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Agriculture
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Optimizing Nutrient Management in Cold Climate Agroecosystems
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Optimizing Nutrient Management in Cold Climate Agroecosystems

A special issue of Agriculture (ISSN 2077-0472). This special issue belongs to the section "Agricultural Soils".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (15 January 2024) | Viewed by 14505

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Eric O. Young

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Institute for Environmentally Integrated Dairy Management, USDA-ARS, Madison, WI 53706, USA
Interests: agronomy; best practices; biogeochemistry; contaminant hydrology; nitrogen; nutrient management; overland flow; phosphorus; subsurface flow; tile drains; water quality
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Lindsay Pease

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Soil, Water, and Climate, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
Interests: contaminant hydrology; water quality; nutrient management

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Cold climate agroecosystems are integral to global food production and broadly defined as regions where ice and snow substantially alter the hydrologic cycle. Short growing seasons along with extended periods of frozen soils and seasonal wetness further challenge our ability to efficiently manage crop nutrients while minimizing off-site transport of nutrients, sediment, and other potential contaminants via atmospheric and hydrologic loss mechanisms. Snowmelt events can account for a large fraction of streamflow in cold climates, contributing disproportionately to hydrologic nutrient losses compared to other times. Soil hydroclimatic factors along with crop rotations, soil fertility, tillage regimes, conservation practices (cover crops, vegetative buffers, and water management) and precision technology use are all important factors affecting both crop yield and nutrient loss potentials. Optimizing nutrient use efficiency in cold climates necessitates improving the timing, placement, form, and amount of crop nutrient additions in relation to weather and soil–landscape properties (pH, organic matter, texture, soil drainage) affecting nutrient biogeochemical processes. Additionally, new decision support tools capable of better predicting real-time soil nutrient fluxes and loss potential would help to increase nutrient use efficiency and target best practices for improving nutrient use efficiency/mitigating hydrologic losses. This Special Issue invites papers focused on various aspects of improving nutrient use efficiency in cold climate agricultural systems using traditional or innovative best practices and decision support tools.

Dr. Eric O. Young
Dr. Lindsay Pease
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Agriculture is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • agroecosystems
  • best practices
  • biogeochemistry
  • contaminant transport
  • crop production
  • nitrogen
  • nutrients
  • phosphorus
  • water quality

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Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

