Soil Science Commons^™

Soil And Water Conservation And Integrated Management In Watershed Ecosystem Of The Loess Plateau, China, Guobin Liu, Gaolin Wu, Guoliang Wang, David Mitchell

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

The Loess Plateau is well known for severe soil erosion and ecosystem degradation. The key issues in this region are the food security (grain), ecological security and a sustainable economy. This paper reviews a range of studies on ecological restoration, and management and the benefit at watershed scale on the Loess Plateau. This includes several successful cases and failures in soil conservation. The paper presents practical soil conservation measures and related benefit analysis, and discusses some effective methods adopted in soil erosion control, research directions and future perspectives for the Loess Plateau.

Remote Sensing And Gis Techniques For Forage Production Assessment And Management Of Northern Chhattisgarh In India, Nur Salim Ekka, S. K. Gupta

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Grasslands play a vital ecological and environmental role in global carbon balance and climate change. In the prairie provinces of Canada, grasslands occupy approximately 25 M ha of the land base and provide a valuable resource to the multi-billion dollar cattle industry. In recent years, remote sensing technology has been applied for estimating the fractional cover of arid grasslands and savannah ecosystems (Asner and Heidebrecht, 2003; Marsett et al. 2006; Guerschman et al., 2009). Grassland, a specific ecosystem, occurs naturally on all continents excluding Antarctica (White et al., 2000). Remote sensing imagery needs to be converted into tangible information …

Megathermic Spontaneous Grasses In The Mid Valley Ecotone, Rio Negro Of Argentina, Klich María Guadalupe

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

The vegetation in the ecotone of mid valley in Río Negro (Argentina) varies in community composition and plant cover depending on the annual precipitation regime and on the temperature requirements of the plants species. The megathermic forage grasses are characterized by a C₄ photosynthetic metabolism, their production is concentrated in summer, they are tolerant to drought, efficient in the use of water and nitrogen, they have a high potential for dry matter production and the nutritional quality necessary to meet the demands of cattle. North Patagonia is a semiarid temperate region with hot, dry summers and with forage resources …

The Impact Of Different Herdsmen’S Size On Grassland Ecosystem Of Eastern Transect In Tibetan Plateau: A Case Study From Maqu, Huilan Wei, Xin Zong, Da Guo, Longfei Yan, Yang Liu

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

In order to address grassland degradation, an individual contracting system, or namely, single-household rangeland management, based on Garrett Hardin theory of “tragedy of the commons”, had been conducted in Maqu since 1980s. Despite the support of local government, such a well-intentioned system saw little fruits on managing degradation, encountering extensive frustration due to its poor practical outcomes. Meanwhile, joint-household rangeland management, as an inheritance of locality-based management, has been vigorously pursued and has played an important role on Maqu’s grassland management system. In order to better illustrate the impact of size on managing the grassland ecosystem, an experiment was set …

Designing High-Yielding, High-Diversity And Low-Input Temporary Grasslands, Karen Søegaard, Tine B. Mortensen, Jørgen Eriksen

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Species-rich swards have received increasing interest due to their focus on ecosystem services, animal welfare and product quality. However, in high-yielding swards the proportion of herbs is often limited and there is little knowledge of their management. Seed mixture composition, cutting frequency, fertilization and grazing/cutting strategies were examined over 4 years in 3 experiments to quantify their effects on herbage yield and botanical composition. Inclusion of herbs in the sward gave similar or higher annual yields but swards established with 100% herbs depended on the presence of a driver species. The effects of management differed between species. Herb content in …

Observable Persistent Effects Of Habitat Management Efforts In The Ozark Highlands After 10 Years, Maxwell Carnes-Mason

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

I investigated the lasting impacts of a management plan designed to improve oak regeneration and benefit wildlife in the Ozark Highlands in Madison, Co., AR. To assess the efficacy of the management plan, I used variables relevant to the success and establishment of oak trees. Controlled burns and selective logging were used to thin the canopy, increase ground level productivity, and increase the abundance of small mammals. I used measurements of overstory and understory densities, light availability, and the density of mice in the genus Peromyscus across time to look at the lasting impacts of management. Different treatment plots were …

Phosphorus And Potassium Fertilizer Application Strategies In Corn–Soybean Rotations, Timothy J. Boring, Kurt D. Thelen, James E. Board, Jason L. De Bruin, Chad D. Lee, Seth L. Naeve, William J. Ross, Wade A. Kent, Landon L. Ries

