Annual/Termination Reports:

[09/20/2010] [09/28/2011] [08/10/2012] [08/14/2013] [08/11/2014]

Report Information

Participants

Cihacek, Larry J. (larry.cihacek@ndsu.edu) - North Dakota State University; Lowery,Birl (blowery@eisc.edu) - University of Wisconsin-Madison; Pierzynski,Gary (Administrative Adviser) (gmp@ksu.edu)- Kansas State University; Papiernik, Sharon (sharon.papiernik@ars.usda.gov) - USDA-ARS,Morris,MN; Martellotto,Agustin (agusmarte@hotmail.com) - University of Nebraska -Lincoln; Walters, Daniel (dwalters1@unl.edu) - University of Nebraska - Lincoln; Golabi, Mohammad (mgolabi@uguam.uog.edu) - University of Guam; Miles,Randall J. (milesR@missouri.edu) - University of Missouri; Al-Kaisi,Mahdi (malkaisi@iastate.edu) - Iowa State University; Olson, Kenneth (krolson@illinois.edu) - University of Illinois; Koltes, Shawn (shawn.koltes@ndsu.edu) - North Dakota State University; Schumacher, Thomas E. (thomas.schumacher@sdstate.edu) - South Dakota State University; Absent; Lal, Rattan (lal.1@osu.edu) - Ohio State University; Steinhardt, Gary (gsteinhardt@purdue.edu) - Purdue University; Stott, Diane (diane.stott@ars.usda.gov) - USDA-ARS,West Lafayette, IN; Presley,DeAnn (deann@ksu.edu) - Kansas State University; Lobb, David (lobbda@cc.umanitoba.ca)-University of Manitoba; Grandy, Stuart (grandya1@msu.edu) - Michigan State University

Brief Summary of Minutes

Location: Oakwood Room, Student Union, South Dakota State University, Brookings,SD


Meeting Agenda: Tuesday AM, June 29, 2010


8:00 to 8:20: Welcome by the SDSU VP for Research, Kevin Kephart


8:20 to 8:40: Administrative Advisory Report, Gary M. Pierzynski


8:40 to 9:00: USDA NIFA Report, powerpoint handout


9:00 to 10:00: NC-1178 Business Meeting


Business Meeting Agenda:


1. Election of Incoming Secretary


2. Approval of Minutes


3. Committee Reports


4. Selection of 2011 Meeting Location and Dates


5. 2010 Committee Responsibilities & Calendar of Due Dates


6. Other Business


10:00 to 10:15: Break


10:15 to 10:30: Call-in from Nancy Cavallaro, Washington D.C. (Q/A)


10:30 to 12:00: Project Coordination and Planning


Tuesday PM, June 29, 2010


12:00 to 1:00: Lunch (At the Union)


1:00 to 2:00: Project Coordination and Planning


2:00 to 4:00: Station Report (Nebraska, Minnesota-ARS, Guam)


4:00 to 4:30: Travel to EcoSun Prairie Farms


4:30 to 6:00: Research Plots (South Dakota Report) & EcoSun Farms Tour,


6:30 to 8:30: Dinner (Mad Marys - Flandreau)

8:30 to 9:00: Return to Brookings


Wednesday AM, June 30, 2010


8:00 to 10:00: Station Reports and Discussion (Iowa, Missouri, Illinois)


10:00 to 10:15: Break


10:15 to 12:00: Station Reports and Discussion (North Dakota, Wisconsin)


12:00: Adjourn (Lunch on your own)


Summary of Decisions made:
Meeting leadership was confirmed. Since chair G. Steinhardt was unable to attend the meeting it was decided to alter the committee leadership for 2010. T. Schumacher was chosen as chair and M. Golabi as secretary for 2010. The committee decided to have G. Steinhardt serve as chair and T. Schumacher serve as secretary in 2011. M. Golabi will continue as chair in 2012.


Past meeting minutes were read and approved.


A discussion was made concerning how to formally recognize non-state participants in the multi-state project. In particular the committee wished to formally recognize the participation of D. Lobb from the University of Manitoba. Our administrative adviser, G. Pierzynski, will check into procedures needed to accomplish this action.


A meeting location was discussed for next year. The committee decided to select the University of Guam as next year's meeting location. The first week in August 2011 (August 1-5) was chosen as the preferred meeting time. The committee decided to pursue a conference theme related to understanding soil carbon sequestration within eroded landscapes. A committee (M. Golabi, B. Lowery, and M. Al.Kasi) was appointed to apply for grants in support of a workshop/conference to occur in conjunction with the NC-1178 meeting.


A major part of the committee meeting concerned a discussion of basic design and procedures to be used by participating states within the multi-state project. T. Schumacher was appointed to write a summary of the discussion and decisions made by the attending committee members.

Individual state progress reports were distributed to committee members and presentations were given by attending members.

