Earth Sciences Commons^™

Analysis Of Soil Change Across Nebraska, Trinity Baker

School of Natural Resources: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The world’s population is growing and an increasing populace requires more resources. These requirements place increasing pressure on the environment and the soil. Soils serve many important functions throughout the world. These functions range from offering a media for food production, providing a sink for organic carbon, nutrient cycling, and improving water quality. It is important to focus on the human impact on soils and their change over time.

For my research I examined how soils across Nebraska have changed over a time period of roughly 65 years. I sampled and analyzed 39 pedons from four Major Land Resource Areas …

Water Resources, Agriculture And Pasture: Implications Of Growing Demand And Increasing Scarcity, M. W. Rosegrant, R. A. Valmonte-Santos, S. A. Cline, C. Ringler, W. Li

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Key points

1. Water availability for irrigation is threatened in many regions by rapidly increasing demand for nonagricultural water uses in industry, households, and the environment. The scarcity of irrigation water will not only impact crop production, but also meat production, as much of the pasture used to feed livestock is irrigated.

2. Grassland is caught between two countervailing forces: a requirement for increasing meat demand that boosts the need for additional pasture to support livestock production, and rapidly increasing water scarcity that makes pasture irrigation uneconomical.

3. The most effective means of dealing with water scarcity is likely to …

Irrigation’S Impact On A Precipitation Event During Grainex In Nebraska, Usa, Daniel Whitesel

School of Natural Resources: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Numerous precipitation events were observed during the Great Plains Irrigation Experiment (GRAINEX). However, the precipitation event that was observed the morning of 23 July 2018 is the focus of this thesis. Six experiments were conducted which involved increasing or decreasing soil moisture by 5% increments over the irrigated cropland. An additional experiment, which changed the irrigated land use to grassland, showed precipitation increases. It was found that regardless of strength of irrigation, average precipitation decreased. Average precipitation decreased by up to 72% when irrigation increased compared to the control simulation and decreased by up to 85% when irrigation decreased compared …

Comparison Of Summer Forages And The Effect Of Nitrogen Fertilizers On Brassica Forages In Tasmania, A. A. Salardini, R. J. Eckard, D. R. Franks

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Summer forage crops, and in particular Brassica spp., have become increasingly popular in dairy production systems in Tasmania. Field experiments were conducted for 3 years in northwestern Tasmania, in the spring/summers beginning in 1995. The study aimed to compare yield and quality of Brassica and Poaceae forages and the response of Brassica species to nitrogen (N) (50, 100 and 200 kg N/ha) and irrigation.

The average total yields of dryland (rainfed) crops in 1995 to 1997 experiments, were turnip (Brassica rapa) 9.3 t/ha, rape (B. napus) 5.9 t/ha, oats (Aevena sativa) 5.2 t/ha, kale …

Irrigation Management Strategies For Fodder Beet (Beta Vulgaris L.) Crops, Edith N. Khaembah, John M. De Ruiter, E. Chakwizira, S. Maley, M. J. George

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

The production of fodder beet (Beta vulgaris L.) in New Zealand is concentrated in the South Island, and often requires irrigation to achieve high yields. Development of efficient irrigation management strategies requires information on the effect of timing and rate of irrigation on crop growth. A field study was conducted on a moderately deep soil at Chertsey, Canterbury, New Zealand, to evaluate crop growth responses to five irrigation managements: Rain-fed (control), weekly replacement of full evapotranspiration (FullET-weekly), and 50% of evapotranspiration replaced weekly (HalfET-weekly), fortnightly (HalfET-2weekly) or 3-weekly (HalfET-3weekly). Irrigation to replace ET was adjusted to account for rainfall …

Impact Of Increasing Nitrogen Fertilizer Rates Upon An Irrigated Tanzania Grass Pasture. 1. Dry Matter Yield, F. Queiroz-Neto, G. B. Martha Jr., M. A. Penati, M. Corsi, M. J. T. Menezes

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

An experiment was carried out with irrigated Tanzania grass (Panicum maximum, Jacq.) pasture receiving five nitrogen (N) rates of (0, 30, 60, 90 and 120 kg N ha-¹ cut-¹) during the growing season. N application increased dry matter yield and Tanzania growth rate linearly (P < 0.05). Responses to nitrogen applications were higher in the first two cuts of the growing season than in the last two cuts. The N fertilizer conversion into herbage dry matter was also higher in the beginning of the growing season.

