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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. Static Range Nitrogen Management in Northwest U.S. Sugarbeet ProductionNitrogen (N) management is important in sugarbeet production. This paper presents data to support a shift from a yield-based N management approach to a static range N management approach in the Northwest U.S. Production data and research show that yield-based N management can result in over application of N. Past research has been critical to improving and understanding sugarbeet N nutrition. However continued research is needed so cumulative data can be evaluated to improve management practices.... D. Bjorneberg, D. Tarkalson, D. Olsen |
3. Developing a Soil Health Assessment Framework for Specialty Crop Systems and Soils of Washington StateTo ensure productive soils, agricultural sustainability, and food security, it is vital to maintain and improve soil health. However, over the decades, intensive agricultural practices have led to a decline in soil health. While most of these intensive agricultural practices negatively affect soil health, research has shown that it is possible to resuscitate soils with practices such as over cropping, and crop rotation. Much of the research on soil health in the US has been done in agronomic systems... K.A. Sarpong, M. Mcilquham, L. Michel, D. Griffin |
4. Effects of Lime and Micronutrient Amendments for Acidic Soils of the Inland Pacific NorthwestThe soil pH of agricultural land in the inland Pacific Northwest has dropped precipitously from native soil levels of near 7.0 pH. Changes that were becoming evident in the 1980’s have reached critical levels, leaving tens of thousands of acres of previous prairie soil at pH under 5.0 and unable to grow an increasing number of aluminum-sensitive crops. Some farmers in the region are beginning to use lime application to neutralize soil acidity. However, pH changes and liming can also... R. Wieme, L. Carpenter-boggs, P. Carter, S. Van vleet |
5. Improving Corn Nitrogen Management Recommendations in the Northwest U.S.The current nitrogen (N) fertilizer recommendations for corn in the Northwest U.S. were developed from limited research (14 potential site-years) in the 1970’s and 1980’s. New data is needed to improve N fertilizer recommendations. Between 2010 and 2017, 17 N rate studies were conducted. Fifteen site-years were conducted for corn grain and 9 site-years for corn silage. Research was conducted on diverse soil types, tillage systems, irrigation systems, and... D.D. Tarkalson, D.L. Bjorneberg |
6. Sugar Beet Lime Effects on High pH Soils and Crops in Northwest U.S.A viable solution to dispose of sugar beet precipitation calcium carbonate (PCC) is needed due to the unsustainable issues associated with storage. Sugar beet PCC is a lime material produced as a waste product from extracting sugar from sugar beet. The three main sugar beet processing factories in the Amalgamated Sugar Company growing area in Idaho and Oregon have stockpiled approximately 11.3 million Mg of PCC. Each year these three factories produce a total of 350,000 Mg annually. A... D.D. Tarkalson |
7. Dairy Manure and Fertilizer Effects on Microbial Activity of an Idaho SoilDairy manure applications that have occurred in the past can have long-term lingering effects on crop production. Understanding the cause is important for current and future management practices. This study was conducted to assess selected microbial activity among past manure application rates. In a past study (2014-2016) in Kimberly Idaho, historic manure applications have been shown to have significant positive and negative effects on sugar beet production. The manure treatment history... D.D. Tarkalson, R. Dungan, D. Bjorneberg |
8. Soil Health and Ecological Resilience on the PalouseHealthy soil is critical for global food security and other essential ecosystem services but is threatened by processes of soil degradation, with at least 33% of global croplands estimated to be moderately or highly degraded. Current soil health assessments provide insight into soil functional performance but often lack diagnostic criteria that assess management effects on soil function over time. We integrate soil health assessments with ecological resilience theory to better understand management... A.G. Davis, D.R. Huggins, J.P. Reganold |