Accomplishments

Sites selected in 2010 include newly initiated sites and previously established sites that are being re-purposed for the study. <br /> <br /> North Dakota established a site at the Oakes Research Station that has had residue removal since 2008. At this site, removal rates of 0, 33, 66 or 100 percent of the residue have been applied using a small plot forage chopper. The treatments have been applied by removing none of the residue,chopping and removing residue from 1 of 3 rows, 2 of 3 rows, or 3 of 3 rows. The rows being chopped with residue removal are rotated each year so that each row has been removed at least once over a 3-year cycle. A second site has been established at the Carrington Research and Extension Center in spring 2010 using the same residue removal plan. At both locations, the residue removal is being done in continuous corn and corn either preceding or following soybean. Deep cores have been collected from both sites and the cores from the Carrington site are currently being processed.<br /> <br /> Guam is taking an integrated approach to evaluate the effect of conservation tillage, crop rotation with leguminous crops as well as green manure for organic matter build up. Residue management for soil conservation will be evaluated Tillage is an important component of this study and included no-till, reduced till, conventional till and conventional tillage with rotation to a legume, Sunhemp. Soil carbon contents are uniformly low at the experimental site with soil organic carbon at the surface <1.5 percent on a mass basis. Past work has shown reduced soil carbon on the conventionally tilled soils compare to no-till and reduced till treatments. <br /> <br /> <br /> South Dakota has an experimental site that includes continuous corn, switchgrass, and a mixed grass-forb treatment. An extensive prairie remnant maintained by the Nature Conservancy exists and will be used as a non-cultivated benchmark. Each plot is split into harvested biomass and biomass (minus corn grain) retained treatments and includes a landscape component with summit (crest), backslope, and footslope treatments. A second experimental site does not have a landscape ccomponent. Residue removal treatments were established in 2000 at this site and includes a cover crop treatment started in 2005. The experimental design is an RCBD with split plots (cover and no-cover crops) and 3 replications. Management practices include a no-till corn-soybean rotation in which each part of the rotation is represented every year in the study. Removal of residue is reducing the labile soil carbon fraction of the surface soil. Measurements during the life of the project will document the effects of residue removal treatments on soil surface properties. <br /> <br /> Residue harvest experiments in Ohio are being conducted at Coshocton on Rayne silt loam with a 10% slope, South Charleston on Celina silt loam with a 2% slope, and at Hoytville on a Hoytville clay loam with <1% slope. Crop residue are removed at rates of 0, 25, 50, 75, and 100%. In one treatment, the residue amount is doubled. Past research on these long term plots have demonstrated significant yield losses at the Coshocton site with grain yield losses of 1.4 Mg ha-1 with 50% stover removal and 3.1 Mg ha-1 with >75% stover removal. In comparison, the stover yield in 2005 decreased by 2.2 Mg ha-1 with 50% stover removal and by 3.9 Mg ha-1 with >75% stover removal. Effects of stover removal on corn grain and stover yields were less drastic at South Charleston and Hoytville.<br /> <br /> <br /> Two Iowa locations established in 2008 are being studied using a complete randomized block design in a split-split arrangement with two tillage systems as main plots, three levels of residue removal, and six N rates. The project has five anticipated outcomes which include reliable estimates of: (1) amount of C and nutrients removed and returned to the soil by residue, (2) soil C and N sequestration potential with different residue management practices, (3) amount of greenhouse gas emissions, (4) assessing needs for supplemental fertilization of following crops and the cost thereof, and (5) impacts on soil physical properties. After the second year of continuous corn in 2009, the well drained soils had significantly greater yields than the poorly drained soils. There were no observed yield reductions due to removal of residue at agronomic and high N rates. On the contrary, corn yields increased for the 0N rate treatment when 100% of residue was removed. In addition, there were no differences in yield between no-till and chisel plow for both sites. <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> Wisconsin has established a research site at the Arlington Agricultural Research Station on a ~6% slope with Griswold silt loam soil (fine-loamy, mixed, mesic, Typic Argiudolls). This growing season (2010) the plot area was planted to soybean to establish uniform conditions. There will be four treatments and a control as following: (1) conventional corn planted with 76.2 cm (30 inch) row spacing, (2) narrow 38.1 cm corn row spacing, (3) narrow 17.7 cm twin corn rows with alternating plants for the two rows, (4) the control, no residue removal which will include all row spacings, and (5) switchgrass. A low and high residue removal treatment (20 and 90% of the residue removed, respectively) will be established.To remediate the impact of residue removal on soil quality (organic matter/carbon and physical properties) no-tillage will be used and a cover crop (annual ryegrass or Austrian winter pea) planted prior to crop harvest and residue removal. Each treatment will be replicated three times in a randomized complete block design. The plots will be setup as continuous corn and switchgrass, thus plots will not be rotated. <br /> <br /> Kansas has established two sites on fully-irrigated, continuous-corn, producer-owned fields near Hugoton, Kansas. Soil types being evaluated are a Hugoton loam, 0-1% slope, and a Bigbow fine sandy loam, 1-3% slope. Annually, irrigation water applied averages approximately 57 cm for both sites. Residue was harvested at rates of either 0 or 9 Mg ha-1of residue removed. The treatment design is a randomized complete block with four replications, and plots are 9.1 m by 15.2 m in area. The experimental factors are residue (removed and returned) and frequency (every other year versus annual removal). Corn grain yield was lower at both sites following 70% removal (by mass) of the previous year corn stover. The difference between treatments was more pronounced for the sandier Bigbow site (6% less for removed) than the Hugoton site (3% less for removed), though these differences were not significant. Stover yields appeared very similar across treatments, but were generally lower at the Bigbow site. <br /> <br /> <br /> Illinois is utilizing an existing 13 year corn-soybean rotation established under a related previously funded regional project (NC-174 phase 1) . The study has 3 treatments (no-till, chisel plow, and moldboard plow) established on a backslope with an average slope of 6%. The 18 plots (3 treatments with 6 replications) were split with half of each plot planted with a rye cover crop in fall of 2001, 2003, 2005, 2007 and 2009 and a vetch cover crop in fall of 2002, 2004, 2006, and 2008 (phase 2 of the project). Cover crops did not affect the 4 year soybean plant populations or yields of the tillage treatments; however the 2006 CP with cover treatment had significantly lower soybean yield. The corn plant populations and yields were not affected by tillage treatment with and without a cover crop. The annual estimated soil loss during the 18-year period was 8.0(6.1), 22.1(18.3), and 30.0(26.0) Mg/ha (tons/ac) in NT, CP and MP systems, respectively. In the fall of 2009, the third phase of this tillage experiment was initiated. Corn stover was be removed from 3 replications of each tillage and cover crop treatment. The other three replications of each tillage and cover crop treatment was left with the residue. <br /> <br /> <br /> Indiana (USDA-ARS) has an ongoing study examining corn stover removal with removal rates of 0, 50, 75, and 100% along with bare soil plots that will be used for this project.<br /> <br /> <br /> Missouri has established an experiment using a modified split plot design. The main plots include crop rotation of soybean-corn and corn-soybean with two removal treatments (no removal and 70% removal). The subplots consist of cover crop and nitrogen treatments. Cover crops, cereal rye and austrian winter pea, included 3 nitrogen treatments of 0,90, and 180 lbs./a. The no cover crop treatment has 0, 30, 60, 90, 120, and 180 lbs/a N rates. The soil at the site is a Mexico silt loam fine, smectic, mesic Vertic Epiaqualf. Sanborn field studies will also continue to be used to evaluate the effects of crop residue removal on soil properties.