Plant and Soil Sciences Faculty Publications

To determine if current university fertilizer rate and timing recommendations pose a limitation to high-yield corn (Zea mays subsp. mays) and soybean (Glycine max) production, this study compared annual Phosphorous (P) and Potassium (K) fertilizer applications to biennial fertilizer applications, applied at 1× and 2× recommended rates in corn–soybean rotations located in Minnesota (MN), Iowa (IA), Michigan (MI), Arkansas (AR), and Louisiana (LA). At locations with either soil test P or K in the sub-optimal range, corn grain yield was significantly increased with fertilizer application at five of sixteen site years, while soybean seed yield was significantly …

Stakeholders Integration For Sustainable Use Of Temperate Forage/Livestock Agriculture, Garry D. Lacefield, Don Ball

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Forage/livestock production is complex, and best management options are often site-specific, but some concepts have broad application. The intent of this article is to provide an overview of research-based management approaches that the authors believe are necessary to ensure the sustainability of forage/livestock farms. This overview discussion is needed because livestock agriculture is changing, thus creating both challenges and opportunities for producers. In the last 30 years, beef numbers in the USA have declined by 20%, but production per cow has more than doubled, resulting in increased total production on less land with fewer animals. Similar statistics exist for the …

Production, Persistence And Diversity Of Species In Temperate Grasslands, Meredith L. Mitchell, Brendan P. Christy

IGC Proceedings (1977-2023)

Temperate grassland areas are considered to be semi-arid, with rainfall typically between 250 and 500 mm, much of it occurring in the late spring and early summer. Grazing plays an important role in all these grasslands with impacts on diversity and persistence. Against this assumption that seasonal productivity would be more uniform within a pasture that was diverse, the research suggested that species rich pastures were less stable, because this species richness was composed of non-perennial, volunteer and weed species. This paper explores the concept that systems diversity of temperate grassland does not always equate to production. In these systems …

Process-Based Management Of Downy Brome In Salt Desert Shrublands: Assessing Pre- And Post- Rehabilitation Soil And Vegetation Attributes, Merilynn Carol Hirsch

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

As an ecosystem driver, downy brome (Bromus tectorum L.) presents obstacles to land rehabilitation efforts, including restoring desirable species cover. Because damaged ecosystems may have crossed both abiotic and biotic thresholds, ecologically-based control strategies may assist with altering successional trajectories and restoring desirable plant species. My thesis research had three objectives: 1) assess soil and vegetation relationships in degraded salt desert ecosystems prior to implementing downy brome control treatments, 2) determine the effects of control treatments on soil properties and resident plant species, and 3) evaluate the relative importance of shrubland soil type, herbicide type, and herbicide rate on seedling …

Evaluating P And K Fertilizer Prescriptions From Site-Specific Technologies, John H. Grove, E. M. Pena-Yewtukhiw

Soil Science News and Views

Developing a field's fertilizer prescription as a part of a site-specific nutrient management plan can be one of the more costly tasks undertaken. Those costs are traditionally associated with gathering of a number of plant and/or soil samples, their testing, as well as acquiring and applying amendments. Soil sample analysis is particularly important for traditional phosphorus (P), potassium (K) and soil acidity (pH) management. Soil sampling requires skill and time, time that may be in short supply when crop harvest is to be soon followed by establishment of a succeeding crop. Soil test results are not always timely, further delaying …

Geology, Groundwater Chemistry And Management Of The Dakota Aquifer In Nebraska, David C. Gosselin, F. Edwin Harvey, Charles A. Flowerday

Conservation and Survey Division: Faculty and Staff Publications

No abstract provided.

Crop Updates 2002 - Farming Systems, Peter Metcalfe, Mike Ewing, Roy Latta, Keith Devenish, Diana Fedorenko, Clayton Butterly, Chantelle Butterly, Kim Diamond, Neil Diamond, Stuart Mcalpine, Bill Bowden, Jessica Johns, Terry Piper, David Bowran, Robert Beard, Phil Ward, Dominie Wright, Nichole Burges, Roger Jones, Danae Harman, Greg Shea, George Yan, David Tennant, David Hall, Anyou Liu, Clinton Revell, Candy Hudson, Andrew Blake, Natalie Lauritsen, John Fosu-Nyarko, Roger Jones, Lisa Smith, Mike Jones, Geoff Dwyer, Bill Bowden, Michael O'Connell, Chris Gazey, David Gartner, Amanda Miller, Richard W. Bell, K. Frost, Mike Wong, Ross Brennan, N. J. Blake, G. Mconnell, D. Patabendige, N. Venn, Derk Bakker, Greg Hamilton, Dave Houlbrooke, Cliff Spann, Paul Blackwell, Bindi Webb, G. Lyle, K. Wittwer, Perry Dolling, Senthold Asseng, Ian Fillery, Michael Robertson, Caroline Peek, David Rogers, Peter Portman, Jeff Russell, Greg Shea, Ben Henderson, Ross Kingwell, Tresslyn Walmsley, Jean Galloway, Debbie Thackray, Moin Salam, Art Diggle, William J. Macleod, Jenny Hawkes

