Charles W. Robbins

Mycorrhizal colonization and nutrient uptake of dry bean in manure and compost manure treated subsoil and untreated topsoil and subsoil

Abstract Eroded or leveled Portneuf silt loam soils (coarse‐silty mixed mesic Durixerollic Calciorthid) have been restored to topsoil productivity levels by manure application, but not by other organic sources such as cheese whey. In dry bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L. cv. Viva), only soil organic matter and Zn concentration of leaf tissue correlated with improved yields. Manure application could potentially increase or decrease mycorrhizal colonization depending on which factors dominate. Manured and unmanured soils from a long‐term field experiment were sampled and mycorrhizal spores were quantified, but there was no significant manure treatment effect on spore numbers. A greenhouse study was conducted to see if manure or composted manure freshly applied to subsoils would facilitate mycorrhizal colonization in dry bean roots compared to untreated topsoil or conventionally fertilized subsoil. Low level colonization (< 5%) was observed 21 days after planting and that increased to 58% by 56 days after planting...

Sodic soil reclamation using cottage cheese (acid) whey

Abstract Cottage cheese production in the United States yielded approximately 3 × 106 Mg of cottage cheese (acid) whey in 1991. Unmarketable whey is disposed of in sewage treatment facilities or on land. Environmental concerns and new laws make disposal even more costly and difficult. While much whey is applied to land for fertilizer or disposal purposes, acid whey has recently been used as a sodic soil amendment. The objectives of this research were to determine the effects of whey application on chemical properties and infiltration rates of sodic soils. Four treatments of acid whey (0, 25, 50, and 100 mm) were applied to Freedom silt loam (fine‐silty, mixed, mesic, Xerollic Calciorthids) in greenhouse lysimeters and to De‐clo loam (coarse‐loamy, mixed, mesic, Xerollic Calciorthids) in field basins. Accumulative sodium removal at 0.5 pore volumes of leachate was 1.0, 1.1, 1.2, and 1.7 mol for the 0‐, 25‐, 50‐, and 100‐mm lysimeter treatments, respectively. Whey applications lowered sodium adsorption rati...

POLYACRYLAMIDE FOR SURFACE IRRIGATION TO INCREASE NUTRIENT- USE EFFICIENCY AND PROTECTWATER QUALITY

Furrow irrigation systems have a greater application capacity, are less costly, and use less energy than sprinkler systems but furrow irrigation produces greater runoff, erosion, and deep percolation losses. Phosphorus (P) and nitrogen (N) losses are associated with runoff sediment, and can be minimized by eliminating irrigationinduced erosion. Excessive leaching of inorganic and organic solutes commonly occurs at the inflow region of furrow irrigated fields where infiltration opportunity times are longer. In one conservation practice, a high molecular weight, anionic polyacrylamide (PAM) is applied to advancing furrow stream flows at a concentration of 10 mg L−1. Because PAM stabilizes furrow soil and flocculates suspended sediment, we hypothesized that this treatment would reduce runoff losses of sediment, molybdate reactive P (MRP), total P, NO3-N, and chemical oxygen demand (COD). Polyacrylamide treatment may increase furrow infiltration in some soils. However, we hypothesized that because it permits higher initial inflows, PAM would not increase NO3-N or Cl leaching relative to conventional, constant inflow irrigation. To test the first hypothesis, all treatments had the same inflow regime. For hypothesis two, control inflows were a constant 15 L min−1; PAM treated in- flows were cut back from 45 to 15 L min−1 after furrow advance. Irrigation runoff and percolation waters were sampled and analyzed. Polyacrylamide increased infiltration and decreased runoff, particularly early in the irrigations. Mean cumulative runoff sediment loss over 12 h was 11.86 kg for each control furrow vs 1.15 kg for PAM-treated furrows. The PAM reduced 12-h cumulative sediment losses in runoff by 90%, MRP by 87%, total P by 92%, and COD by 85%, relative to control furrows. Polyacrylamide had no field-wide, season-long effect on cumulative amounts of water, NO3-N or Cl leached. The PAM-technology effectively prevented soil nutrient losses, increased nutrient-use efficiency, and decreased N and P loads in irrigation return flows and receiving surface waters.

