Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Profitability Of Variable Rate Fertilization On A Kentucky Soil (A Theoretical Analysis), Lloyd W. Murdock, Paula L. Howe

Soil Science News and Views

Grid soil sampling and variable rate fertilizer applications are a part of the precision agriculture movement that has captured the interest of many farmers. Variable rate fertilization requires extra expense and effort plus the use of often unfamiliar technology. Global Positioning Systems (GPS) equipment and computer software are used to outline and grid the field into small manageable units or “cells” (usually 2.5 acres). Each grid cell is soil sampled and tested for pH and available nutrients. Fertilizer recommendations are made on each grid cell and the fertilizer is spread by each grid cell using a truck equipped with GPS …

Hydrogeology And Ground-Water Monitoring Of Coal-Ash Disposal Sites In A Karst Terrane Near Burnside, South-Central Kentucky, Shelley Minns Hutcheson, Lyle V. A. Sendlein, James S. Dinger, James C. Currens, Arsin M. Sahba

Report of Investigations--KGS

The effects of two coal-ash disposal facilities on ground-water quality at the John Sherman Cooper Power Plant, located in a karst region of south-central Kentucky, were evaluated using dye traces in springs. Springs were used for monitoring rather than wells, because in a karst terrane wells are unlikely to intercept individual conduits.

A closed-out ash pond located over a conduit-flow system discharges to three springs in the upper Salem and Warsaw Formations along Lake Cumberland. Water discharging from these downgradient springs is similar to springs unaffected by ash-disposal facilities and is a calcium-bicarbonate type. No constituent concentrations found in this …

Fresh-Water Aquifer In The Knox Group (Cambrian–Ordovician) Of Central Kentucky, James A. Kipp

Report of Investigations--KGS

Fresh water can be found in Cambrian and Ordovician carbonate rocks of the Knox Group in central Kentucky. The top of the aquifer is as much as 300 ft above mean sea level (m.s.l.) on the crest of the Cincinnati Arch, but descends off the flanks of the arch. Water is normally found in the upper 100 to 250 ft of the Knox, primarily in secondary porosity apparently associated with the unconformity at the top of the unit. Knox wells commonly exceed 750 ft in total depth, but because the aquifer is artesian, water rises to an elevation of about …

Indicator Bacteria Concentrations Of Two Northwest Arkansas Streams In Relation To Flow And Season, Dwayne R. Edwards, Mark S. Coyne, Tommy C. Daniel, P. F. Vendrell, J. F. Murdoch, P. A. Moore Jr.

Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering Faculty Publications

Concentrations of indicator bacteria such as fecal coliform (FC) and fecal streptococcus (FS) are often used to assess the suitability of waters for their intended use(s) and to allocate resources for water quality improvement measures. There is evidence, however, that concentrations of FC and FS can be influenced by variables such as season and flow rate during sampling, which could lead to biased results. The objective of this study was to assess the impacts of season and flow rate on concentrations of FC and FS. Fecal indicator bacteria concentrations were measured for approximately three years at five sites on two …

Computer Modeling Of The North Fork Of The Kentucky River Using Swat And Basins, T. Bischoff, S. Yost, L. Ormsbee, T. Stumbur

KWRRI Research Reports

The purpose of this study was to investigate possible watershed models for use in the State of Kentucky's new watershed framework initiative and to apply the selected model(s) to the North Fork of the Kentucky River as part of an initial pilot project. SWAT and BASINS models were compared.

Gis Linkage With Hydrologic Models: Application To The North Fork Of The Kentucky River (With Geo-Spatial Data Needs And Sources), T. Stumbur, L. Ormsbee

KWRRI Research Reports

This report focuses on links between GIS and hydrologic models and geo-spatial data needs and sources. The use and calibration of the hydrologic models reviewed in this paper are addressed by another report (see Bischoff, Yost, Ormsbee 1997.)

Part 1 of this report explains the general principles of a GIS database. It gives an overview of the Arc/Info and ArcView data models by providing a brief description of each spatial data format and explaining how spatial and tabular data are linked in a GIS environment. Part 1 also addresses the data compatibility issues related to projection, scale and resolution of …

Kentucky Watershed Priority Formula: Application Guidelines And Data Requirements, L. Ormsbee, Lee Colten

KWRRI Research Reports

This report presents a methodology for ranking and selecting individual 11-digit HUCs for subsequent development of detailed watershed management plans as part of the Kentucky Watershed Management Framework. The proposed methodology consists of two phases: 1) Prioritization and 2) Targeting. The prioritization phase is used to rank 11-digit HUCs on the basis of existing special protection areas and the existence or potential existence of designated use impairment. The prioritization is accomplished using a priority watershed formula developed especially for this purpose. The formula is intended to serve as an objective tool for compiling environmental indicators to rank watershedsand for use …