Water Management For Establishment Of Alfalfa (Medicago Sativa L.), J. B. Rassini, E. J. A. Leme

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

This research was carried out in 1997, at the “Centro de Ciências Agrárias” of the “Universidade Federal de São Carlos”, in Araras, SP, Brazil, to evaluate the behavior of three growth stages (S₁ = initial vegetative stage, S₂ = full vegetative stage, and S₃ = reproductive stage) of the “Crioula” alfalfa cultivar, in the presence of four water levels (L₁ = 100%, L₂ = 80%, L₃ = 45-50% and, L₄ =20-25% of a sprinkler irrigation) in a field trial. Growth stages changed according to water levels, and S₂ stage was the most …

Nitrogen Or Water Limitation To Grassland Growth During A Moderate Dry Season In The Humid Tropics, P. Cruz, M. Boval

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

The aim of this work was to compare the effects of nitrogen and water shortage on grassland production during a moderate dry season in a tropical humid environment. The results of two experiments carried out in Guadeloupe (FWI) have shown that during dry spells, the reduction in growth of natural grasslands based on Angleton grass (Dichantium aristatum) is more easily corrected by nitrogen fertiliser application than by irrigation. This shows that it is not the availability of water, but that of nitrogen, which is limiting the primary production of Angleton grass, stands. This result is less clear for …

Long-Term Changes In Soil Surface Properties As Affected By Management Practices In A Wheat-Soybean, Double-Crop System, Machaela Morrison

Crop, Soil and Environmental Sciences Undergraduate Honors Theses

Long-term agricultural sustainability and productivity are controlled by the integrative effects of different management practices on the soil. Many Arkansas producers use the double-crop system to grow soybeans [Glycine max (L.) Merr] and wheat (Triticum aestivum L.). Studying combinations of different, non-traditional, alternative agricultural techniques may help producers better understand the long-term implications of various management practice options on sustainability and productivity. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of agricultural management practices, including residue level, tillage, irrigation, and burning, and soil depth on the change in various soil properties from 2010 to 2020 in …

Estimating Irrigation In Rice Fields With A Water Balance Approach, Kristen Trinh

Biological and Agricultural Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

Global food production must increase to meet the demand associated with increased population growth, so irrigation water use will continue to rise. Therefore, it is important to monitor water usage particularly when an irrigation flowmeter is unavailable. A field water balance was created for a selection of rice fields in East-central Arkansas under observation in 2018 and 2019. From those, irrigation inputs are deduced from the water balance alone. First, each field had sensors that collected water table level (WTL) data. Next, other water inputs and outputs such as precipitation and evapotranspiration (ET) were collected from two modeled sources. The …

Impacts Of Irrigated Agriculture On The Near Surface And Planetary Boundary Layer Atmosphere: Results From The Great Plains Irrigation Experiment (Grainex), Emilee Lachenmeier

School of Natural Resources: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Modification of natural prairie grasslands into irrigated and rainfed agriculture in the Great Plains produced significant impacts on regional weather and climate including temperatures, precipitation, energy fluxes, and the planetary boundary layer (PBL) atmosphere. The Great Plains Irrigation Experiment (GRAINEX) during the 2018 growing season collected data over irrigated and non-irrigated crop fields to further understand these impacts. The data were collected during two intensive observation periods (IOPs) in early June (IOP 1: 30 May – 13 June of 2018) and late July (IOP 2: 16 July – 30 July of 2018). The data analyzed include latent (LE) and sensible …