9. 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 |
10. Effects of Semiarid Wheat Agriculture on Soil Microbial Properties: A ReviewAgricultural management decisions on factors such as tillage, fertilization, and cropping system determine the fate of much of the world’s soils, and soil... J. Norton, H. Rodgers, L. Van diepen |
11. Adopting Quinoa in Eastern Idaho – An Investigation of Agronomic PracticesQuinoa production area has been increasing rapidly in eastern Idaho in recent years. However, best management practices for quinoa production are yet to be determined in this area. Field experiments were thus conducted at two locations (e.g., Aberdeen and Tetonia) in eastern Idaho from 2016 to 2018 to evaluated agronomic practices for quinoa production. More successful quinoa production was demonstrated in Tetonia, where air temperature is mostly below 30oC during the summer. In contrast,... X. Liang, R. Yang |
12. Water and Nitrogen Interactions in Kentucky BluegrassPressure is increasing in arid regions to conserve water, especially during drought. Turfgrass is the irrigated crop of greatest acreage in the United States and is coming under scrutiny in urban ecosystems. The purpose of this study was evaluating water use by Kentucky bluegrass (Poa pratensis L.) under various irrigation and nitrogen (N) regimes. A study was conducted in an established stand of Kentucky bluegrass in Provo, UT, USA. The turfgrass was split equally into 27 plots (11... A. Hopkins, C. Campbell, B. Hopkins, N. Hansen |
13. Crop Genetic Variability for Nutrient Use Efficiency: Biological Foundation, and Case of Spring WheatRecent advances in plant molecular biology have elucidated the mechanisms by which plant species adapt to low-nitrogen and low-phosphorus environments. This has paved the way to new perspectives and strategies for breeding and genetic engineering: the design of low-nitrogen and low-phosphorus cultivars in order to optimize nutrients use efficiency and enhance economic and environmental sustainability. In this paper, we review the enzymatic activity of root hair-embedded transmembrane proteins,... R. Nkoa ondoua, M. Etesami |
14. Nebraska Nitrogen Management Present and FutureUniversity of Nebraska faculty have been refining their N rate recommendation procedure since the 1970s. At that time, they introduced a procedure for predicting soil nitrate-N availability and effect on subsequent corn N needs. In the 1990’s this procedure was refined based on 81 state wide N rate experiments. In 2003-2006 it was re-confirmed with 32 state wide irrigated corn trials. The current algorithm is the following: N need (lb/ac) = [35 + (1.2 x EY) - (8 x NO3- N ppm) - (0.14 x EY... C. Shapiro, R. Ferguson, C. Wortmann, T. Shaver, B. Krienke, G. Hergert, B. Maharjan |
15. 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 |
16. Sidedress Nitrogen Management in Lima BeansDifferent rates of sidedress nitrogen were applied to bush baby lima beans, with and without starter fertilizer and rhizobia inoculant in Yolo County, CA in 2012. Results documented that the use of starter fertilizer (nitrogen, phosphorus, and zinc) significantly enhanced yields compared to control plots without starter fertilizer. Use of rhizobia inoculant at planting did not result in enhanced yields compared with no inoculant. Sidedressing with ammonium sulfate at 20, 40, 60 and 80 lbs/acre... R. Long, R. Meyer |
17. Polymer Coated Urea (ESN): Impacts on Potato Crop and N LossesPotato (Solanum tuberosum L.) production is sensitive to a steady, adequate supply of nitrogen (N). Synergistically optimizing grower profits while maximizing N use efficiency (NUE) is critical to conserve nonrenewable natural resources used to manufacture N fertilizer and minimize N pollution to water and the atmosphere. Polymer coated urea (PCU, Environmentally Smart N or ESN®) is one type of N fertilizer which uses temperature-controlled diffusion to control N release to better match plant... B. Hopkins, C. Ransom, T. Taysom, J. Lemonte |
18. Organic Management Improves Soil Health and Strawberry Nutritive ValueSoils and strawberries from 13 matched pairs of organically and conventionally managed fields were assessed over two years. Available plant nutrients were generally similar under organic and conventional management except that organically managed soils contained more available Zn and B. Soil C, N, and biological parameters were much greater under organic management. Organically produced strawberries matched by variety were smaller and had greater dry matter content than conventionally produced... L. Carpenter-boggs, J. Reganold, J. Reeve, P. Andrews |
