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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. 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 |
3. Utilizing Low Salt Liquid NPK Fertilizers to Establish Triticale As a Cover CropThe use of cover crops in sustainable agricultural systems is receiving renewed attention. New initiatives in soil health promote cover crops as amanagement tool to improve soil quality and health. Successful establishment of cover crops depends on an adequate soil fertility program. Low salt NPK liquid fertilizers can improve cover crop establishment without concern of the impact of high salt index of some conventional fertilizers. This paper presents some of the success that have been observed... G. Mooso, T. Tindall |
4. 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 |
5. Phosphorus Use Efficiency in Crop ProductionThe limited availability of phosphorus (P) in calcareous and acidic soils can be a major factor that limits crop production. The objectives of this study were to investigate the mobility and availability of P from monoammonium phosphate (MAP), diammonium phosphate (DAP) and ammonium polyphosphate (APP) fertilizers alone and with AVAIL, a fertilizer enhancement product. Two different soil types were used to examine the relationship between P reaction products and available P. Soils were incubated... G. Mooso, T. Tindall, G. Hettiarachchi |
6. 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 |
7. Nitrogen and Phosphorus: Mechanisms of Loss from the Soil System and Effects to Slow Those Losses and Increase Plant AvailabilityNutrient management issues associated with production agriculture are becoming more of a concern and a focal point of discussion. Management considerations are no longer focused on just meeting yield goals or improved crop performance, but now include questions on how their use on agriculture lands impacts surface water, watersheds, soil quality, long-term health benefits and economic viability for the producer. ... T. Tindall, G. Mooso |
8. Sheep Grazing Effect on Dryland Soil Carbon and Nitrogen in the Wheat-fallow SystemWeed control by sheep grazing during fallow periods in the dryland wheat-fallow system may influence soil C and N levels. The effects of fallow management for weed control and soil water conservation [sheep grazing (grazing), herbicide application (chemical), and tillage (mechanical)] and cropping sequence [continuous spring wheat (CSW), spring wheat-fallow (SW-F), and winter wheat- fallow (WW-F)] on wheat biomass (stems + leaves) yield and soil organic C (SOC) and total N (STN) at the 0-120 cm... A. Lenssen, U. Sainju, H. Goosey, E. Snyder, P. Hatfield |
9. Biochar Volatile Matter Content Effects on Plant Growth and Nitrogen Transformations in a Tropical SoilBiochars made from modern pyrolysis methods have attracted widespread attention as potential soil amendments with agronomic value. A series of greenhouse experiments and laboratory incubations were conducted to assess the effects of biochar volatile matter (VM) content on plant growth, nitrogen (N) transformations, and microbial activities in an acid tropical soil. High VM biochar inhibited plant growth and reduced N uptake with and without the addition of fertilizers. Low VM charcoal supplemented... J. Deenik, A. Mcclellan, G. Uehara |
10. 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 |
11. 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 |
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. Removing Nitrogen, Phosphate, and Fecal Coliform from Dairy Effluent Using Multi-soil-layer (Msl) SystemsDairy effluent disposal has long been a concern in Hawaii. Dairies often establish multiple lagoons to accumulate and store effluent. Occasionally, the lagoons overflow leading to the transfer of nutrients, such as nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P), and other contaminants such as pathogenic bacteria to surface, subsurface, and coastal waters. The objective of this study was to quantify the effectiveness of MSL systems in removing inorganic nitrogen, phosphate, and fecal indicator organisms (Fecal... R. Yost, R. Pattnaik, G. Porter |
14. Agronomic and Economic Comparison of Conventional and Direct-seeding in the Intermediate Rainfall ZoneThe predominant dryland cropping system in the low (<12 inch) and intermediate (12- 18 inch) rainfall areas of the Pacific Northwest (PNW) is winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) summer-fallow using conventional tillage. Tillage increases the rate of soil organic matter oxidation which has an adverse effect on soil physical, biological and chemical properties. A field experiment comparing conventional tillage-based summer- fallow with chemical summer-fallow and direct-seeding was... S. Petrie, S. Albrecht, D. Long |
15. Recent Advances in P Fertilizer Technologies—polymer Coatings and Avail TechnologyPhosphorus fertilizers are an essential part of plant production and have been recognized as such for well over 100 years. Phosphorus utilization by crops is related to both soil availability as well as an individual plants metabolic process that allows P to be taken up by a plant as well as utilized for a wide variety of developmental processes. ... T. Tindall |
16. Nutrient Cycling in Effluent-irrigated Soil (Mollisol) Planted to Tropical Grasses in a Tropical Island EnvironmentDairy producers accumulate large quantities of effluent in lagoons. Lagoons occasionally overflow causing the nutrients and other contaminants in effluent to pollute the land and water bodies. Alternative uses of effluent are, therefore, urgently needed for a sustainable and environment-friendly dairy production. This study determined the sustainable effluent application rate and assessed the effects of effluent irrigation on plant and soil (Cumulic Haplustoll) properties. Five tropical grasses—... R. Valencia-gica, R. Yost, G. Porter, R. Pattnaik |
17. Evaluation of Soil Sulfur Tests for MontanaThere are no sulfur (S) fertilizer rate guidelines in Montana due to inconsistent yield responses, high S soil levels in many regions, a minimal number of S fertility trials in the state, and the lack of Montana and regional data that identify the best soil S tests to use. A study was initiated in 2023 to fill this research void. Three crops (spring canola, pea, and wheat) were grown at three sites, and fertilized with 0, 7.5, 15, and 30 lb S/ac using two S sources (potassium sulfate, gypsum)... C. Jones, P. Miller, P. Carr, S. Koeshall, S. Fordyce, J. Souza, J. Vetch |