Agricultural Irrigation Induced Evaporation In A Temperate Study Area: A Stable Isotope Approach, Lincoln Grevengoed

Masters Theses

In regions where groundwater is used for irrigation, significant water losses take place due to evaporation. Previous studies demonstrated the utility of stable oxygen and hydrogen isotopes in estimating evaporative water loss experienced during return flow back to an aquifer. Unlike arid regions where the other studies took place, this study examined the region around Kalamazoo, Michigan, the United States, which experiences a more temperate climate. Irrigation in the Kalamazoo area primarily uses center-pivot systems supplied by wells, unlike flood irrigation in previous study areas. Water samples were taken periodically from wells close to center-pivot irrigation systems. Water losses due …

Effects Of Single Irrigation On Yield And Wue Of Siberian Wildrye Grass In Agro‐Pastoral Transition Zone Of China, Hao Wang, Zizhong Li, Zhongyan Wang, Ding Huang

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

No abstract provided.

Yield And Quality Of Italian Ryegrass As Affected By Supplemental Irrigation, M. E. V. L. Lourenço, P. M. M. Palma, L. L. Silva, Vitor M. L. Massa

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

No abstract provided.

Modelling Deficit Irrigation Strategies For Dairy Regions Of Australia, Richard P. Rawnsley, Brendan R. Cullen, Lydia R. Turner, Karen Christie

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

No abstract provided.

Influence Of Recycled Water Irrigation On Triticale Nutrient Absorption, Xiaona Li, Juying Wu, Ruiwen Zheng, Honglu Liu, Wenyong Wu

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

No abstract provided.

The Impact Of Different Grassland Land‐Uses On Earthworm Populations In A New Zealand Fragi‐Pallic Soil, Todd A. White, Trevor L. Knight, C. L. Goulter, W. J. Clarke-Hill

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

No abstract provided.

Quality Of Fodder Cowpea Varieties As Influenced By Soil Moisture Stress Levels, S. Lakshmi, M. R. Anita

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

A serious drawback of sustainable livestock production system in Kerala is the inadequate seasonal distribution of fodder production. The quantity and quality of herbage available in the lean dry months from January to May is very low. Therefore it is imperative to develop a fodder production system that increases the availability and improves the quality of herbage in the dry summer months. Fodder cowpea (Vigna unguiculata L. Walp) is a legume inherently more tolerant to drought than other fodder legumes (Fatokun et al., 2009) and considered as a crop capable of improving sustainability of livestock production through its …

Influence Of Cutting Interval On Yield And Quality Of Purple Guinea Grass (Panicum Maximum Td58) Under Irrigation, Witthaya Sumamal, Pornchai Lowilai

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Most of dairy farmers in the northeast of Thailand are smallholders. They have limited pasture area led to lack of good quality roughage throughout the year, especially during the dry season. Farmers usually fed their cattle with agricultural by products, which have low quality and supplemented with commercial concentrate feed. It leads to high milk production cost and more problems of cattle performance. It is necessary to develop and improve the feed quality and quantity, especially pasture, the cheapest and major source of cattle feed. Due to the limited pasture area, intensive pasture system is recommended. They need a suitable …

Mineral Composition Of Brachiaria Brizantha Cv. Mg5 Irrigated And Non-Irrigated Subjected To Grazing, Rita C. R. Carvalho, Wellington W. Rocha, Bruno S. Pires, Luziney D. Silva, César T. Piza, Paulo R. V. Leite, Eliel A. Ferreira

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Brachiaria brizantha cv. MG5 is an important component of pastures in Brazil. Past studies (Corsi and Marta Jr. (1998), Maya (2003)) have shown significant pasture and animal production increases can be obtained through irrigation and associated grazing management. Such systems can significantly increase economic viability of production systems based on these pastures (Cedeño 2003). However, past studies have not measured possible differences in mineral composition of such pastures throughout the year with and without irrigation. Such differences, if present, may have implication for animal productivity.