Publications

Blanco-Canqui, H. and R. Lal. 2009. Crop residues removal impacts on soil productivity and environmental quality. Crit. Rev. Plant Sci. 28:139-163.<br /> <br /> <br /> Blanco-Canqui, H. and R. Lal. 2009. Indiscriminate corn stover removal reduces soil fertility, soil organic carbon and crop yield. CSA News 54:8-9.<br /> <br /> <br /> Blanco-Canqui, H. and R. Lal. 2010. Corn stover removal for expanded uses reduces soil fertility and structural stability. Soil Sci. Soc. Am. J. 73: 418-426.<br /> <br /> <br /> Cihacek, L. J., B. B. Botnen and E. N. Steadman. 2010. A sampling protocol for monitoring, measurement, and verification of terrestrial carbon sequestration in soils. Plains CO2 Reduction Partnership (PCO2R) Value-Added Report. Univ. of North Dakota, Grand Forks, ND. April 2010. 16 p.<br /> <br /> <br /> Farenhorst, A., D.A.R. McQueen, I. Saiyed, C. Hilderbrand, S. Li, D.A. Lobb, P. Messing, T.E. Schumacher, S.K. Papiernik, M.J. Lindstrom. 2009. Variations in soil properties and herbicide sorption coefficients with depth in relation to PRZM (pesticide root zone model) calculations. Geoderma 150:267-277.<br /> <br /> <br /> Guzman, J. and M. Al-Kaisi. 2009. Landscape position and age of reconstructed prairies effect on soil organic carbon sequestration rate and aggregate associated carbon. Journal of Soil and Water Cons. J. 65:9-21.<br /> <br /> <br /> Guzman, J. and M. Al-Kaisi. 2010. Soil Carbon Dynamics and Carbon Budget of Newly Reconstructed Tall-grass Prairies in South Central Iowa. J. Environ. Qual. 39:136-146. <br /> <br /> <br /> Jimba, S.C., and B. Lowery. 2010. Automation of the water-drop method for soil aggregate stability analysis. Soil Sci. Soc. Am. J. 74:38-41.<br /> <br /> <br /> Karlen, D., R. Lal, R.F. Follett, J.M. Kimble, J.L. Hatfield, J.M. Miranowski, C.A. Camberdella, A. Manale, J. Doran, J.M. Baker and C.W. Rice. 2009. Crop residues: The rest of the story. Env. Sci. & Tech. 43:8011-8015.<br /> <br /> <br /> Lal, R. and D. Pimentel. 2009. Beware crop residues. Science 326:1345-1346.<br /> <br /> <br /> Lowery, B.C. Cox, D. Lemke, P. Nowak, K R. Olson and J. Strock. 2009. The 2008 Midwest flooding impact on Soil Erosion and Water Quality: Implications for Soil Erosion control practices. Journal Soil Water Conservation. 64:166A.<br /> <br /> <br /> Mikhailova, E., C. Post, L. Cihacek, and M. Ulmer. 2009. Soil inorganic carbon sequestration as a result of cultivation in the Mollisols. pp. 129-133. In B. J. McPherson and E. T. Sundquist (eds.). Carbon Sequestration and Its Role in the Global Carbon Cycle. Geophys. Mono. Ser. 183.<br /> <br /> <br /> Olson, K. R., S. A. Ebelhar and J.M. Lang. 2010. Cover crop effects on crop yields and soil organic carbon content. Soil Science 175:89-98.<br /> <br /> <br /> Olson, K.R. 2009. Impacts of 2008 Flooding on Agricultural Lands in Illinois, Missouri and Indiana. Journal Soil Water Conservation.64:167A-171A.<br /> <br /> <br /> Papiernik, S.K., T.E. Schumacher, D.A. Lobb, M.J. Lindstrom, M.L. Lieser, A. Eynard, and J.A. Schumacher. 2009. Soil Properties and Productivity as Affected by Topsoil Movement within an Eroded Landform. Soil & Tillage Research 102 : 67-77<br /> <br /> <br /> Pikul Jr., Joseph L., Gabriela Chilom, James Rice, Anna Eynard, Thomas Schumacher, Kristine Nichols, Jane M. F. Johnson, Sara Wright, TheCan Caesar, and Michael Ellsbury. 2009. Soil aggregate stability and components of organic matter affected by tillage. Soil Sci Soc Am J 73: 197-206<br /> <br /> <br /> Riedell, Walter E., Joseph L. Pikul, Jr., Abdullah A. Jaradat, and Thomas E. Schumacher. 2009. Crop rotation and nitrogen input effects on soil fertility, maize mineral nutrition, yield, and seed composition. Agronomy Journal 101:870-879.<br /> <br /> <br /> Vahyala, I.E., B. Shmagin, and T.E. Schumacher. 2009. Annual and seasonal patterns of soil profile temperature for 2003 in Brookings, South Dakota. Proceedings of the South Dakota Academy of Science 88:81-90<br /> <br /> <br /> Zhou, X., M. Al-Kiaisi, and M. Helmers. 2009. Cost Effectiveness of Conservation Practices in Controlling Water Erosion in Iowa. Soil & Tillage Res. J. 106:71-87.<br /> <br /> <br /> Zhou, X., M. Helmers, M. Al-Kiaisi, and M. Hanna. 2009. Cost-benefit analysis of conservation management practices for sediment reduction in an Iowa agricultural watershed. Soil and Water Cons. J. 64:314-323.<br />

Impact Statements

1. Experiments designed to provide improved understanding of biofuel production practices on soil quality and soil carbon were established in diverse locations.
2. Information developed and modeled will aid in establishing more accurate soil quality and carbon guidelines for grasslands and cropland that will assist land owners, public policy makers, and federal and state agencies to make better land management decisions.
3. Multi-state common procedures and methods were developed to enable interpretations from individual experiments to be generalized across participant locations.
4. Grant proposals (NIFA-AFRI, Bouyoucos Conference) were developed and submitted from groupings of participating states and the committee as a whole based on project activities.

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Report Information

Participants

Cihacek, Larry J. (larry.cihacek@ndsu.edu) - North Dakota State University;
Lowery,Birl (blowery@wisc.edu) - University of Wisconsin-Madison;
Golabi, Mohammad (mgolabi@uguam.uog.edu) - University of Guam;
Miles,Randall J. (milesR@missouri.edu) - University of Missouri;
Al-Kaisi,Mahdi (malkaisi@iastate.edu) - Iowa State University;
Olson, Kenneth (krolson@illinois.edu) - University of Illinois;
Schumacher, Thomas E. (thomas.schumacher@sdstate.edu) - South Dakota State University

Brief Summary of Minutes

The business meeting of NC-1178 was called to order at 1:30 PM by Mohammad Golabi. An agenda for the business meeting was approved. The adopted agenda included: a discussion of the committee officer structure; approval of minutes from 2010; review of administrative adviser comments; discussion of reporting requirements and deadlines for the NIMSS reporting system; review of objectives to determine progress and future needs; individual state reports; the date and location of the next meeting; discussion of the NC-1178 sponsored Conference logistics and agenda; and adjournment.

Since Gary Steinhardt (chair-elect from the 2010-2011 meeting) was unable to attend this year, it was decided that Mohammad Golabi would function as chair for the current 2011 meeting. Tom Schumacher will serve as secretary. Officers elected for next year (2012-2013) include Mahdi Al-Kaisi as chair and Larry Cihacek as secretary. If for any reason the officers are unable to serve, the rotation will be advanced a year. Past minutes were approved with no additions or subtractions.

Gary Pierzynski, administrative advisor, was not able to attend due to travel conflicts. Written administrative comments were provided for our review and discussion. An important date highlighted in the administrative advisor comments concerned the midterm report which is due December 15, 2011. Dr. Pierzynski quoted a previous message sent to the committee in May: This is a friendly reminder that NC1178 will be undergoing midterm review by the NCRA this coming winter, 2012. Guidelines for a favorable can be found at http://ncra.info/MSR_MidtermReview.php . Please note that all materials must be submitted no later than December 15, 2011 in order to allow the NCRA ample time to conduct the review. Other comments reflected the continuing turmoil and uncertainties in federal and state budgets. The committee discussed individual state situations and strategies for adjusting to budget pressures.

The committee members reviewed the status of project objectives. Objective 1 is to - Assess management effects on carbon sequestration and soil productivity including the impacts of crop residue removal on soil organic carbon (SOC) and erosion. Objective 2 is to - Determine spatial C distribution and dynamics in soils of eroded landscapes for better quantification of erosion impacts on soil carbon loss and sequestration. Work has progressed on both objectives in line with project expectations.

Individual state reports were distributed to committee members and explanatory presentations were made with accompanying discussions. Highlights of individual reports are given in the accomplishments section of the annual report.


