Soil Science Commons^™

Nebraska's Public Access Hunting Program: Hunter Preferences And Usage Final Report, Lisa Pennisi, Mark E. Burbach, Namyun Kil, Muhammed Imran Kahn, Andrew J. Tyre

Conservation and Survey Division: Faculty and Staff Publications

No abstract provided.

The Effect Of Warming And Simulated Rainfall On Soil Microbial Community Structure And Function, Torri A. Ivancic

Biology Theses

Soil respiration, from plant roots and soil microbes, accounts for 60 – 80 percent of total ecosystem respiration, with the microbial component contributing approximately 54 percent. Global climate trends resulting from CO₂ emissions include increased soil temperatures and changes in precipitation regimes resulting in less frequent, more intense rainfall events. Soil temperature and moisture availability drive soil respiration rates, but how they impact the microbial respiration is poorly qualified. I investigated how the soil microbial community responds to changes in temperature and moisture availability in a laboratory based experiment. Soils from a mixed hardwood forest under two thermal regimes …

Available Nitrogen And Denitrification In Soil Altered By Ground Cover And Nutrient Source In An Organic Apple Orchard, Jade Nicole Ford

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

A shift in public demand towards more organic and locally produced fruit and vegetables has been occurring across the United States in recent years. A common practice in organic fruit production is the application of organic ground covers to supply nutrients while enhancing other soil properties. A need for research exists in the southern region of the U.S. examining the effects of regionally applicable ground cover and nutrient management on nitrogen availability and the microbial community to provide information to organic farmers in the region. Two studies were conducted to determine how 12 treatment combinations of four ground covers (compost, …

Defining The Potassium Nutritional Requirements And Distribution Among Plant Parts Of Representative Soybean Cultivars From Different Maturity Groups, Md. Rasel Parvej

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The potassium (K) requirement of soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] was investigated to determine whether cultivar sensitivity to K deficiency was affected by growth habit (determinate or indeterminate) and how cultivars from each growth habit accumulate and distribute K among plant structures. We also diagnosed K deficiency across reproductive growth stages (R2-6) using trifoliolate leaf- and petiole-K concentrations and at harvest (R8) using seed-K concentration. Soybean responded similarly to K deficiency in terms of yield, selected yield components, and seed-K concentration, regardless of growth habit. The yield loss from K deficiency was greatest on the middle to upper nodes of …

Validation Of Soil-Test-Based Phosphorus And Potassium Fertilizer Recommendations For Rice And Soybean, Matthew Scott Fryer

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The science of soil-testing for nutrient management and fertilizer recommendations is widely accepted among scientists and agronomists. Although this science is unsurpassed in predicting soil nutrient availability, soil-test interpretations are seldom validated. Major research objectives for irrigated soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] and direct-seeded, delayed-flood rice (Oryza sativa L.) were to: i) validate the accuracy of Mehlich-3 soil-test P (STP) and K (STK) interpretations and ii) published critical tissue-P and -K interpretations in predicting the yield response to fertilizer at different significance levels (p≤0.05 to 0.25), iii) examine how seed nutrient concentrations are influenced by fertilization and crop response to …

Mercury In Coniferous And Deciduous Upland Forests In Northern New England, Usa: Implications Of Climate Change, J. B. Richardson, A. J. Friedland

Dartmouth Scholarship

Climatic changes in the northeastern US are expected to cause coniferous stands to transition to deciduous stands over the next hundred years. Mercury (Hg) sequestration in forest soils may change as a result. In order to understand potential effects of such a transition, we studied aboveground vegetation and soils at paired coniferous and deciduous stands on eight mountains in Vermont and New Hampshire, USA.

Pengaruh Dosis Pupuk Fosfor Dan Pupuk Organik Cair Terhadap Pertumbuhan Dan Hasil Kacang Hijau (Vigna Radiata L.) Pada Ultisol Jatinangor, Agus Wahyudin, Tati Nurmala, R. D. Rahmawati

Jurnal Kultivasi

Percobaan ini bertujuan untuk mengetahui pengaruh dosis pupuk fosfor dan pupuk organik cair terhadap pertumbuhan dan hasil tanaman kacang hijau (Vigna radiata L.). Percobaan dilaksanakan di kebun percobaan Fakultas Pertanian Universitas Padjadjaran, Jatinangor, Jawa Barat. Rancangan percobaan yang digunakan dalam penelitian ini adalah Rancangan Acak Kelompok (RAK) dengan sembilan perlakuan dan diulang tiga kali yaitu 50 kg ha-1 pupuk fosfor + O L ha-1 pupuk organik cair, 50 kg ha-1 pupuk fosfor + 4 L ha-1 pupuk organik cair, 50 kg ha-1 pupuk fosfor + 8 L ha-1 pupuk organik cair, 75 kg ha-1 pupuk fosfor + O L ha-1 …

Shallow Depressions In The Florida Coastal Plain: Karst And Pseudokarst, Sam B. Upchurch, Thomas M. Scott, Michael C. Alfieri, Thomas L. Dobecki