19. 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 |
20. Elemental Sulfur with Iron: Kentucky BluegrassIron (Fe) is known to improve greenness of Kentucky bluegrass (KBG; Poa pratensis L.), although applications are relatively costly and labor intensive. A new fertilizer material, elemental sulfur impregnated with Fe (ES-Fe), may provide an alternative source of Fe for KBG. The effects of ES-Fe on KBG was evaluated comparing 55 lb-Fe ac-1 ES-Fe to ferrous sulfate (FS) at the same rate and chelated Fe as a foliar (CF) or soil applied (CS) in a glasshouse study. A separate... B. Hopkins, B. Webb, K. Marcroft, R. Christenson, V. Jolley |
21. Best Management Practices (Bmps) for Ammonia Emissions Reduction from Animal Feeding Operations: a Colorado Case StudyAmmonia emissions from agriculture are a growing concern, in particular, in Colorado where nitrogen deposition in Rocky Mountain National Park has highlighted public concerns. Due to the high level of political pressure on agriculture to reduce its emissions, the agricultural community in Colorado has recently developed a Rocky Mountain National Park Ag Strategy for decreasing ammonia emissions from agriculture and nitrogen deposition in the park. The strategy includes the completion of a thorough... J. G. davis, A. Elliott, N. Marcillac, J. Pritchett, C. Stewart, A. Mink |
22. Nitrogen Cycling and Partitioning Under Alternative Organic Orchard Floor Management StrategiesOrganic orchard systems are a significant and growing component of Washington State agriculture, yet sustainable methods of nitrogen (N) fertility and weed management remain a challenge. Nutrient supply is dependent on decomposition and mineralization of organic matter, yet intensive cultivation commonly used to control weeds can disrupt biological processes and cause loss of organic matter. To address the often-competing goals of organic fertility and weed control, a number of alternative orchard... L. Carpenter-boggs, D. Granatstein, J. Reganold, L. Hoagland, M. Mazzola, F. Peryea, J. Smith |
23. Barley Yield and Protein Response to Nitrogen and Sulfur Rates and Application TimingThe introduction of new barley varieties, as well as changes in management practices, necessitate a re-evaluation of nitrogen (N) and sulfur (S) nutrient management guidelines. Nitrogen has a significant impact on barley grain quality and yield. Overapplication of N can result in lodging, groundwater pollution, and high protein content, resulting in lower end-use quality of barley, while underapplication of N results in reduced grain quality and yield. Sulfur promotes N utilization in barley plant... O. Adeyemi, J. Spackman, J. Sagers, J. Marshall, Z. Hong, R. Findlay, J. Bevan |
24. Irrigation Management and Drought-tolerant Genetics on Nutrient UptakeAlfalfa is exceptional at obtaining nutrients from the soil with its deep tap root. However, with its ability to consume vast amounts of phosphorous and potassium more is used than what is made available each year. This results in the need of nutrient management plans. With the continuing of the drought, nutrient management becomes more difficult. Irrigation management, drought tolerant genetics, and sprinkler technology can play an important role in nutrient management and affect financial outcomes... D. Boren, M. Yost, T. Sullivan |
25. Nutrient Management for Semi-arid Cannabis ProductionThe industrial hemp (Cannabis sativa L.) industry rapidly emerged in Utah in 2019 with nearly 480 new hectares of hemp production. Production declined and stabilized during 2019-2022 due to low returns in a flooded pharmaceutical market. Though small and specialized, the hemp production industry is still viable in Utah and surrounding states. Many questions remain on optimal production practices for this new and potentially high-value crop. Research throughout the United States... T. Sullivan, M. Yost, D. Boren, E. Creech, B. Bugbee |