The committee discussed the NC-1178 supported conference logistics and agenda details. The conference entitled, Towards Understanding Soil Carbon Sequestration: Processes and Mechanisms on Eroded Landscapes, was conceived and developed by NC-1178 members with funds provided by USDA-NIFA (grant #2011-035), the Western Pacific Tropical Research Center (WPTRC), and the College of Natural and Applied Sciences, University of Guam.

Mahdi Al-Kaisi will host the next NC-1178 meeting at Iowa State University at Ames. The committee suggested that our next meeting take place the second or third week in June. The exact dates will be selected after conferring with the administrative adviser and the rest of the committee.

Adjournment of the business meeting took place at 5 PM. The committee reconvened at the conference at 8:30 AM August 4. Registered participants numbered approximately 50 and included scientists and stakeholders from Guam and surrounding island associated states within the Micronesia region. Research from NC-1178 members was highlighted at the conference including a keynote presentation by NC-1178 member Rattan Lal using distance technology. The conference included sessions on Understanding the mechanisms and processes of soil carbon dynamics; Residue removal impact on soil carbon sequestration and nutrient cycling; Landscape and crop biomass management effects on soil erosion and soil carbon change; and a field trip providing examples of research involving soil carbon dynamics and soil management at the University of Guam experiment stations.

The conference concluded with a banquet held the evening of August 5. All expressed appreciation to Mohammad Golabi for his efforts in conducting an informative and successful conference.

Submitted by
Tom E. Schumacher
Secretary

Accomplishments

Corn residue removal treatments at North Dakota includes an irrigated continuous corn and a corn-soybean rotation on a loamy fine sand and a similar study under dryland conditions on a fine sandy to loam soil. Initial soil samples were taken and are currently being analyzed. A related study examines the contribution of grassland plant species to soil carbon sequestration when grassland is used for biofuels. Soils were examined to a depth of 1 m for total organic carbon as well as water soluble organic carbon. Preliminary results indicate that up to 7 percent of the total organic carbon in these soils is from water soluble organic carbon. Cool season species and forbs tended to have more water soluble organic carbon than warm season species. A survey study examining 1163 diverse sites in the Northern Great Plains found that sites with only cool season grasses present, slopes of less than 3 percent, and little or no slope aspect had the highest soil organic carbon levels.<br /> <br /> Experiments initiated at three sites in Ohio were continued during 2010-2011. Six residue retention (% of total residues produced) treatments implemented on three diverse locations (Coshocton, South Charleston, Hoytville), were: 0, 25, 50, 75, 100 and 200. Residue retention treatments at Ohio were measured on older established plots (7 year history) and plots established in 2011. Soil temperature, soil moisture, and penetration measurements were conducted across treatments. Soil temperature was found to be decreased by 1 degree centigrade as the rate of residue retention increased from 0 to 200 percent on the established plots. This was not observed on the newly established plots. Similar trends were observed with soil moisture with the older plots retaining more moisture as residue retention increased. No trends were observed for soil penetration due to highly variable soil conditions. Residue retention impacts on earthworm counts were inconsistent with 3.6 middens per square meter in the old plots and 5.8 in the new plots. Plant height in general increased with the rate of residue retention. Effects of residue retention depended on site. The Hoytville site had higher grain yields when residue was retained compared to 0 percent retention plots. At the Coshocton and South Charleston sites residue retention did not have an effect on grain yields. At the Coshocton site there were differences in crop stands among treatments. Accumulation of wet straw in front of the no-till seeder caused poor germination and low stand in treatments with high rates (75, 100, 200 percent) of residue retention.<br /> <br /> The results from the Illinois site with a 20 year history using a corn-soybean rotation on sloping and eroding soils showed that significantly more soil organic carbon, 17 percent, was retained by the no till system based on a paired comparison method with the moldboard plow system. However, no SOC sequestration actually occurred since the SOC level of the NT and MP plots after 20 years were 13 and 30 percent lower, respectively, than at the start of the experiment. Findings suggest a pre-treatment baseline is required in all tillage comparison studies to verify the SOC sequestration amounts and rates. As a result of this 20-year Illinois tillage study and other similar studies, tillage researchers are now collecting pre-treatment baseline SOC prior to the establishment of long-term tillage studies. The use of the pre-treatment baseline (the SOC content of the plot areas prior to establishment of the tillage experiment) could in many cases reduce the current overestimation of the amount of the SOC sequestration and rates and an underestimation of the amount greenhouse gas released to the atmosphere during these long term studies.<br /> <br /> The Guam study specifically examines conservation and restoration strategies that address crop production needs within a framework of increasing environmental and financial constraints of the island farmers and ranchers. A higher percentage of carbon content of soil was observed under no-till while the reduced till plots also were higher compared to conventional till treatments. The percent carbon content in the conventional tilled plots were the lowest for all sampling events while the conventional tilled sunnhemp (Crotalaria juncea L.) rotation had higher carbon mainly due to the green manure effect of the added organic matter from sunnhemp biomass production. A similar trend was observed in the 2008 and 2009 treatment plots with NT showing the highest amount of carbon content compared to the other treatments under study. <br /> <br /> Preliminary findings from Iowa show that application of N led to increase of both above and below ground biomass of corn and increase the net sinks for atmospheric carbon dioxide. However, potential amounts of carbon dioxide sequestered in the soil and biomass were reduced as rates of corn residue removal increased. An increase in fertilizer application above agronomic rates led to an increase in nitrous oxide emission. Potential for soil carbon sequestration declined as the residue removal rate increased. It was also observed that the chisel plow caused greater carbon dioxide and nitrous oxide emission than no till. Managements practices that had the potential to increase soil organic carbon sequestration were only observed when no corn residue was removed. These preliminary findings suggest that residue removal of 50 percent or greater increases the potential for net GHG emissions and reduces potential for soil organic sequestration regardless of establishment of mitigation practices such as no-till and different N fertilization rates.<br /> <br /> Studies at Kansas found that removing 6.6 Mg/ha of crop residue from an irrigated, continuous corn production system could have some positive financial incentives for producers, but it would have costs that should be considered. The costs of the additional field operations, as well as the nutrients removed with the residue are quite easy to value. Much harder to monetize are the environmental costs. The increased fragility and subsequent risks to topsoil loss via wind erosion has been documented in this research project. We anticipated losses in profile moisture during the winter following residue removal, but failed to observe any treatment differences. Possible reasons would include undocumented losses from the profile due to leaching, or could be due to large within field variability in these values. In the future, soil profile moisture monitoring systems (such as a neutron probe) might be used to make more frequent observations during the winter season, which would help to document potential losses from deep profile leaching. In summary, at todays prices, producers should expect a minimum of 56.51 dollars per dry metric ton to break even, though realize that by doing so they are failing to value soil resources and could experience catastrophic soil losses that are nearly impossible to mitigate or monetize.<br /> <br /> Missouri is evaluating long term studies at the Sanborn field for impacts on crop residue removal and on a claypan soil site. Surface penetrometer measurements are being made this year. Channel erosion was observed at the claypan soil, Mexico silt loam, with a low slope gradient of 1-2 percent. Work has started on the development of an active carbon field kit and a claypan productivity assessment tool. <br /> <br /> The study site at Wisconsin was planted to a uniform crop of soybeans in 2010. Plots for continuous corn and switchgrass were established in the spring of 2011. Objectives of the study in addition to NC-1178 objectives to be implemented in the study include assessing the impact of variable corn row width and population, and two levels of residue removal (0 and 90 percent) and a comparison of corn residue removal with switchgrass harvesting on soil erosion, carbon distribution, fertility, and selected soil physical properties. Crop planting was successful and initial crop growth looks good. Data collecting started this growing season.<br /> <br /> South Dakota study sites comparing continuous corn, and switchgrass, were established in 2008 and include three landscape positions. Biomass yields for switchgrass generally produced equal or higher biomass yields in the backslope and footslope positions compared to corn. Corn biomass yields were higher in the summit/crest position than switchgrass. Corn grain yields were highly variable in the footslope positions with zero grain yields due to spring flooding at the lowest positions. Three years of removal of corn stover after grain harvest resulted in a reduction of larger conducting pores compared to no residue harvest and the switchgrass harvest and no harvest treatments. Comparisons of the study site and a nearby never cultivated prairie remnant demonstrated a reduction in particulate organic matter, wet aggregate stability, microbial hydrolytic activity, and soil polysaccharides at all landscape positions due to a long history of past cultivation. The distribution of soil organic matter concentration across landscape positions was consistent with a past history of soil erosion on the cultivated land compared to the prairie remnant. A second study involving a corn-soybean rotation involving corn stover removal since 2000 showed a significant loss in soil organic carbon and reductions in wet aggregate stability and particulate organic matter. Water conducting pores between 30 and 150 cm tensions were also reduced in the residue removal plots. This was mostly observed during the rotation in which soybean was growing in corn residue.<br />