How Accurate Are Uk's Nitrogen Recommendations For Corn?, Kenneth L. Wells, James E. Dollarhide, David C. Ditsch

Soil Science News and Views

Average corn yields produced on soils with high yield potential have steadily been increasing in Kentucky during the past several years. Yields from such soils in years with adequate amounts of rainfall well distributed over the growing season (May-September) may average 180 to 200 bushels per acre. A bushel of corn with crude protein content of 8 to 9% contains about 1.3 to 1.4% total nitrogen (N) on a dry matter basis. This is about 0.6 to 0.7 lbs total N per bushel of corn (at 15.5% moisture), or 108 to 126 lbs N per acre for a 180 bu/A …

Economics Of Precision Farming: Payoff In The Future, Jess Lowenberg-Beboer

Soil Science News and Views

Precision agriculture is an infant technology. This infant has some of the signs of eventual greatness, but its full capacities will not be evident for some years. Like all infants, it will require an investment of time and resources to help it to maturity. This investment will have some short term payoff, but the main benefits will be in the future.

The purpose of this presentation is to help you manage your adoption of precision farming technology for that future payoff. The specific objectives will be to:review what we have learned about the economics of precision farming, identify future benefits, …

Tillage Slows Fecal Bacteria Infiltration Through Soil, Mark S. Coyne, S. W. Mcmurry, E. Perfect

Soil Science News and Views

Bacterial pathogens can degrade ground water quality by infiltrating and eroding from land treated with poultry wastes. The potential for ground water contamination (as well as associated health risks and cost of water treatment) greatly depends on the depth of soil to the water table or bedrock and soil structure. Pathogens must move through the soil profile to contaminate ground water (although sinkholes can provide a direct channel from the soil surface to the water table in karst areas). Deep soils have less potential for contamination than shallow soils. Structureless soils retain fecal bacteria better than well structured soils. Research …

Filter Strip Length And Fecal Bacteria Trapping From Poultry Waste - An Update, Mark S. Coyne, R. A. Gilfillen, Robert L. Blevins

Soil Science News and Views

Cheap, efficient, and environmentally sound waste disposal will be needed as Kentucky's broiler industry expands. The filter strip length needed to protect water resources from contaminants in surface runoff is a pressing issue in waste management and water quality. In a previous Soil Science News and Views (Vol. 15, No. 8) we reported that grass filter strips as short as 15 feet can trap over 90% of the fecal bacteria eroding from land-applied and incorporated poultry waste during runoff following rainstorms. In this update, we provide some additional information and conclusions from that study on filter strip length, based on …

Soil Management For Intensive Grazing, Kenneth L. Wells, Charles T. Dougherty

Soil Science News and Views

Recycling of plant nutrients is of major concern in managing paddocks in pasturefields for intensive grazing. Redistribution of nutrients present in fecal and urine deposits is an important issue in growing climatically and seasonally-adapted forage species and for efficient conversion of herbage into animal products while adding to the sustainability of the system. Some of the questions that arise in managing soils for intensive grazing are discussed below.

Oil And Gas Map Of The Middlesboro 30 X 60 Minute Quadrangle, Kentucky, Anna E. Watson, Lance G. Morris, Brandon C. Nuttall, Daniel I. Carey

Map and Chart--KGS

The purpose of the oil and gas map series is to portray the distribution of oil and gas resources in a manner useful to the oil and gas industry and to others interested in subsurface research.

Runoff Quality Responses To Cattle-Gazing Strategy And Grassed Buffer Zone Length, Dwayne R. Edwards, Brian T. Larsen, Teng T. Lim

KWRRI Research Reports

Grazed pastures represent a source of potential nonpoint pollution. In comparison to other nonpoint sources (e.g., row-cropped lands), relatively little information exists regarding possible magnitudes of pollution from grazed pasture; how that pollution is affected by weather, soil, management and other variables; and how the pollution can be minimized. The objective of this study was to assess how the quality of runoff from simulated grazed pasture is influenced by grazing duration (4-12 weeks), grazing strategy (no grazing, conventional grazing and rotational grazing), and by the use of grassed buffer strips (ranging in length from O to 18.3 m) installed down-slope …

Development Of A River Basin Management Framework Using Gis And Watershed Modeling: Application To The North Fork Of The Kentucky River, L. Ormsbee, S. Yost, T. Stumbur, T. Bischoff

KWRRI Research Reports

No abstract provided.