26. Nitrogen Fertilizer Rate and Timing Implications for Malt, Food, and Feed Barley Production in Southern IdahoNitrogen is an essential nutrient required to produce high-yielding barley. Nitrogen strongly impacts barley yield, grain protein, tillering, and lodging potential. Unlike other crops such as corn, available nitrogen must be carefully managed for producers to achieve both optimal yield and grain quality for malt, food, and feed barley. Exessive nitrogen availability increases grain protein concentration that may be unsuitable for malting but may be ideal for feed or food barley. The objective... J. Spackman, O. Walsh, A. Adjesiwor, O. Adeyemi, J. Sagers, R. Findlay, J. Bevan |
27. Helpful or Not?- Biostimulant Use in Corn Silage ProductionThere has been a recent increase in both the availability and marketing of biostimulant products to local producers, particularly to dairymen, in southern Idaho. These products claim to increase yield and nutrient use efficiency while improving soil health on agricultural fields. If these claims are true, the use of these products would ultimately aid in promoting the overall sustainability of Idaho farms. However, there is a lack of objective data to support these claims, leaving producers uncertain... L.R. Schott, S. Hines, J. Packham, G. Loomis, M. De haro marti, C. Willmore |
28. Soil Greenhouse Gas Dynamics in Response to Dairy Manure Compost in an Almond OrchardApplication of dairy manure compost in soils under almond production may confer benefits such as increased carbon sequestration, improved crop nutrient use efficiency, and reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. Elucidating the mechanisms of greenhouse gas emissions and mitigation is a primary concern in the management of agricultural soils and it is directly linked to nutrient management. Presently, agricultural soils account for 11.2% of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions. Of particular concern is... A. Coyotl, J. Murch, S.S. Khalsa, W.R. Horwath |
29. What You Need to Know About the National Fertilizer Recommendation Team Called FRSTThe Fertilizer Recommendation Support Tool (FRST) team is a national effort to improve coordination of soil test recommendations in the United States. There are over 125 partners involved in FRST with representation of all four regional soil testing committees including WERA-103. The team has developed a national tool for P and K soil test calibrations (identifying critical soil test values for response to fertilizer), and are working on developing P and K calibration, tools for S calibration,... M. Yost, N. Slaton, J. Spargo, D. Kaiser, G. Buol, L. Gatiboni |
30. Non-dormant Alfalfa and Small Grain Rotations- Tillage and Fertility EffectsTo study the use of non-dormant and high nitrogen fixing alfalfa cultivars as a possible source of nitrogen for spring and fall-seeded wheat and barley grown under tilled and no-tilled conditions. Hi-Nitro, a non-dormant, high-nitrogen fixing alfalfa variety, and RoundUp Ready Stratica, a traditional dormant alfalfa cultivars were clear seeded in Aberdeen in 2023 and 2024. Forage was harvested 4 times. Fall or spring tillage was done approximately 3-14 days before planting fall or spring... R. Findlay, J. Spackman, J. Hatch, T. Jacobsen, J. Gibbons, J. Sagers, D. Callister |
31. Malt Barley Yield and Quality Response to Nitrogen and Sulfur FertilityNitrogen (N) and sulfur (S) and are critical nutrients for producing high-quality malt barley but can be difficult to manage in semi-arid production systems where rainfall and, periodically, irrigation is variable. High spring precipitation or excessive irrigation events can favor N and S leaching reducing yield and grain quality. However, N fertilizer additives such as urease inhibitors, nitrification inhibitors, and controlled-release products may improve N availability. Irrigated... J. Spackman, J. Spackman, J. Hatch, J. Bevan |
32. Liming for Improved Nutrient Utilization and Weed Management in WheatSoil acidification is an increasing concern for agricultural productivity in Eastern Idaho, where low soil pH threatens the yield and quality of key crops such as barley and spring wheat. Acidification occurs from the long-term application of ammonium-based fertilizers and other management practices, leading to aluminum toxicity and nutrient imbalances that inhibit root development and reduce yields. Farmers in the region are exploring strategies to address this challenge, including the use of... T. Jacobsen, J. Spackman, A. Adjesiwor, J. Sagers, K. Schroeder, J. Bevan, K. Mookodi, J. Gibbons |