Sinkhole Conference 2015

In Florida, shallow depressions (i.e., depressions <1-2 m in depth) on the land surface are often attributed to sinkhole development. However, it has become evident that there are at least six different mechanisms through which these depressions can form in geologically young cover sediments. These mechanisms include: 1. Cover-subsidence sinkholes over shallow limestone; 2. Suffosion sinkholes over shallow limestone; 3. Cover settlement over shallow shell beds; 4. Large, aeolian deflation areas that resemble “Carolina bays;” 5. Depressions that mimic landforms developed on a shallow paleosol; and 6. Depressions created by pedodiagenesis (i.e., conversion of smectite to kaolinite) in a soil-forming environment. Of these, only the first two appear to represent traditional mechanisms for sinkhole development in eogenetic karst. Cover settlement over shell beds is poorly understood and incorrectly attributed to sinkhole development processes. This type of depression has serious limitations in terms of cover thickness and shell content of the substrate. The last three mechanisms are pseudokarst created by aeolian and soil-forming processes. In this paper we present examples of each and discuss their constraints and evidence.

Using Electrical Resistivity Imaging To Characterize Karst Hazards In Southeastern Minnesota Agricultural Settings, Toby Dogwiler, Blake Lea

Sinkhole Conference 2015

Much of the Driftless Area of southeastern Minnesota is underlain by karstified carbonate bedrock. Land use in this karst terrain is dominated by agriculture, including row crop and dairy operations. The karst in this region is often mantled with up to 15 m of soil and unconsolidated sediments. As a result, underlying karst hazards such as incipient sinkholes are often hidden until they are suddenly revealed by the collapse of subsurface voids. Regionally, the economics of the dairy industry is causing a trend toward the consolidation and expansion of existing operations. As concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFO) or feedlots expand, …

Role Of The Strengthened El Nino Teleconnection In The May 2015 Floods Over The Southern Great Plains, S.-Y. Wang, W.-R. Huang, H.-H. Hsu, R. R. Gillies

Plants, Soils, and Climate Faculty Publications

The climate anomalies leading to the May 2015 floods in Texas and Oklahoma were analyzed in the context of El Niño teleconnection in a warmer climate. A developing El Niño tends to increase late-spring precipitation in the southern Great Plains, and this effect has intensified since 1980. Anthropogenic global warming contributed to the physical processes that caused the persistent precipitation in May 2015: Warming in the tropical Pacific acted to strengthen the teleconnection toward North America, modification of zonal wave 5 circulation that deepened the stationary trough west of Texas, and enhanced Great Plains low-level southerlies increasing moisture supply from …

Management Options For Water-Repellent Soils In Australian Dryland Agriculture, M. M. Roper, S. L. Davies, P. S. Blackwell, D. J. M. Hall, D. Bakker, R. Jongepier, P. R. Ward

Natural Resources Research Articles

Water-repellent (‘non-wetting’) soils are a major constraint to agricultural production in southern and south-west Australia, affecting >10 Mha of arable sandy soils. The major symptom is dry patches of surface soil, even after substantial rainfall, directly affecting agricultural production through uneven crop and pasture germination, and reduced nutrient availability. In addition, staggered weed germination impedes effective weed control, and delayed crop and pasture germination increases the risk of wind erosion. Water repellency is caused by waxy organic compounds derived from the breakdown of organic matter mostly of plant origin. It is more prevalent in soils with a sandy surface texture; …

Long-Term Manure Amendments Reduced Soil Aggregate Stability Via Redistribution Of The Glomalin-Related Soil Protein In Macroaggregates, Hongtu Xie, Jianwei Li, Bin Zhang, Lianfeng Wang, Jingkuan Wang, Hongbo He, Xudong Zhang

Agricultural and Environmental Sciences Faculty Research

Glomalin-related soil protein (GRSP) contributes to the formation and maintenance of soil aggregates, it is however remains unclear whether long-term intensive manure amendments alter soil aggregates stability and whether GRSP regulates these changes. Based on a three-decade long fertilization experiment in northeast China, this study examined the impact of long-term manure input on soil organic carbon (SOC), total and easily extractable GRSP (GRSPt and GRSPe) and their respective allocations in four soil aggregates (>2000 μm; 2000–250 μm; 250–53 μm; and <53 μm). The treatments include no fertilization (CK), low and high manure amendment (M1, M2), chemical nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium fertilizers (NPK) and combined manure and chemical fertilizers (NPKM1, NPKM2). Though SOC, GRSPe and GRSPt in soil and SOC in each aggregate generally increased with increasing manure input, GRSPt and GRSPe in each aggregate showed varying changes with manure input. Both GRSP in macroaggregates (2000–250 μm) were significantly higher under low manure input, a pattern consistent with changes in soil aggregate stability. Constituting 38~49% of soil mass, macroaggregates likely contributed to the nonlinear changes of aggregate stability under manure amendments. The regulatory process of GRSP allocations in soil aggregates has important implications for manure management under intensive agriculture.