13 pages, 1228 KiB  
Article
Cold Climate Factors in Nitrogen Management for Maize
by Harold van Es
Agriculture 2024, 14(1), 85; https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture14010085 - 31 Dec 2023
Viewed by 2779
Abstract
Among essential crop nutrients, nitrogen is the greatest management challenge in maize (Zea mays L.) production due to high requisite rates as well as dynamic transformations and losses. Climate plays a role in N management through changes in crop calendars, soil properties, agronomic [...] Read more.
Among essential crop nutrients, nitrogen is the greatest management challenge in maize (Zea mays L.) production due to high requisite rates as well as dynamic transformations and losses. Climate plays a role in N management through changes in crop calendars, soil properties, agronomic practices, and yield effects. This study focuses on climate influences on maize N management and the objectives are to (i) review cold climate factors impacting economic optimum N rates (EONR), (ii) discuss approaches and climate considerations in estimating optimum N rates, and (iii) illustrate unexplored climate aspects related to optimum N rate assessment. Cold climate effects are expressed through inherent soil properties, agronomic management, and N fertilizer management. Most current N rate calculators do not explicitly account for climate factors, but implicitly integrate them through regional calibrations. Yield and EONR data from the US Corn Belt region indicate a positive correlation where lower means are associated with colder climates. High variability within climate regions is explained by differences in annual production environments, notably seasonal weather. Soil health models show that colder climates in the US are associated with higher stocks of soil organic matter, especially labile fractions. Adapt-N model simulations of a colder (North Central Wisconsin; 45.50, −89.70) and warmer (South Central Illinois; 38.50, −89.70) Corn Belt location show that higher soil organic N stocks do not increase crop N availability, presumably due to temperature-constrained N mineralization rates. The EONR for the colder site is 58 kg N ha−1 lower than the warmer site, which is well explained by differences in yield potential. Overall, abductive inferences suggest that colder climates are generally associated with higher levels of organic N stocks, but lower yields and crop N demands lessen EONRs. Seasonal weather and interactions with soil and agronomic factors also critically impact EONR, which can be assessed with model-based decision tools. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Optimizing Nutrient Management in Cold Climate Agroecosystems)
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15 pages, 3049 KiB  
Article
Manure Application Timing and Incorporation Effects on Ammonia and Greenhouse Gas Emissions in Corn
by Jessica Sherman, Eric Young, William Jokela and Burney Kieke
Agriculture 2022, 12(11), 1952; https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture12111952 - 19 Nov 2022
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2566
Abstract
Manure application influences ammonia (NH3) and greenhouse gas emissions; however, few studies have quantified the effects of manure application methods and timing on NH3, nitrous oxide (N2O), carbon dioxide (CO2), and methane (CH4) [...] Read more.
Manure application influences ammonia (NH3) and greenhouse gas emissions; however, few studies have quantified the effects of manure application methods and timing on NH3, nitrous oxide (N2O), carbon dioxide (CO2), and methane (CH4) fluxes simultaneously. We evaluated surface-applied liquid manure application with disk incorporation versus injection on NH3, N2O, CO2, and CH4 fluxes in central Wisconsin corn silage (Zea mays L.) plots during pre-plant (PP) and sidedress (SD) application windows from 2009 to 2011. Manure treatments were PP injection (PP-Inject) and injection at sidedress time (SD-Inject) to growing corn, along with two incorporation times for PP surface application (within 24 h—PP-1-hr; within 3 days—PP-3-day). Mean NH3 emissions were 95% lower for injected treatments compared to surface application in both years, with larger losses for PP-3-day and SD-Surf. While N2O fluxes were generally low, larger increases after manure application were associated with injection and triggered by soil moisture/temperature changes. Mean CO2 and CH4 were unaffected by manure treatments and influenced more by weather. Overall, injection conserved more available soil N while contributing to modest N2O emission, suggesting manure injection may offer greater agri-environmental benefits on the whole over surface application. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Optimizing Nutrient Management in Cold Climate Agroecosystems)
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16 pages, 3052 KiB  
Article
Seasonal Changes in Phosphorus in Soils and Vegetation of Vegetated Filter Strips in Cold Climate Agricultural Systems
by Kristen A. Kieta, Philip N. Owens, Jason A. Vanrobaeys and David A. Lobb
Agriculture 2022, 12(2), 233; https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture12020233 - 6 Feb 2022
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2329
Abstract
Vegetated filter strips (VFS) are a best management practice, designed to reduce sediment and nutrient runoff to surface waters in agricultural landscapes. In cold climates, phosphorus (P) can be released from VFS vegetation when it undergoes freeze–thaw cycles, making their utility in these [...] Read more.