Publications

Annam, D. 2011. Factors influencing carbon sequestration in northern Great Plains grasslands. M.S. Thesis. North Dakota State Univ., Fargo, ND<br /> <br /> <br /> Gennadiyev, A.N., A.P. Zhidkin, K.R. Olson, and V.L. Kachinskii. 2010.Soil erosion under different land uses: Assessment by the magnetic tracer method. Eurasian Soil Science 43(9):1047-1054.<br /> <br /> <br /> Hammerbeck, Amber. 2011. Evaluation of the impact of corn residue removal on soil quality. MS Thesis, South Dakota State University, Brookings, SD.<br /> <br /> <br /> Ihde, Nicholas Adam. 2011. Implications of residue removal on soil quality in southwest Kansas. M.S. Thesis. Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS. <br /> <br /> <br /> Mahli, S.S., R.L. Lemke, M.A. Liebig, B. McConkey, J.J. Schoenau, L.J. Cihacek, and C. Campbell. 2010. Management strategies and practices for increasing storage of organic C and N in soil in cropping systems in the Northern Great Plains of North America. Pp. 325-384. In S.S. Mahli, Y. Gan, J.J. Schoenau, R.L. Lemke, and M.A. Liebig (eds.), Recent Trends in Soil Science and AQgronomy Research in the Northern Great Plains of North America. Research Signpost Press, Kerala, India.<br /> <br /> <br /> Miles, R.J. and J.R. Brown. 2011. The Sanborn field experiment: Implications for long-term soil organic carbon levels. Agron J. 103:268-278.<br /> <br /> <br /> Myers, D.B., N.R. Kitchen, K.A. Sudduth, R.J. Miles, and E.J. Sadler. 2011. Peak functions for modeling high resolution and soil profile data. (In Press) Geoderma<br /> <br /> <br /> ODonnell, T.K., K.W. Goyne, R.J. Miles, C. Baffaut, S.H. Anderson, and K.A. Sudduth. 2010. Identification and quantification of soil redoximorphic features by digital image processing. Geoderma 157:86-96.<br /> <br /> <br /> Olson, K.R. 2010.Impacts of tillage, slope, and erosion on soil organic carbon retention. Soil Science 175:562-567. <br /> <br /> <br /> Olson, K.R., A.N. Gennadiyev, A.N., A.P. Zhidkin, and M.V. Markelov. 2011. Impact of land use change and soil erosion in Upper Mississippi River Valley on soil organic carbon retention and greenhouse gas emissions. Soil Science 176 (9): 449-458.<br /> <br /> <br /> Riedell, Walter E., Shannon L. Osborne, Thomas E. Schumacher, Joseph L. Pikul, Jr., 2010. Grassland canopy management and native tallgrass species composition effects on C and N in grass canopies and soil. Plant Soil 338:51-61<br /> <br /> <br /> Steele, Amber Marshaus. 2011. Regional and geomorphic influence on soil genesis and oak ecosystems in the Chariton River Hills of Missouri. M.S. Thesis, University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri.<br /> <br /> <br /> Stiles, C.A., R.D. Hammer, R. Ferguson, M.G. Johnson, J. Galbraith, T. OGeen, T. Arriage, J. Shaw, A. Falen, R. Miles, and P. McDaniel. 2011. Validation of a portable kit for measuring an active soil carbon fraction. (In Press) Soil Sci Soc Am J.<br />

Impact Statements

1. A grant was obtained by NC1178 members to support the conference, Towards Understanding Soil Carbon Sequestration: Processes and Mechanisms on Eroded Landsccapes, held in Mangilao, Guam, August 3-5, 2011. USDA-NIFA #2011-035, 2011, Recipients: M. Al-Kaisi, B. Lowery, M. Golabi, NC1178 members
2. A USDA-NIFA-AFRI grant in the Sustainable Bioenergy program was obtained in South Dakota due in part to NC1178 project activities. Pathway to sustainable feedstock production system through the optimization of pyrolytic conversion processes of biomass to biochar and bio-oil. USDA-NIFA 2011-2016, $1,000,000, Recipients: PD: T.E. Schumacher , Co-PIs : J. Julson, S. Clay, D. Clay, R. Chintala, R. Gelderman, D. Malo, and L. Wei., (South Dakota State University) and S. Papiernik (USDA-ARS, Brookings,SD).
3. A US-DOE Sungrant, Biofuel Feedstock Crops in Sub-Irrigated Lowlands, was funded based in part on NC1178 project activities. US-DOE, 2011-2014, $225,000 Recipients: PD: W.C. Johnson, Co-PIs: A. Boe, T. Schumacher, and V. Owens, South Dakota State University.
4. Funding from the Agronomy Endowment from the Department of Agronomy at Iowa State University was used to support a graduate student and NC1178 research. $125,000, Recipient: M. Al-Kaisi
5. An international conference entitled,Towards Understanding Soil Carbon Sequestration: Processes and Mechanisms on Eroded Landscapes,was held in Mangilao, Guam, August 3-5, 2011 in conjunction with the NC1178 annual meeting. Conference participants included researchers, extension educators, producers, students, and instructors representing islands in the Western Pacific as well as interested participants from the US mainland and Hawaii.
6. The importance of a pre-treatment soil organic carbon content baseline was supported by NC1178 findings (Illinois and Missouri studies). A critical component of the NC1178 research project is to provide quantitative unbiased information about the effects of residue removal on soil organic carbon.
7. Numerous presentations (greater than 45) were made by NC1178 members at conferences, meetings, and field days based on findings from NC1178 and findings of previous phases (NC174, NC1017) of this multi-state research project.