This study had the objective of evaluating the mineral composition of Brachiaria brizantha cv …

At: A Hydro-Economic Modeling Framework For Aquifer Management In Irrigated Agricultural Regions☆, Mani Rouhi Rad, Erin M.K. Haacker, Vaishali Sharda, Soheil Nozari, Zaichen Xiang, A. Araya, Venkatesh Uddameri, Jordan F. Suter, Prasanna Gowda

Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences: Faculty Publications

In this paper, we introduce a hydro-economic modeling framework for the management of groundwater resources that are used for irrigated agricultural production. The model, MOD$$AT, can be used to study the costs of aquifer depletion and the net benefits of specific aquifer management policies. MOD$$AT is composed of three components, namely, an economic component, a hydrologic component and an agronomic component. A main goal of this paper is to introduce the hydro-economic model and describe how it can be transferable to different contexts. With this objective in mind, we describe model components step-by-step so that the process of integration can …

Mod$$At: A Hydro-Economic Modeling Framework For Aquifer Management In Irrigated Agricultural Regions, Mani Rouhi Rad, Erin M.K. Haacker, Vaishali Sharda, Soheil Nozari, Zaichen Xiang, A. Araya, Venkatesh Uddameri, Jordan Suter, Prasanna Gowda

Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences: Faculty Publications

In this paper, we introduce a hydro-economic modeling framework for the management of groundwater re- sources that are used for irrigated agricultural production. The model, MOD$$AT, can be used to study the costs of aquifer depletion and the net benefits of specific aquifer management policies. MOD$$AT is composed of three components, namely, an economic component, a hydrologic component and an agronomic component. A main goal of this paper is to introduce the hydro-economic model and describe how it can be transferable to different contexts. With this objective in mind, we describe model components step-by-step so that the process of integration …

Effects Of Irrigation And Season On Performance Of Grazed Pastures Of Brachiaria Brizantha Cv. Mg5, Rita De C. R. Carvalho, Wellington W. Rocha, Bruno S. Pires, César T. Piza, Luziney D. Silva, Paulo R. V. Leite, Eliel A. Ferreira

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

In Brazil, livestock production is based primarily on systems with continuously grazed natural or cultivated pastures (FAO 2009). Intensifying animal breeding, handling and knowledge strategies is necessary to obtain improvements in production indices for economically feasible and sustainable grazing systems (Cedeño et al. 2003). Beef cattle breeding on irrigated pasture, like all forms of intensive grazing, requires the use of forage species with high potential for production and quality, and Brachiaria brizantha cv. MG5 is considered a good option. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of irrigation on the performance of B. brizantha cv. MG5 grazed rotationally by …

Nematode Populations As Affected By Residue And Water Management In A Long-Term Wheat-Soybean Double Crop In Eastern Arkansas, Lucia Emperatriz Escalante Ortiz

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Soybeans (Glycine max) are one of the major row crops in the United States, particularly in Arkansas. Soybean cyst nematode (SCN, Heterodera glycines) and southern root-knot nematode (RKN, Meloidogyne incognita) are two of the most damaging pests that cause major economic losses in soybeans. Little is known concerning the effects of common and alternative agronomic practices on nematodes in fields with nematode population densities below threshold levels. Therefore, the objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of the combination of tillage (conventional tillage and no-tillage), irrigation (irrigated and non-irrigated), wheat (Triticum aestivum) residue burning (burned and no burned), …

Examination Of The Climate Factors That Reduced Wheat Yield In Northwest India During The 2000s, Avik Mukherjee, Shih-Yu (Simon) Wang, Parichart Promchote

