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Full-Text Articles in Agriculture

Release Of Roadside Native Perennial Grasses Following Removal Of Yellow Starthistle, Stephen L. Young, Victor P. Claassen Dec 2008

Release Of Roadside Native Perennial Grasses Following Removal Of Yellow Starthistle, Stephen L. Young, Victor P. Claassen

West Central Research and Extension Center, North Platte

The ecological benefits of a roadside native perennial grass stand are compromised when invasive species become established. We evaluated the potential to regenerate existing native perennial grass stands populated with yellow starthistle (Centaurea solstitialis) on a roadside planting in the lowland hills of the interior Coast Range of northern California. The experiment was designed to determine the effects of mowing, burning, or herbicide spraying, alone and in combination, on the vegetative cover and density of native perennial grasses and C. solstitialis. The study site contained blue wildrye (Elymus glaucus) and purple needlegrass (Nassella pulchra) as well as C. solstitialis. Burn, …


Effect Of Crop Residue On Soil Water Content And Yield Of Sprinkler-Irrigated Corn, Simon Van Donk, Derrel Martin, Suat Irmak, Steven Melvin, James Petersen Jan 2008

Effect Of Crop Residue On Soil Water Content And Yield Of Sprinkler-Irrigated Corn, Simon Van Donk, Derrel Martin, Suat Irmak, Steven Melvin, James Petersen

West Central Research and Extension Center, North Platte

Competition for water is becoming more intense in many parts of the USA, including west-central Nebraska. It is believed that reduced tillage with increased crop residue conserves water, but the magnitude of water savings is not clear. In 2007, a study was initiated on the effect of residue on soil water content and crop yield at North Platte, Nebraska. The experiment was conducted on a set of plots planted to field corn (Zea mays). There were two treatments: residue-covered soil and bare soil. Bare-soil plots were created by using a dethatcher and subsequent hand-raking, removing most of the …


Crop Residue In North Dakota: Measured And Simulated By The Wind Erosion Prediction System, Simon Van Donk, S. D. Merrill, D. L. Tanaka, J. M. Krupinsky Jan 2008

Crop Residue In North Dakota: Measured And Simulated By The Wind Erosion Prediction System, Simon Van Donk, S. D. Merrill, D. L. Tanaka, J. M. Krupinsky

West Central Research and Extension Center, North Platte

Residue cover is very important for controlling soil erosion by water and wind. Thus, the Wind Erosion Prediction System (WEPS) includes a model for the decomposition of crop residue. It simulates the fall rate of standing residue and the decomposition of standing and flat residue as a function of temperature and moisture. It also calculates residue cover from flat residue mass. Most of the data used to develop and parameterize this model have been collected in the southern U.S. We compared WEPS‐simulated residue cover with that measured in south‐central North Dakota for 50 two‐year cropping sequences from nine crops species …


Using Temporally Limited Wind Data In The Wind Erosion Prediction System, Simon Van Donk, Chaoying Liao, Edward L. Skidmore Jan 2008

Using Temporally Limited Wind Data In The Wind Erosion Prediction System, Simon Van Donk, Chaoying Liao, Edward L. Skidmore

West Central Research and Extension Center, North Platte

The Wind Erosion Prediction System (WEPS) is a computer model for the simulation of windblown sediment loss from a field. The model is used to evaluate the effect of alternative cropping systems and management scenarios on wind erosion. WEPS requires hourly wind data, which for many locations are unavailable. Therefore, the objective of our research was to investigate whether wind speed and direction can be simulated adequately from temporally limited data and to determine suitable times of the day to take measurements if only a few measurements per day can be made. For three locations (La Junta, Colorado; Sidney, Nebraska; …


Native Perennial Grasses In Highway Medians: Pre- And Postplant Techniques For Establishment In A Mediterranean Climate, Stephen L. Young, Victor P. Claassen Jan 2008

Native Perennial Grasses In Highway Medians: Pre- And Postplant Techniques For Establishment In A Mediterranean Climate, Stephen L. Young, Victor P. Claassen

West Central Research and Extension Center, North Platte

Within highway rights-of-way, native perennial grasses provide desirable services to support natural and human constructed ecosystems. However, native perennial grass establishment in annual grass dominated roadsides of semiarid and Mediterranean climates of the western United States requires specific cultural and chemical management treatments to control weeds. In 2004, field studies were conducted in Sacramento Valley, California to determine the effect of herbicide, disc cultivation, and species selection on native perennial grass establishment and annual weed persistence. Perennial grass species mixes common to drier and wetter upland areas in northern California were drill seeded at two sites (I-5 North and I-5 …