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1. Is Mitigation of Drought Stress By Zinc Oxide Nanoparticles Driven By a Nano-Specific Mechanism or Alleviation of Micronutrient Deficiency?It has been reported that zinc oxide (ZnO) nanoparticles (NPs) can promote drought tolerance in crops when used as soil amendments. However, many of these experiments were conducted in Zn-deficient growth media with no comparison to currently available Zn fertilization methods, making it unclear if the benefits from adding ZnO NPs were caused by a nano-specifc mechanism or simply by the mitigation of a micronutrient deficiency. A review of the literature shows that of 12 published experiments... J.W. Deakin, M. Potter, A. Cartwright, J. Hortin, D. Sparks, J.E. Mclean, D.W. Britt, A.J. Anderson, A.R. Jacobson, L. Yen |
2. Nitrogen and Water Management for Optimized Sugar Beet Yield and Sugar ContentSugar beet (SB) production is based on maximizing: root yield, and sucrose content, and sucrose recovery efficiency. Efficient nitrogen (N) and water management are key for successful SB production. Nitrogen deficits in the soil can reduce root and sugar yield. Overapplication of N can reduce sucrose content and increase nitrate impurities which lowers sucrose recovery. Application of N in excess of SB crop need leads to vigorous canopy growth, while compromising root development and sugar production.... O.S. Walsh, S. Shafian, D. Jayawardena |
3. Sensor-Based Nitrogen for Spring WheatManagement of nitrogen (N) fertilizer during wheat production needs to vary depending on the variety as they have different N requirements. Though many growers prefer planting older varieties that they are already familiar with, increasing the knowledge on N requirements of newly released varieties will help to improve the adoption of these varieties by growers. Therefore, the main goals of this study were to assess grain yield, grain N uptake and N use efficiency (NUE) of new and traditional... D.M. Jaywardena, O.S. Walsh |
4. 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 |
5. Vineyard Soil Health: What Soil Properties are Most Important?Washington is the second leading producer of wine grapes (Vitis vinifera) in the US, with over 60,000 acres in vineyards. With such a substantial acreage, it is crucial to know how management practices may affect soil and vine health in wine grape systems. Soil health indicators and threshold values have been extensively studied in commodity crops in the Midwest and the northeastern US, but there is much less information available for specialty crops in the Pacific Northwest. Soil... M. Mcilquham, D. Griffin-lahue, K. Sarpong, L. Michel |
6. Source and Rate Interactions for Enhanced Efficiency Phosphorus FertilizersPhosphorus (P) is an essential plant nutrient and plays a major role in the health and wellbeing of ecosystems. Deficient P is detrimental to plants. Excessive P is also detrimental to plants and is potentially harmful environmentally. Soil testing is an effective tool to help growers determine if fertilizer P is needed and, if so, the rate that is needed to be applied. Rates higher than the recommended amount can be detrimental to plant health and decrease yield. In addition to applying the right... A. Norris, B. Hopkins |
7. Soil Management Assessment Framework Use for Identifying Soil Quality Changes in Irrigated AgricultureThe 820 km2 Twin Falls (Idaho) irrigation tract is part of the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) - Conservation Effects Assessment Project (CEAP). Furrow irrigation was initiated in the early 1900s but, since the 1990s, the NRCS Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) and other specialty projects have resulted in conversion of approximately 40% of the irrigation tract area to sprinkler irrigation. Most past CEAP research has focused on water quantity and quality, effects... J. Ippolito, D. Bjorneberg, D. Stott, D. Karlen |
8. Improving Nitrogen Use Efficiency of Cool Season Vegetable Production Systems with Broccoli RotationsNitrate leaching in leafy vegetable production in the Salinas Valley, CA is a continuing problem. Increased levels of nitrate in groundwater resources affects the ability of municipalities to access drinking water that meet federal water quality standards. Regulations by the Central Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board are now requiring growers to improve nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) in production fields. In prior studies we found that above ground biomass nitrogen (N) at crop maturity... R. Smith, M. Cahn, T. Hartz |
9. Amending Acidic Soils for Sustainable Wheat ProductionSoils in the Inland Pacific Northwest region have been gradually declining in quality as the result of applications of nitrogen fertilizers, regardless of the nitrogen form. Soil test reports evaluated in the 1980’s and 90’s indicated this decline. Recent surveys have provided more extensive data that the pH decline is continuing. Soil test reports indicate that nearly 90% of soils have declined to below 5.2 pH (strong to very strongly acid) in the surface layer of the soil profile.... P. Carter, G. Wegner |