Effects Of Changes In Moisture Source And The Upstream Rainout On Stable Isotopes In Precipitation – A Case Study In Nanjing, Eastern China, Y. Tang, H. Pang, W. Zhang, Y. Li, Shuang-Ye Wu, S. Hou

Department of Earth, Environment and Sustainability Faculty Publications

In the Asian monsoon region, variations in the stable isotopic composition of speleothems have often been attributed to the "amount effect". However, an increasing number of studies suggest that the "amount effect" in local precipitation is insignificant or even non-existent. To explore this issue further, we examined the variability of daily stable isotopic composition (δ18O) in precipitation from September 2011 to November 2014 in Nanjing, eastern China. We found that intra-seasonal variations of δ18O during summer were not significantly correlated with local rainfall amount but could be linked to changes in the moisture source location and rainout processes in the …

Spatial Variability Of Subsurface Soil Conditions Causing Roadway Settlements, Ömer Bilgin, Kevin Arens, Mark Salveter, Alexander Dettloff

Civil and Environmental Engineering and Engineering Mechanics Faculty Publications

Settlement of problematic soils constituting the roadway subgrade may result in pavement distress and structural failure, requiring periodic pavement patching and resurfacing. Many of these problems occur as a result of the settlement of soft cohesive and organic soils. Due to the extent of roadway projects and the limited frequency of boring locations, spatial variability of subsurface soil conditions, and sometimes due to an inadequate extent of exploration, these problematic soils may not be identified suitably during subsurface explorations. An extensive subsurface exploration program was implemented for detailed characterization of subsurface conditions for a relatively short section of an existing …

North-Central Nebraska Geology: Niobrara River Valley In Brown, Cherry, And Keya Paha Counties, R. M. Joeckel, L. M. Howard, S. T. Tucker

Conservation and Survey Division: Faculty and Staff Publications

No abstract provided.

Groundwater Chemistry Of The Weaber Plain (Goomig Farmlands): Baseline Results 2010–13, Adam Lillicrap, Richard J. George Dr, Arjen Ryder, D L. Bennett

Resource management technical reports

The Ord River Irrigation Area (ORIA) is located in the north-east of the Kimberley region of Western Australia, near the town of Kununurra. The irrigation area was established in 1963 and over time developed to the current extent of 14 000 hectares (ha). The Weaber Plain (Goomig Farmlands) area is located north-north-east of the existing irrigation area, 30km from Kununurra, and has been identified as being suitable for irrigated agriculture for many decades. However, it was not until 2009, with state government support, that the 7400ha project commenced, with construction starting in 2010. State and Australian government environmental approvals required …

Using Bromide Tracer To Measure Uranium Diffusivity In Ground Water Sediments, Francis Michael Tee, Morris E. Jones, Megan K. Dustin, Sharon Bone, John Bargar

STAR Program Research Presentations

More than 129 million liters of groundwater are contaminated with uranium at Old Rifle, Colorado – a former uranium-processing site that operated until 1958. The original Department of Energy (DOE) strategy for remediation, involving natural flushing of U from the groundwater through mixing with surface water, has not proven successful. Thin pockets of silt-, clay-, and organic-rich sediments referred to as naturally reduced zones (NRZs) act both as sinks and sources of U to the aquifer, contribute to plume persistence, and appear to be diffusion limited controlled.

To better understand how the NRZs are diffusion limited controlled, a bromide tracer …

Genetic Variability Of The 5-Enolpyruvylshikimate-3-Phosphate (Epsp) Synthase Gene In Round-Up™ Resistant Soil Bacteria, Seth Steenwyk, Hannah Van Maanen, Jeff Ploegstra

Faculty Work Comprehensive List

Global use of Round-up™ has had a profound effect on agricultural systems. While there is a clear challenge with the emergence of resistant weeds, less emphasis has been placed on its impacts regarding the soil ecosystem. In this study, we sought to identify glyphosate resistance in two specific soil bacteria, Bacillus subtilis and Pseudomonas syringae pv. glycinea. To accomplish this purpose, selective media and colony PCR were used to isolate and identify colonies with glyphosate resistance. The presence of glyphosate resistance in soil bacteria was verified, and continuing work is being done to analyze sequence data that may lead to …

Naturally Occurring Background Levels Of Arsenic In The Soils Of Southwestern Oregon, Heather Ann Hurtado

Dissertations and Theses

This study examines the natural background concentrations of arsenic in the soils of southwest Oregon, using new samples in addition to data collected from previous theses (Khandoker, 1997 and Douglas, 1999). The original 213 samples were run by ICP-AES with a reporting limit of 20 ppm, and only three samples had detected values. The original samples were tested again (2013) at a lower reporting limit of 0.2 ppm by ICP-MS, as were 42 new samples (2013), to better ascertain the natural levels of arsenic in undisturbed soils. The aim is to add to the existing DEQ data set, which has …

Soil Chemistry On Watershed 1: 1998 - 2014, Chris E. Johnson

Civil and Environmental Engineering - All Scholarship

No abstract provided.