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Participants

Brief Summary of Minutes

Please see attached "Copy of Minutes" file for meeting minutes and full annual report.

Accomplishments

Publications

Impact Statements

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Participants

Mahdi Al-Kaisi, Iowa State University;
Francisco Arriaga, University of Wisconsin;
Humberto Blanco, University of Nebraska;
Larry Cihacek, North Dakota State University;
Mohammad Golabi, University of Guam;
Sandeep Kumar, South Dakota State University;
Rattal Lal, The Ohio State University;
Birl Lowery, University of Wisconsin, (ex-officio);
Randy Miles, University of Missouri;
Kenneth Olson, University of Illinois;
DeAnn Presley, Kansas State University;
Diane Stott, USDA-ARS;

Brief Summary of Minutes

Accomplishments

<br /> Over a 5-year period, no-till showed the highest SOC levels while conventional tillage had the lowest SOC on severely eroded soils in Guam. Soil OC was generally higher at depths below 10 cm for all tillage Treatments. Inclusion of sunnhemp (Crotalaria juncea L.) as a cover crop on conventionally tilled soils increased SOC in the upper 10 cm of the soil but not as high as no-till. Regardless of tillage/residue treatment, all soils have SOC contents of <1.5% under cropped/cultivated conditions. (GU)<br /> <br /> After 3 years of corn residue removal, no significant reduction in grain yield was observed due to the residue removal. However, only with adoption of no-till and N rates > 150 lbs N/A with little residue removal were potential SOC increases observed. On a poorly drained site, 2.5-3.5 T/A residue needs to be retained to maintain SOC, while, 3.0-3.5 T/A is needed on a well drained site. Removal of 100% of the residue regardless of tillage or increased N fertilization resulted in higher soil bulk density and reduced soil aggregation. (IA)<br /> <br /> Studies on long-term (25 year) tillage plots showed that cover crops did not affect corn or soybean plant populations over a 6 year period. Effects of combining cover crops with residue removal over 3 cropping years on corn and soybean yields were mixed and appear to be more related to tillage practice. (IL)<br /> <br /> Severe drought affected residue removal studies in that significant plant death occurred at both sites studied. Yields were > 75 % lower than normal, resulting in very low residue levels at both sites affecting the ability to remove residue in a meaningful manner. (KS)<br /> <br /> Collection of crop residue from seven long-term (>10 years) diverse no-till cropping systems shows a potential need for increased N fertilizer applications to compensate for heavy residue accumulation in some systems. (ND)<br /> <br /> No difference in crop yields among different residue removal treatments on two 4-year trials on irrigated corn were observed. Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions were lower where corn stover was removed than where it was not removed. A winter rye cover crop to mitigate C losses due to stover removal did not affect CO2 emissions. Residue removal effects on soil erodibility may be greater than that on corn yields and soil C pools in the short term under irrigated conditions. (NE)<br /> <br /> Residue retention had significant impact on water runoff and sediment transport in simulated rainfall studies. Residue management treatments had clear effects on corn grain and stover yield in 2012 on both 8 year old and 1 year old study sites. Complete residue removal reduced grain yields 40-45% while 50% removal reduced grain yields 12-23%. (OH)<br />

Publications

Al-Kaisi, M. and J. Guzman. 2013. Effects of tillage and nitrogen rate on decomposition of transgenic Bt and near-isogenic non-Bt maize residue. Soil and Tillage Research Journal. 129: 32-39.<br /> <br /> Al-Kaisi, M., R. Elmore, J. Guzman, H. Hanna, C. Hart, M. Helmers, E. Hodgson, A. Lenssen, A. Mallarino, A. Robertson, and J. Sawyer. 2013. Drought impact on crop production and soil environment: 2012 experiences from Iowa. JSWC. 68 (1): 19-24.<br /> <br /> Al-Kaisi, M., and J. Guzman. 2011. Residue biomass removal and potential impact on production and environmental quality. p.131-138. In Proc. 23th Annual Integrated Crop<br /> Management Conference, Iowa State University, Ames, IA. Nov. 30 to Dec.1.<br /> <br /> Blanco-Canqui, H. 2013. Crop residue removal for bioenergy reduces soil carbon pools: How can we offset carbon losses? Bioenerg. Res. 6:358-371.<br /> <br /> Blanco-Canqui, H., Benjamin, J.G. 2013. Impacts of soil organic carbon on soil physical behavior. 2012. Advances in Agricultural Systems Modeling. Soil Science Society of America, Inc. 3:11-40. <br /> <br /> Bonin, C. and R. Lal. 2012. Bioethanol potentials and life-cycle assessments of biofuel feedstocks. Crit. Rev. Plant Sci. 31:271-289.<br /> <br /> Bonin, C. and R. Lal. 2012. Agronomic and ecological implications of biofuels. Adv. Agron. 117:1-50.<br /> <br /> Johnson, J.M.F., W.W. Wilhelm, D.L. Karlen, D.W. Archer, B.J. Wienhold, D.T. Lightle, D.A. Laird, J.M. Baker, T.E. Ochsner, J.M. Novak, A.D. Halvorson, F.J. Arriaga, and N.W. Barbour. 2010. Nutrient removal as a function of corn stover cutting height and cob harvest. BioEnergy Res. 3:342-352.<br /> <br /> Karlen, D.L. Varvel, G.E., Johnson, J.M-F., Baker, J.M., Osborne, S.L., Novak, J.M., Adler, P.R., Roth, G.W. and Birrell, S.J. Monitoring soil quality to assess the sustainability of harvesting corn stover. Agron. J. 103:288-295. 2011.<br /> <br /> Lal, R., J.A. Delgado, J. Gulliford, D. Nielsen, C.W. Rice and R.S. Van Pelt. 2012. Adapting agriculture to drought and extreme events. J. Soil and Water Conserv. 67(6): 162A-166A.<br /> <br /> Olson, K.R., A. N. Gennadiyev, A. P. Zhidkin, M. V. Markelov, V.N. Golosov and J. M. Lang. 2013. Magnetic tracer methods to determine cropland erosion rates. Catena. 104:103-110.<br /> <br /> Olson, K.R. 2013. Soil organic carbon sequestration in U.S. cropland: Protocol development. Geoderma 195-196: 201-206.<br /> <br /> Olson, K.R., S.A. Ebelhar and J.M. Lang. 2013. Effects of 24 years of tillage on SOC and crop productivity. Special edition. Soil Management for Sustainable Agriculture 2013. Applied and Environmental Soil Science 2013 (1):1-10.<br /> <br /> Olson, K.R. A. N. Gennadiyev, R. G. Kovach and J. M. Lang. 2013. The use of fly ash to determine the extent of sediment transport on nearly level western Illinois landscapes. Soil Science 178(1):24-28.<br /> <br /> Shaver, T., R. Ferguson, G. Hergert, Shapiro, C. Wortmann, and S. van Donk. 2013. Stover harvest through grazing and baling and the effects on soil properties. Crop Production Clinics 2103 Proceedings. University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Extension.<br /> <br /> van Donk, S.J., D.L. Martin, S. Irmak, S.R. Melvin, J.L. Petersen, and D.R. Davison. 2010. Crop residue cover effects on evaporation, soil water content, and yield of deficit-irrigated corn in west-central Nebraska. Transactions of the ASABE 53:1787-1797.<br /> <br /> van Donk, S.J., T.M. Shaver, J.L. Petersen, and D.R. Davison. 2012. Effects of crop residue removal on soil water content and yield of deficit-irrigated soybean. Transactions of the ASABE 55:149-157.<br /> <br /> Vogel, K.P., Follett, R.F., Varvel, G.E., Mitchell, R.B., and Kimble, J.M. Soil carbon sequestration by maize and switchgrass grown for bioenergy. BioEnergy Research. 5(4): 866-875. 2012, DOI: 10.1007/s12155-012-9198-y.<br /> <br /> Wienhold, B.J. and J.E. Gilley. 2010. Cob removal effect on sediment and runoff nutrient loss from a silt loam soil. Agron. J. 102:1448-1452.<br /> <br /> Wienhold, B.J., G.E. Varvel, and V.L. Jin. 2011. Corn cob residue carbon and nutrient dynamics during decomposition. Agron. J. 103:1192-1197.<br /> <br /> Wilhelm, Wally W., Hess, J. Richard, Karlen, Douglas L., Johnson, Jane M.F., Muth, David J.,Baker, John M., Gollany, Hero T., Novak, Jeff M., Stott, Diane E., and Varvel, Gary E. Review: Balancing limiting factors & economic drivers for sustainable Midwestern U.S. agricultural residue feedstock supplies. Industrial Biotechnology 6(5): 271-287. 2010.<br /> <br /> Wortmann, C.S., R.N. Klein, and C.A. Shapiro. 2012. Harvesting crop residues. University of Nebraska-Lincoln Exten. NebGuide G1846 (revised).<br />

