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| Filter results12 paper(s) found. |
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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. Micro-nutrients in Alfalfa Production: is There Need/opportunity for Cost Effective Management?The management of soil fertility for optimum alfalfa productivity requires that all nutrient-related limitations be manipulated where warranted and cost-effective. It has been the policy of the Utah State University Analytical Laboratory to not promote soil testing for micronutrient sufficiency based on a lack of general need, historically, for nutrients such as sulfur, boron, zinc and others. This study undertook to accomplish two things, 1) to provide an initial inventory of micronutrient... G. Cardon, J. Barnhill, M. Pace, C. Israelsen, D. Miner, L. Greenhalgh, S. Banks, M. Shao, D. Rothlisberger, S. Olsen, P. Hole |
3. Comparison of Induced Sludge Bed (Blanket) Anaerobic Reactor to Vertical Plug Flow Technology for Animal Manure Digestion1The purpose of this study was to compare Induced Sludge Bed Anaerobic Reactor (IBR) (Hansen, Hansen, 2005) animal manure digestion technology to Vertical Plug Flow (VPF). In 2008 an IBR system at Sunderland Dairy Farm in Chester, Utah was repaired and retrofitted by Utah State University (USU), Extension, Utah Science, Technology and Research Initiative (USTAR), and Sunderland Dairy Farm. This was the first time research has compared IBR and VPF digester performance at a single site in a side-by-side... J. Gale, P. Zemke, B. Wood, S. Sunderland, S. Weeks |
4. Nutrient Efficiency Concepts for Phosphorus and PotassiumTwo measures of phosphorus (P) and potassium (K) efficiency that are of interest to producers are agronomic efficiency (AE) and partial nutrient balance (PNB). Agronomic efficiency considers crop response to a nutrient addition while PNBmeasures nutrient removal to nutrient use. Proper evaluation of AE requires long term monitoring. A single, large application of P or K can, over many years, result in an AE similar to smaller, annual applications. A larger initial dose will increase... T. Murrell |
5. On-farm Trials and StatisticsNew technologies have made on-farm research easier to do. On-farm research networks exist in several states and are also being run by some national programs. These networks are becoming more common. University and/or government agency scientists and educators typically provide statistical expertise. Historical guidance for experimental design has focused on the randomized complete block design (RCBD). Statistical analyses that can be run easily are for an RCBD conducted in one site and one year.... T. Murrell |
6. Siderophores to Increase Iron AvailabilitySiderophores are biologically produced low molecular weight amino acids that act to chelate metals. These can be generated by soil microorganisms and some plants, most notably grasses, also produce siderophores. These compounds are associated with improved availability of iron in the soil. This manuscript presents a survey of microbial siderophores present in soils under chlorotic and non- chlorotic ‘Concord’ grapevines. ... J. Davenport, A. Pollard, T. Sullivan |
7. 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 |
8. Soil Acidification: Identification, Prevention, Adaptation and RestorationLow soil pH is becoming far more common in Montana soils, with at least 23 counties having at least one field with pH less than 5.5. Soil pH levels in the top 6 inches as low as 3.8 have been measured, resulting in complete crop failure insome locations, yet the problem is highly variable across fields and within soil profiles. Nitrogen fertilizer rates applied above crop nitrogen needs are the largest cause of the acidification. Low soil pH should be verified before managementpractices... C. Jones, R. Engel, S. Ewing, P. Miller, K. Olson-rutz |
9. Utilizing the 4Rs to Mitigate Ammonia Toxicity in RootsThe banding of nutrients below the seed row is a common practice in dryland agricultural settings. However, banding below the seed row has been shown to hamper stand establishment and damage seedling root growth in a number of studies. The research presented here uses a novel and inexpensive imaging technique to assess the rate and source management options for reducing root damage when banding N fertilizers below the seed at planting. Survival analysis was conducted on canola... I. Madsen, W. Pan |
10. Development of a Constrained Resource Model to Support Intercropping DecisionsCrop producers are interested in intercropping due to its’ potential to increase profitability, yield stability and sustainability. Our objective was to extend a simulation model to forecast crop yields (PRS® CropCaster®) to pulse-oilseed intercrops. This tool would provide crop producers with forecasts of yields of each crop component under different management and environmental conditions. Based on competition for fertilizer 15N... E. Bremer, I. Madsen, K. Greer |
11. Soil Property Effect on Nitrogen Mineralization of Dairy Manure in the Pacific NorthwestGrowers often use total nitrogen (N) concentration of dairy to manure to estimate plant available N for crop production. This estimate, however, ignores the role that soil properties may have on N mineralization (Nmin) rates. This study aims to determine how soil physiochemical properties impact Nmin rates of dairy manure and composted dairy manure by aerobic incubation. Sixteen soils, sampled from 0-12 inch depths (0-30.5 cm) were collected from dairy production regions in Oregon, Washington,... R. Auld, A. Moore, J. Moore, Y. Zhang, C. Rogers |
12. On-Farm Variable-Rate Nitrogen Management in PotatoApplying variable nitrogen (N) has often improved yields, quality, and/or N use efficiency (NUE) of several crops. The objective of this study was to evaluate how pre-emergence variable rate N (VRN) zones vs. uniform N management impacts potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) yield, quality, and NUE. Low, average, and high N zones were created and evaluated for 10 site-years at fields near Grace, Idaho, USA over two years with rates based upon yield goals, soil, water, and previous crop information.... E. Flint, M. Yost, B. Hopkins |