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1. Is Cover Crop Species Mixture and Diversity More Important at Building Soil Health than Shoot Biomass in a Semi-arid Region?Cover crop mixtures (CCMs) as partial fallow replacements have the potential to increase soil health, yet long-term studies on CCMs, especially in semi-arid environments are relatively rare. An eight-year study at two locations in semi-arid Montana sought to evaluate the effect of functional group (N fixer, tap roots, fibrous roots, brassicacae) and species richness (2, 6, and 8 species in a mix) on a range of biological, physical and chemical soil parameters. Although several soil health... P. Miller, C. Jones, C. Zabinski, K. D'agati, M. Housman, S. Tallman |
2. Residue Decomposition of Surface and Incorporated Barley, Corn, and Wheat at Varying Fertilizer-N RatesCereal crops are commonly grown in southern Idaho and most parts of the western United States. These cereal crops are routinely harvested for their grain with the remaining plant material (chaff, stems, leaves, etc.) left in the field to decompose prior to planting of following spring crops. Understanding the effects of post-harvest residue management on barley (Hordeum vulgare L.), corn (Zea mays L.), and wheat (Tritcum aestivum L.) residue is important for optimizing... C. Rogers, G. Thurgood, B. Dari, J. Marshall, O.S. Walsh, K. Schroeder, G. Loomis |
3. Belowground Ecological Interactions For Improved Plant Health, Nutrition And Environmental Quality In Agricultural ProductionPlant roots are in constant interaction with the myriad of organisms that inhabit the soil. Microbe-root associations are important for a plant’s successful establishment in an environment as they directly or indirectly support nutrient cycling, nutrient uptake and defense from abiotic and biotic stressors. Therefore, managing these interactions offers a great opportunity for improving the efficiency and sustainability of agricultural production by improving plant nutrient uptake,... C. Lazcano, E. Boyd |
4. Crop Genetic Variability for Nutrient Use Efficiency: Biological Foundation, and Case of Spring WheatRecent advances in plant molecular biology have elucidated the mechanisms by which plant species adapt to low-nitrogen and low-phosphorus environments. This has paved the way to new perspectives and strategies for breeding and genetic engineering: the design of low-nitrogen and low-phosphorus cultivars in order to optimize nutrients use efficiency and enhance economic and environmental sustainability. In this paper, we review the enzymatic activity of root hair-embedded transmembrane proteins,... R. Nkoa ondoua, M. Etesami |
5. Cover Cropping in the Semi-arid West: Effects of Termination Timing, Species, and Mixtures on Nitrogen Uptake, Yield, Soil Quality, and Economic ReturnSummer fallow still dominates some areas of the northern Great Plains (NGP), providing an opportunity to grow a partial season cover crop for increased soil health or nutrient availability. Over 12 years of research on single species cover crops in semi-arid Montana have revealed the benefits of early termination and multiple cover crop cycles on N availability, subsequent crop yield, soil health, and economic return. Due to high N fixation, pea cover crops have fairly consistently increased subsequent... C. Jones, P. Miller, S. Tallman, M. Housman, C. Zabinski, M. Burgess, J. O'dea, A. Bekkerman |
6. Inhibitors, Method and Time of Nitrogen Application for Improved Winter Wheat Production in Central MontanaThe contribution of nitrogen (N) fertilizer to boost yield and improve quality is unquestionable. Inefficient use of applied N is economically significant and environmentally unsafe. Ammonia loss can exceed 40% of applied N. Nitrogen leaching is polluting wells. Use of urease and nitrification inhibitors along with appropriate timing and method of nitrogen application can reduce nitrogen loss, improve yield and quality of wheat. This experiment investigated the effect of timing and method of N... Y. Mohammed, T. Jensen, J. Heser, C. Chen |
7. Effect of Nitrogen Rate and Cropping System on Soil Nutrient Levels in a Long-term StudyDiversified continuous cropping systems in semi-arid regions of the northern Great Plains may enhance sustainability. A study initiated in 2000 in southwest Montana was designed to evaluate crop productivity and economic returns for no- till and organic rotations that included small grains, pulses, and oilseeds. Our specific objective presented here was to compare soil nutrient differences from 2004 to 2012, to learn if economically superior rotations were building or depleting soil nutrients.... C. Jones, P. Miller, T. Rick, A. Mccauley |