Impact Statements

1. Crop residue removal affects maintenance of SOC and soil aggregate stability at specific locations.
2. Under certain conditions, crop residue removal can influence soil bulk density.
3. Removal of crop residues may negate the beneficial effects of no-till on soils
4. Management of crops, cover crops, crop residues, and tillage influences SOC distribution in the soil profile

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Brief Summary of Minutes

See attached Copy of Minutes file below for NC1178's June 2014 annual report.

Accomplishments

An experiment in south-central Wisconsin assesses the impact of corn stover harvest and switchgrass biomass on water runoff, soil erosion, crop productivity, and soil quality parameters (e.g. soil organic carbon, infiltration, aggregate stability, nutrient content, etc.) on sloping land. Corn grain yields in 2012 varied between systems, but in general harvesting stover reduced yields. This trend was more marked in 2013. Corn stover production followed similar patterns to that of grain yield in 2012 and 2013, with stover harvest reducing biomass yields. Biomass production with switchgrass was greater than corn during both growing seasons. A severe drought during the 2012 growing season affected most of the Midwest, which impacted runoff production and crop yields at the study site. However, water runoff data shows a trend of greater runoff during the growing season when corn stover is harvested (Fig.1). Stover harvest increased runoff volumes by 38% when compared to leaving the corn stover residue on the soil surface. In general, runoff from Switchgrass was lower than any of the corn systems. A less consistent trend in runoff was observed during the 2012/13 winter and spring months (Fig. 2). During that period, runoff volumes between the stover management treatments were similar. Runoff from Switchgrass plots was 17% lower relative to stover not harvested treatment. (WI)<br /> <br /> <br /> At the Michigan State University, Kellogg Biological Station (KBS) a long term, 8-treatement experiment corresponding to a biodiversity/management intensity gradient was established in 2014. Treatments include continuous corn, with and without cover crops; and a corn-soybean rotation (every entry point each year) with cover crops. Each treatment is replicated in 5 randomized complete blocks, with 30m x 40m plots. All treatments host a fertilizer split-plot treatment and include a corn stover removal split-plot. The plots are on well-drained, moderate-fertility, typic hapludalf soil. We will evaluate these cropping systems for sustainability attributes including: soil C change, greenhouse gas fluxes, water balance, yields, as well as other properties needed to parameterize and test EPIC (our terrestrial ecosystem model) and evaluate C and water balances. (MI)<br /> <br /> <br /> In South Dakota an experiment is being conducted on a silty clay loam soil. The treatments include three different residue removal rates: low residue removal (LRR), medium residue removal (MRR), and high residue removal (HRR), and cover crop and no cover crop. Data from this study show that in general crop residue removal significantly impacted the soil properties, however, little differences were observed between cover crops and no cover crops. Corn residue removal and cover crop impacted soil properties such as SOC, microbial activity, water stable aggregates (WSA), and wettability of the soil for the 0-5 and 5-15 cm depths. Results from this study concluded that removal of high residue lead to SOC decomposition and affect soil properties and soil quality, therefore, maintaining LRR and using the cover crop can improve the soil quality. However, a long-term study needed to assess the impacts of cover crop and residue removal on soil quality. (SD)<br /> <br /> <br /> Two experiments are in progress in Nebraska. Light grazing, heavy grazing, and baling of corn stover in an irrigated no-till continuous corn for 5 yr in west central Nebraska had some mixed effects. Overall, after 5 years, corn residue grazing and baling appear to have little or no adverse effects on soil compaction, aggregation, or C and N cycling. Grazing residues had no effects on soil organic C concentration and corn yields. In the second experiment, the use of cover crops to offset crop residue removal, the residue removal (63%) from plots with cover crop or manure increased wind erosion potential compared with plots without removal, indicating that cover crops and manure did not offset stover removal effects. Overall, in the short term, cover crop or manure may not provide sufficient soil protection from wind erosion. (NE)<br /> <br /> <br /> Over a 5-year period, no-till showed the highest SOC levels while conventional tillage had the lowest SOC. Preliminary findings show that residue removal as well as soil disturbance from tillage increases the potential for net carbon dioxide emission to the atmosphere from disturbed agricultural fields hence provide conditions for reduces soil organic carbon content and overall reduction of carbon sequestration potential on these soils. (GU)<br /> <br /> <br /> After four years of corn residue removal in poorly and well-drained soil sites in Iowa, there were no significant decreases in grain yield. In addition, there were no significant decreases in total soil organic carbon (SOC) concentrations compared to baseline year. However, potential decreases in SOC sequestration were observed when residue was removed. Significant short term effects of residue removal on soil physical properties were observed. Increases of bulk density were observed with 100% residue removal regardless of tillage and increased N fertilization rate. Furthermore, decreases in soil aggregation were observed with residue removal, regardless of tillage and increased N fertilization rate. Subsequently, soil water infiltration rates were significantly reduced in the well-drained soil site. In general, the adoption of no-till over chisel plow and increased rates of N fertilization did offset some of the negative impacts of residue removal, but potential losses of SOC sequestration and deterioration of soil physical properties were still observed. (IA)<br /> <br /> <br /> Studies on long-term (25 year) tillage plots showed that cover crops did not affect corn or soybean plant populations over a 6 year period. Effects of combining cover crops with residue removal over 3 cropping years on corn and soybean yields were mixed and appear to be more related to tillage practice. (IL)<br /> <br /> <br /> Three North Dakota sites have been established to evaluate the effects of biomass removal on changes in soil organic C and soil properties in different cropping systems. For continuous corn, the wind erodible fraction (<0.84mm) increased with increased, and the field-moist water stable aggregate fraction and water infiltration decreased with increasing residue removal.For the corn phase of a corn-soybean rotation water infiltration rate decreased with increased residue removal, while for the soybean phase the air-dry water stable aggregates decreased with increased residue removal. (ND)<br /> <br /> <br /> Site-specific trends in corn grain yields were observed with regards to residue retention among three different sites in Ohio. The optimal residue retention was 75% at Coshocton corresponding with grain yield of 13.4 Mg/ha. In contrast, the grain yield had a declining trend with increase in residue retention at South Charleston and Hoytville. Corn grain yield declined linearly with increase in the rate of residue retention. With differential input of biomass-C, SOC concentration in the surface layers (0-5 cm and 5-10 cm) increased with increase in the rate of residue retention. The SOC concentration increased from 1.3% for 0% residue retention to 3.1% for 200% residue retention treatment for 0-5 cm, and 1.1% for 0% residue retention to 1.9% for 200% retention for 5-10 cm depth. The SOC concentration was expectedly unaffected by the residue retention treatments below 10-cm depth. (OH)<br /> <br /> <br /> Residue removal plots in eastern KS (Ottawa, rainfed) and western KS (Colby, irrigated) began in 2009 and are still in place as of 2014. Research was conducted at Hugoton under irrigation 2009-2011. After five years of corn residue removal at the Ottawa site in eastern Kansas, there were no decreases in yield with residue removal. At the irrigated Hugoton site, in three years there were no differences in yield with respect to residue removal levels. The Colby site, also irrigated, there were increased yields four out of five years when residue was removed at some level. (KS)<br /> <br /> <br /> Outputs: 10 refereed journal articles, 3 peer-reviewed extension publications, and 3 conference presentations directly related to residue management authored by the members of this committee published October 1, 2013 to September 30, 2014. <br />