Vegetated filter strips (VFS) are a best management practice, designed to reduce sediment and nutrient runoff to surface waters in agricultural landscapes. In cold climates, phosphorus (P) can be released from VFS vegetation when it undergoes freeze–thaw cycles, making their utility in these regions an area needing further study. Research in Manitoba, Canada, investigated temporal changes in soil P concentrations and potential P loss from VFS from 2015 to 2017. Soil, harvestable vegetation, and residue samples were collected within VFS and control strips, and soils were analysed for Olsen P and Total P (TP). Harvestable vegetation and residue samples were analysed for TP. Results showed increases in Olsen P each spring and reductions each fall in soils at all sites. There was substantial loss of TP from the harvestable vegetation samples at all sites from November 2016 to May 2017, but residues in the VFS and control sites had a lower loss of TP over the same period. Vegetation was shown to release P over the winter into surface soils, and harvestable vegetation released significantly more P than residue, potentially leading to P loss from soils through surface runoff or leaching. Thus, harvesting vegetation may be a suitable VFS management strategy in cold climates. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Optimizing Nutrient Management in Cold Climate Agroecosystems)
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18 pages, 1384 KiB  
Article
Tile Drainage Flow Partitioning and Phosphorus Export in Vermont USA
by Ryan Ruggiero, Donald Ross and Joshua W. Faulkner
Agriculture 2022, 12(2), 167; https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture12020167 - 25 Jan 2022
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2995
Abstract
Tile drainage (TD) has been identified as a potential non-point source of phosphorus (P) pollution and subsequent water quality issues. Three fields with TD in Vermont USA were monitored to characterize hydrology and P export. Fields were in corn silage and used minimal [...] Read more.
Tile drainage (TD) has been identified as a potential non-point source of phosphorus (P) pollution and subsequent water quality issues. Three fields with TD in Vermont USA were monitored to characterize hydrology and P export. Fields were in corn silage and used minimal tillage and cover cropping practices. Preferential flow path (PFP) activity was explored by separating TD flow into flow pathway and source connectivity components using two hydrograph separation techniques, electrical conductivity end member unmixing, and hydrograph recession analysis. TD was the dominant P export pathway because of higher total discharge. Drought conditions during this study limited surface runoff, and possibly resulted in maximum PFP activity in the active clay soils. The non-growing season dominated annual P loading for two of the three study years. Peak P concentrations in TD occurred during events following manure injection in the fall, as well as in the spring post cover crop termination and post-planting. Intra-event analysis of rainfall pulses showed that TD flow and P concentrations were higher because of higher intensity pulses. This study highlights the impacts of current manure management, as well as the potential for climate change to increase P transport to TD. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Optimizing Nutrient Management in Cold Climate Agroecosystems)
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15 pages, 2744 KiB  
Article
Impacts of Low Disturbance Liquid Dairy Manure Incorporation on Alfalfa Yield and Fluxes of Ammonia, Nitrous Oxide, and Methane
by Jessica Sherman, Eric Young, William Jokela and Jason Cavadini
Agriculture 2021, 11(8), 750; https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture11080750 - 6 Aug 2021
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2511
Abstract
Surface applied liquid dairy manure application (i.e., broadcasting) after alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) harvest is a common practice. Low disturbance manure incorporation (LDMI) may offer multiple benefits including lower ammonia (NH3), greenhouse gas (GHG) and hydrologic nutrient losses compared to [...] Read more.
Surface applied liquid dairy manure application (i.e., broadcasting) after alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) harvest is a common practice. Low disturbance manure incorporation (LDMI) may offer multiple benefits including lower ammonia (NH3), greenhouse gas (GHG) and hydrologic nutrient losses compared to broadcast. However, few studies have simultaneously quantified LDMI impacts on alfalfa yield, NH3 and greenhouse gas (GHG) fluxes. We measured NH3, nitrous oxide (N2O), and methane (CH4) fluxes for liquid dairy manure treatments applied to alfalfa plots for broadcast and LDMI over three seasons (2014 to 2016) in central Wisconsin, USA. There were minor differences in alfalfa yield and nitrogen (N) uptake across treatments and years. Shallow disk injection and aerator/band reduced NH3 loss by 95 and 52% of broadcast, respectively, however both substantially increased N2O fluxes (6 and 4.5 kg ha−1 year−1 versus 3.6 kg ha−1 year−1 for broadcast, respectively). The magnitude and timing of N2O fluxes were related to manure application and precipitation events. Average CH4 fluxes were similar among methods and increased with soil moisture after manure application. Results highlight the importance of quantitatively evaluating agri-environmental tradeoffs of LDMI versus broadcast manure application for dairy farms. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Optimizing Nutrient Management in Cold Climate Agroecosystems)
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