10. Polymer Coated Urea: Meeting Plant Needs While Mitigating Environmental Impacts — Research SummaryFertile soil is the foundation of food production and is maintained by replacing nutrients lost in harvest or to the atmosphere and hydrosphere. Nitrogen (N) accounts for approximately half of global fertilizer inputs. However, N recovery by plants is inherently inefficient due to “leaks” in the system, causing air and water pollution. Additionally, poor fertilizer efficiency is a waste of natural resources and potentially reduces yields, crop quality, and grower profits. Nitrogen-use... S. Bartholomew, T. Hopkins, B. Hopkins |
11. Precision Sensing for Improved Wheat ProductionImproving nitrogen (N) use efficiency (NUE) from current 35-40% is important for growers’ sustainability and environmental quality. Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) are proposed as an alternative to traditional field scouting for making crop management decisions. Precision sensors and cameras mounted on the UAVs provide high quality images which can be used to make fertilizer recommendations in-season based on crop nutrient status. A study was conducted at 5 locations in Southern Idaho in... O. Walsh, J. Marshall, J. Mcclintick-chess, S. Blanscet, C. Jackson |
12. Cropmanage: an Online Decision Support Tool for Irrigation and Nutrient ManagementVegetable and berry growers on the central coast of California are under growing regulatory pressure to reduce nitrate loading to ground and surface water supplies. Two tools available to farmers to improve nitrogen use efficiency of these crops are the soil nitrate quick test (SNQT) for monitoring soil residual N concentrations and evapotranspiration (ET)-based irrigation scheduling for estimating crop water requirements. We developed a web-based software application, called CropManage (https://ucanr.edu/cropmanage),... M. Cahn, T. Hartz, R. Smith, B. Noel, L. Johnson, F. Melton |
13. Response of Mesa Russet Potato to Potassium Fertilizer Source and Time of ApplicationResearch studies have shown that the source of potassium (K) fertilizer can influence potato tuber yield and quality. Most of the K fertilizer studies conducted have focused on muriate of potash (MOP) and sulfate of potash (SOP). Potassium Acetate (Bio-K) has been introduced as a new source of K fertilizer. Field studies were conducted at the San Luis Valley Research Center, Colorado State University, to evaluate the yield and quality response of potato cultivar Mesa Russet to source and time... S.Y. Essah |
14. Summarization of 471 Field Comparisons of Avail®Phosphorus (P) is a commonly deficient essential nutrient required for crop production. Economic, environmental, and conservation issues have motivated significant efforts to enhance fertilizer efficiency. AVAIL® is a specialty fertilizer product with claims of enhancing P use efficiency to potentially increase crop yield and quality. There have been at least 471 field comparisons to evaluate the effectiveness of AVAIL with a wide variety of crops. The objective of this summarization... B. Hopkins, K. Fernelius, M. Pryor |
15. Effects of Post-fire Soil Hydrophobicity on Inorganic Soil Nitrogen and Sulfur CyclingFire plays an important role in many native ecosystems, and its suppression has increased woody encroachment across the globe. Restoring native herbaceous communities following fire in encroached systems is often challenging. Post-fire soil hydrophobicity is one factor that may further limit site restoration by limiting soil moisture, which may in turn affect soil nutrient dynamics. We conducted a field study in a burned pinion-juniper woodland to understand the effects of post- fire soil hydrophobicity... B. Hopkins, K. Fernelius, M. Madsen, K. Russell, B. Roundy |
16. Irrigation and Nitrogen Management Web-based Software for Lettuce ProductionLettuce growers on the central coast of California are under increased regulatory pressure to reduce nitrate loading to ground and surface water supplies. Two tools available to farmers to improve nitrogen use efficiency of lettuce are the quick nitrate soil test (QNST) for monitoring soil mineral nitrogen levels and weather-based irrigation scheduling for estimating water needs of the crop. We developed a web-based software application, called CropManage (https://ucanr.edu/cropmanage), to facilitate... M. Cahn, R. Smith, T. Hartz, B. Noel |