Publications

Peer-reviewed published manuscripts, including book chapters (10):<br /> <br /> <br /> Baumhardt, R.L. and H. Blanco-Canqui. 2013. Soil conservation practices. Encyclopedia of Agriculture and Food Systems (AGRI). Elsevier Inc. (in press).<br /> <br /> <br /> Blanco-Canqui, H., R.B. Ferguson, V.L. Jin, M.R. Schmer, B.J. Wienhold, and J. Tatarko. 2014. Can cover crop and manure maintain soil properties after stover removal from irrigated no-till corn? Soil Sci. Soc. Am. J. (in press).<br /> <br /> <br /> Blanco-Canqui, H., C.A. Shapiro, C.S. Wortmann, R.A. Drijber, M. Mamo, T.M. Shaver, and R.B. Ferguson. 2013. Soil organic carbon: The value to soil properties. J. Soil Water Conserv. 68:129A-134A.<br /> <br /> <br /> Kahlon, M.S., R. Lal, M. Ann Varughese. 2013. Twenty-two years of tillage and mulching impacts on soil physical characteristics and carbon sequestration in Central Ohio. Soil & Tillage Res. 126:151-153.<br /> <br /> <br /> Lal, R. 2013. Soil carbon management and climate change. Carbon Management, 4:4, 439-462.<br /> <br /> <br /> Lal, R. 2013. Enhancing ecosystem services with no-till. Renewable Agric. & Food Syst. 28:2, 102-114.<br /> <br /> <br /> Liska, A.J., H. Yang, M. Milner, S. Goddard, H. Blanco-Canqui, M.P. Pelton et al. 2014. Biofuels from crop residue can reduce soil carbon and increase CO2 emissions. Nature Climate Change. 4:398–401. <br /> <br /> <br /> Olson, K.R, M.M Al-Kaisi., R. Lal and B. Lowery. 2014. Experimental consideration, treatments, and methods in determining soil organic carbon sequestration rates. Soil Sci. Soc. Am. J. 2014. 78. http://doi:10.2136/sssaj2013.09.0412. (Note: This was based on research by the NC-1178 committee, and all authors are long-standing members of the committee). <br /> <br /> <br /> Osborne, S. L., Johnson, J. M. F., Jin, V. L., Hammerbeck, A. L., Varvel, G. E., and Schumacher, T. E. (2014). The impact of corn residue removal on soil aggregates and particulate organic matter. BioEnergy Research, 1-9.<br /> <br /> <br /> Palm, C., H. Blanco-Canqui, F. DeClerck, L. Gatere, and P. Grace. 2014. Conservation agriculture and ecosystem services: An overview. Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment. 187:87-105.<br /> <br /> <br /> Peer-reviewed Extension publications (3):<br /> <br /> <br /> Al-Kaisi, M. and J. Guzman. 2014. Managing crop residue removal and soil quality. Iowa State University Extension PM3052A. Ames, IA.<br /> <br /> <br /> Al-Kaisi, M. and J. Guzman. 2014. Managing crop residue removal and soil organic matter. Iowa State University Extension PM3052B. Ames, IA.<br /> <br /> <br /> Presley, D.R., and C.R. Boyer. 2014. Crop Residues: Abundance and Considerations for Alternative Uses. Kansas State University Research and Extension. Manhattan, KS. http://www.ksre.ksu.edu/bookstore/pubs/MF3165.pdf <br /> <br /> <br /> Conference presentations (3):<br /> <br /> <br /> Cartier, J., and F.J. Arriaga. Runoff from corn and Switchgrass production fields grown as cellulosic bioenergy feedstocks. Wisconsin Section of the American Water Resources Association 37th Annual Meeting, March 7-8, 2013, Brookfield, WI.<br /> <br /> <br /> Dungait J, Beniston J, Lal R, Horrocks C, Collins A, Mariappen S, Quine T. 2014. Novel approaches to understanding carbon redistribution at multiple scales. European Geophysical Union. Vienna, Austria.<br /> <br /> <br /> Beniston J, Dungait J, Shipitalo M, Lal R, Jones FS, Dayton EA. 2012. Soil erosion and macronutrient fluxes under simulated rainfall: The effects of tillage and crop residue removal. Soil Science Society of America Annual Meeting. Cincinnati, OH<br />

Impact Statements

1. 1. Crop residue removal affects maintenance of SOC and soil aggregate stability at specific locations.
2. 2. Under certain conditions, crop residue removal can influence soil bulk density.
3. 3. Removal of crop residues may negate the beneficial effects of no-till on soils
4. 4. Management of crops, cover crops, crop residues, and tillage influences SOC distribution in the soil profile
5. 5. Residue removal effects on subsequent crop yields has varies across the region due to differences in soil drainage classes, soil texture, and precipitation (either rainfall or irrigation).

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