Plants, Soils, and Climate Faculty Publications

In India, a significant reduction of wheat yield would cause a widespread impact on food security for 1.35 billion people. The two highest wheat producing states, Punjab and Haryana in northern India, experienced a prolonged period of anomalously low wheat yield during 2002–2010. The extent of climate variability and change in influencing this prolonged reduction in wheat yield was examined. Daily air temperature (T_max and T_ave) was used to calculate the number of days above optimum temperature and growing degree days (GDD) anomaly. Two drought indices, the standard precipitation and evapotranspiration index and the radiation-based precipitation index, …

Including Variability Across Climate Change Projections In Assessing Impacts On Water Resources In An Intensively Managed Landscape, Bangshuai Han, Shawn G. Benner, Alejandro N. Flores

Geosciences Faculty Publications and Presentations

In intensively managed watersheds, water scarcity is a product of interactions between complex biophysical processes and human activities. Understanding how intensively managed watersheds respond to climate change requires modeling these coupled processes. One challenge in assessing the response of these watersheds to climate change lies in adequately capturing the trends and variability of future climates. Here we combine a stochastic weather generator together with future projections of climate change to efficiently create a large ensemble of daily weather for three climate scenarios, reflecting recent past and two future climate scenarios. With a previously developed model that captures rainfall-runoff processes and …

Irrigation Impacts On Minimum And Maximum Surface Moist Enthalpy In The Central Great Plains Of The Usa, Tianyi Zhang, Rezaul Mahmood, Xiaomao Lin, Roger A. Pielke Sr.

High Plains Regional Climate Center: Staff Publications

Agricultural activities notably alter weather and climate including near-surface heat content. However, past research primarily focused on dry bulb temperature without considering the role of water vapor (dew point temperature) on surface air heat content. When using dry bulb temperature trends to assess these changes, for example, not including concurrent trends in absolute humidity can lead to errors in the actual rate of warming or cooling. Here we examined minimum and maximum surface moist enthalpy, which can be expressed as “equivalent temperature.” Using hourly climate data in the Central Great Plains (Nebraska and Kansas) from 1990 to 2014, the averages …

Utilization Of Various Methods And A Landsat Ndvi/Google Earth Engine Product For Classifying Irrigated Land Cover, Andrew Nemecek

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Methods for classifying irrigated land cover are often complex and not quickly reproducible. Further, moderate resolution time-series datasets have been consistently utilized to produce irrigated land cover products over the past decade, and the body of irrigation classification literature contains no examples of subclassification of irrigated land cover by irrigation method. Creation of geospatial irrigated land cover products with higher resolution datasets could improve reliability, and subclassification of irrigation by method could provide better information for hydrologists and climatologists attempting to model the role of irrigation in the surface-ground water cycle and the water-energy balance. This study summarizes a simple, …

An Overview Of Smartwater Management System: Strategic Potential In Bangladesh, Muhammad Qumrul Hassan, Mir F. Karim, Nazrul I. Khandaker, Jowaher Raza

Publications and Research

Water loss management is becoming an increasingly important as supplies are stressed by population growth or water scarcity. A SmartWater system ensures optimum consumption and prediction of future water use. Bangladesh is one of the most vulnerable countries due to global climate change considering its rapid urbanization, inequitable land use, low income and greater reliance on climate sensitive sectors, particularly agriculture. Agricultural lands used for cropping and livestock rearing are more susceptible to degradation than non-agricultural lands. Most farmers irrigate through flooding, losing up to 75% of water to evaporation and creating a substantial drawdown of much needed water for …

Groundwater Recharge Response To Reduced Irrigation Pumping In Western Nebraska, Justin Philip Gibson

School of Natural Resources: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Given current and continued investment in irrigation scheduling technologies, a need exists to better estimate the longevity and magnitude of water savings at watershed level to avoid the paradox of irrigation efficiency. This paradox occurs within a watershed as not all irrigation inefficiencies lead to the system losing water. For example, irrigation pumping rates in excess of crop water demand may lead to enhanced groundwater recharge or surface runoff that migrates to a stream. Thus, increases in efficiency may not lead to similar magnitudes of water savings. I hypothesize that water savings longevities are short given previous work demonstrating rapid …