17. Exploring Controlled Release Nitrogen Fertilizers for Vegetable and Melon Crop Production in California and ArizonaVarious forms of polymer coated urea (PCU) were examined as sources of controlled release nitrogen for production of cauliflower, watermelon, carrot, and spinach in Arizona or California. Studies were designed to demonstrate the effectiveness of PCU for supplying 100 percent of the fertilizer nitrogen needed for an entire growing season in a single pre-plant application. In each study, two or more N rates were tested. PCU having an appropriate release time for a given set of growing conditions... R. Smith, A. Blaylock, E. Ellison, C. Sanchez |
18. Efficient N Fertility and Irrigation Management in Vegetable and Berry ProductionNitrogen (N) fertility and irrigation management for vegetable and berry production has historically been done on an ‘agronomic’ basis, with the sole focus on producing the optimal crop. For these crops N fertilizer and water costs are a small portion of overall production costs, and an even smaller portion of crop value; consequently, these inputs have not been scrutinized as closely as they have been for lower value crops. However, throughout the West concern over environmental water... T. Hartz, R. Smith, M. Cahn |
19. Highbush Blueberry Response to Compost and SulfurHighbush blueberry is adapted to soils with high organic matter and acidic pH, and it is often grown in Oregon with coniferous sawdust as a soil amendment or mulch. Composts could provide an alternative to sawdust, but acidification is needed to overcome high pH. Our objectives were to (i) predict the quantity of acidity needed to reduce compost pH to 4.8 (ideal for blueberry), (ii) determine compost characteristics suited for blueberry, and (iii) evaluate plant growth response and soil pH response... D. Sullivan, R. Costello, D. Bryla, B. Strik, J. Owens |
20. 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 |
21. Waxy Barley: N Applications for Yield, Beta-glucan, and ProteinNitrogen fertilizer (N) management was evaluated for growing irrigated waxy barley for higher protein and beta-glucan soluble fiber content. A local company has proposed the building of a barley fractionation plant to capitalize on these value-added traits. Salute and Merlin, two spring waxy barley cultivars, were fall-planted to compare yield and quality under different N treatments applied in late winter and at heading and to evaluate ethephon to reduce lodging. Fairly normal winter weather... S. Norberg, B. Brown, C. Shock, A. Ross, P. Hayes, J. Rey |
22. Non-destructive Measurement of Perennial Crop N StatusLittle research has been conducted to evaluate the use on hand-held leaf meters as tools to assess plant N status in perennial crops. In this study, using replicated N rate plots in place for up to four years, we used two hand-held leaf meters (the Minolta SPAD meter and the Field Spec CM1000) to monitor tissue N status in apple and one meter (CM1000 only) in wine grape. In both crops, relationships were found between leaf meter readings and both fertilizer N rate as well as tissue N concentration.... J. Davenport, R. Stevens, E. Perry |
23. Determining Plant Available Nitrogen from Manure and Compost Topdressed on an Irrigated PastureComposting manure is a practice that is gaining acceptance as an environmentally sound manure management practice at large animal production operations. Composting produces a value-added product that enhances the fertility and physical properties of soil. During the composting process, nitrogen and phosphorus in the original feedstocks are converted through microbial activity into predominantly stable organic compounds, lessening the risk of loss of these nutrients into the environment. Compost... J. G. davis, T. Bauder, K. Corwin doesken, A. Elliott |
24. Cool Season Mineralization of Recalcitrant Organic N in Undisturbed Cores of Manured SoilsThe objectives of this study were to (1) quantify cool season N mineralization from recalcitrant organic N in soils with a long history of manure application and (2) examine the relationship between cool season recalcitrant organic N mineralization and a fall mineralizable N index. “Cool season” was defined as October to February for fields with winter crops and October to May for fields with no winter crops. Two in situ trials were conducted with undisturbed soil... D. Moberg, D. Sullivan, R. Johnson |
25. CropManage Decision Support Tool for Improving Irrigation and Nutrient Efficiency of Cool Season Vegetables in California: a Decade of Field Demonstrations and OutreachVegetable growers on the central coast of California are under regulatory pressure to reduce nitrate loading to ground and surface water supplies. California is also implementing the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA) which may limit agricultural pumping in regions such as the central coast where the aquifer has been over-extracted for irrigation of crops. Growers could potentially use less N fertilizer, address water quality concerns, and conserve water by improving water... M. Cahn, R. Smith, L. Johnson, F. Melton |