Chromium (Vi) Oxide Powder: Impact Of Biofield Treatment, Mahendra Kumar Trivedi, Rama Mohan Tallapragada, Alice Branton, Dahryn Trivedi, Gopal Nayak, Omprakash Latiyal, Snehasis Jana

Mahendra Kumar Trivedi

Potential Impact Of Biofield Treatment On Atomic And Physical Characteristics Of Magnesium, Mahendra Kumar Trivedi, Rama Mohan Tallapragada, Alice Branton, Dahryn Trivedi, Gopal Nayak, Omprakash Latiyal, Snehasis Jana

Mahendra Kumar Trivedi

Biofield Treatment: A Potential Strategy For Modification Of Physical And Thermal Properties Of Indole, Mahendra Kumar Trivedi, Rama Mohan Tallapragada, Alice Branton, Dahryn Trivedi, Gopal Nayak, Rakesh K. Mishra, Snehasis Jana

Mahendra Kumar Trivedi