Crop Updates

This session covers forty one papers from different authors:

INTRODUCTION

1. Future Farming Systems session for Crop Updates 2002 Peter Metcalf, FARMING SYSTEMS SUBPROGRAM MANAGER GRAINS PROGRAM Department of Agriculture

2. Perennial pastures in annual cropping systems: Lucerne and beyond, the ‘Big Picture’, Mike Ewing, Deputy CEO CRC for Plant-based Management of Dryland Salinity, Department of Agriculture

3. Perennial pastures in annual cropping systems: lucerne and beyond, Roy Latta and Keith Devenish, Department of Agriculture

4. Establishing Lucerne with a cover crop, Diana Fedorenko¹, Clayton Butterly¹, Chantelle Butterly¹, Kim and Neil Diamond^{2 …}

Agricultural Management Practices And The Groundwater System Of Northern Holt County, Nebraska, With A Focus On The Holt County Groundwater Education Project, Susan Olafsen Lackey, Charles Shapiro, William Kranz

Conservation and Survey Division: Faculty and Staff Publications

No abstract provided.

Solid Waste Management In Seismic Impact Zones, Raymond R. Burchett

Conservation and Survey Division: Faculty and Staff Publications

No abstract provided.

Farm Nutrient Management, William O. Thom

Soil Science News and Views

Nutrient management is becoming a buzz word in today's vocabulary of crop and livestock production. In the past it was applied to efficient management of all nutrient sources used for crop production. More recently it is being used to account for all nutrients used for crop production that are brought onto the farm, removed from the farm in crop and animal products, and reallocated within the farm unit. Nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium are the nutrients of concern with nitrogen and phosphorus being most important.

Managing Soils For Optimum Crop Production, Kenneth L. Wells

Soil Science News and Views

The major resources which must be manipulated to develop a farm operation are LAND, LABOR, CAPITAL, and MANAGEMENT. Of these four broad categories of resources, LAND is the one which imposes constraints which ultimately determine the productive capacity of the individual farming system developed. This is because land is a fixed resource from the standpoint of the nature and amount of it available for developing a specific farming system. In this regard, the allocation of LABOR, CAPITAL, and MANAGEMENT should be directly linked to LAND productive capability in order to economically optimize the farming system developed. In other words, the …

Fertilization Management In Double Cropping, John H. Grove

Soil Science News and Views

Double crop systems are being widely adopted by grain and silage producers in Kentucky. The wheat-soybean grain intensive system accounts for nearly 750,000 acres of cropland in the state each year. Alternative silage systems for beef and/or dairy producers involve a fall seeded small grain (wheat, barley, triticale) that is harvested at an immature stage of growth. Immediately afterward a crop for silage (corn, grain sorghum) or grain (soybean, grain sorghum) is planted. When reduced and no-tillage management practices are used the timeliness of planting is improved and losses of surface soil moisture are minimized as the second crop starts …

Does No-Till Change Soil Management Practices?, Robert L. Blevins

Soil Science News and Views

Successful no-tilling requires a different approach to soil management practices. Since continuous no-tillage systems leave residues on the soil surface without mechanically mixing them into the plow layer and since lime and fertilizer are surface-applied, no-tilled soils have biological, chemical and physical properties contrasting with those of a plowed soil. For any crop production system to be widely accepted and used it must provide and maintain desirable physical properties of the soil, control erosion and replace nutrients removed by crops and other losses. This can be accomplished in a no-till system if proper management is used.

Groundwater Reservoir Management Policy Issue Study: A Contract Report For The State Water Planning And Review Process-Nebraska Natural Resources Commission

Conservation and Survey Division: Faculty and Staff Publications

No abstract provided.

A Soil And Vegetation Inventory And Analysis Of Three Nebraska Sandhills Range Sites, Donald F. Burzlaff

Nebraska Agricultural Experiment Station: Historical Research Bulletins

This study was undertaken to inventory the soils and vegetation of certain areas of the Sandhills and to seek edaphic characteristics that may be the limiting factor in the distribution of various plant species. Information of this nature will permit formulation of more accurate management practices because of a refinement in delineation of range sites.