8. Measured and Predicted Temporal Changes in Soil Nitrate-n Levels from Late Summer to Early Spring in MontanaMost soil sampling is conducted from August to November in Montana because of better soil sampling conditions and because it provides more time for growers to make fertilizer decisions prior to application. Fertilizer guidelines in Montana are based on spring nitrate-N levels in the upper 2 ft because they are more indicative of growing season available N than fall nitrate-N levels. It is not known how much nitrate-N levels change between late summer and spring, nor is it known what factors affect... C. Jones, A. Lenssen, C. Chen, K. Mcvay, B. Stougaard, M. Westcott, J. Eckhoff, J. Weeding, M. Greenwood |
9. Phosphorus Dynamics in Organic Matter-amended SoilsGenerally, phosphorus (P) is considered immobile in calcareous soils. Yet, numerous studies have found that the addition of organic wastes (e.g. manures) can enhance P mobility in these soils. We believe that the soluble organic matter present in these wastes increases P solubility by inhibiting the sorption of inorganic P on soil colloidal surfaces and subsequently preventing the formation of insoluble calcium phosphates. This results in increased P bioavailability. Likewise, tests used to assess... P. Grossl, R. Koenig, C. Jones, S. Trolove |
10. Economic Model to Determine Optimum Nitrogen Rates for Small GrainsNitrogen (N) fertilizer is generally the highest input cost for Montana grain growers; therefore, it has become imperative that a tool be developed to assist crop advisers and farmers in determining economically optimum N rates (EONR). Data from all available MSU-conducted N fertility trials were gathered for spring wheat, winter wheat, and barley. Only the data sets for dryland fields following fallow were deemed large enough to have confidence in any resulting models, and all other data were... C. Jones, D. Griffith, G. Jackson |
11. Best Management Practices (Bmps) for Ammonia Emissions Reduction from Animal Feeding Operations: a Colorado Case StudyAmmonia emissions from agriculture are a growing concern, in particular, in Colorado where nitrogen deposition in Rocky Mountain National Park has highlighted public concerns. Due to the high level of political pressure on agriculture to reduce its emissions, the agricultural community in Colorado has recently developed a Rocky Mountain National Park Ag Strategy for decreasing ammonia emissions from agriculture and nitrogen deposition in the park. The strategy includes the completion of a thorough... J. G. davis, A. Elliott, N. Marcillac, J. Pritchett, C. Stewart, A. Mink |
12. Tillage Effects on Phosphorus AvailabilityVertical stratification of phosphorus (P) has been documented in both no-till and reduced tillage systems, yet very few studies have determined if this stratification has affected P uptake, and none of these studies have been conducted in Montana. Stratification of P was compared in 1.2 in layers in a small plot study composed of four tillage systems: long-term conventional (sweep) till (CT), 10-yr no-till (NT), 1-yr NT and 1-yr CT. Olsen P was measured in the upper 12 in., and a sequential extraction... C. Jones, K. Neill, C. Chen, E. Allison |
13. Helpful or Not?- Biostimulant Use in Corn Silage ProductionThere has been a recent increase in both the availability and marketing of biostimulant products to local producers, particularly to dairymen, in southern Idaho. These products claim to increase yield and nutrient use efficiency while improving soil health on agricultural fields. If these claims are true, the use of these products would ultimately aid in promoting the overall sustainability of Idaho farms. However, there is a lack of objective data to support these claims, leaving producers uncertain... L.R. Schott, S. Hines, J. Packham, G. Loomis, M. De haro marti, C. Willmore |
14. Effects of Long-term Biosolids Applications in Two Dryland Agroecosystems on Physical, Biological, and Chemical Soil Health PropertiesBiosolids can be important sources of organic matter to semi-arid dryland grain systems and have the potential to mitigate some of the soil health challenges specific to these areas while providing an alternative to synthetic fertilizers. Biosolids are an important avenue for beneficially reusing and redistributing nutrients from high population urban areas to more rural agricultural areas. We explored how long-term (20+ year) applications of biosolids at two field sites affected physical, biological... M. Desjardins, A. Bary, J. Ippolito, S. Cappellazzi, D. Liptzin, D. Griffin-lahue |