Models for estimating capillary rise in a heavy clay soil with a saline shallow water table

SummaryShallow saline water tables underlie large areas of the clay soils in the Murray basin of Australia. Accurate estimation of capillary rise is important in formulating management strategies to avoid degradation of such soils. Measured capillary rise from a saline water table was compared with capillary rise estimated by three mathematical models of varying complexity and input requirement. A quasi steady state analytical model (QS-SAM), a transient state analytical model (TSAM) and a numerical model (NM) were used. An undisturbed heavy clay soil core of 0.75 m diameter and 1.4m deep was subjected to a static saline water table at 1.2 m from the surface. A wheat crop was grown on the core and the weekly capillary rise from the water table was measured. The electrical conductivity of a 1:2 soil: water extract was determined at 0.15 m depth intervals before and 21 weeks after the introduction of the saline water table. The QSSAM did not satisfactorily estimate the initial wetting of the subsoil and the estimated capillary rise was considerably lower than the measured values. Capillary rise estimated by the TSAM was reasonably close to the measured values, but the weekly rates fluctuated considerably. The NM estimated capillary rise quite satisfactorily throughout the experiment. Except near the soil surface, the electrical conductivity values estimated by the NM were close to the measured values. For estimating total capillary rise over large areas, the TSAM is preferred over the NM because of its fewer input requirements and shorter execution time.

Sodium adsorption ratio-exchangeable sodium percentage relationships in a high potassium saline-sodic soil

SummaryExchangeable sodium percentage (ESP) and sodium absorption ratio (SAR) values were obtained from 692 soil samples and their saturation extract solutions. All samples were from a Declo silt loam (coarse, loamy, mixed, mesic, Xerollic Calciorthids) phase that was saline-sodic and very high in potassium (K). Some samples contained as much as 80 meq K/1 in the saturation paste extract. In those samples where the Na : K ratio was less than 4 : 1 the measured ESP was considerably lower at a given SAR than is usually observed in high Na soils. As the soluble salts were leached from this soil in lysimeters and under field conditions, with or without Ca amendments, the soil did not become sodic nor have decreased infiltration rates when irrigated with low salt water (200 μunhos/cm). The exchangeable K was more tightly held on the exchange sites than were Ca, Mg, or Na, thus reducing the high Na effects.

Mycorrhizal Colonization and Nutrition of Wheat and Sweet Corn Grown in Manure- Treated and Untreated Topsoil and Subsoil

Dry bean yields (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) were raised to similar levels as the topsoil by manure application to eroded or leveled Portneuf silt loam soil (coarse-silty mixed mesic Durixerollic Calciorthid). Only soil organic matter and zinc (Zn) content of leaf tissue were correlated with improved yields. Manure application increased mycorrhizal colonization and Zn uptake in pot experiments with dry bean which would explain the increased yields in the field. A field study was conducted to see if similar effects of manure and mycorrhizal colonization could be observed in field grown spring wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) and sweet corn (Zea mays L.). This study was conducted on existing experiments established in the spring of 1991 at the USDA-ARS farm in Kimberly, Idaho, to study crop rotation/organic matter amendment treatments on exposed subsoils and focused on mycorrhizal colonization as related to topsoils and subsoils treated with conventional fertilizer (untreated) or dairy

FALLOW VERSUS WHEAT CROPPING OF UNAMENDEDAND MANURE-AMENDED SOILS RELATED TO MYCORRHIZAL COLONIZATION, YIELD, AND PLANT NUTRITION OF DRY BEAN AND SWEET CORN

Previous studies reported manure application to eroded Portneuf silt loam soil (Coarse-silty, mixed, superactive, Durinodic Xeric Haplocalcid) improved dry bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L., cv. Viva) yield to levels of topsoil. These yield increases only correlated with whole-plant zinc (Zn) concentration and soil organic matter. This might be related to enhanced arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) colonization stimulated by manure application. A greenhouse study with dry bean suggested a relationship between manure application, increased AM colonization, and whole-plant Zn uptake, while field studies with wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) and sweet corn (Zea mays L.) did not. To clarify the apparent contradiction of manure application on AM relationships, the present field study with dry bean and sweet corn was conducted in subsoils on the same experimental site established in 1991 and used in previous studies. The existing rotation also allowed the study of the effects of previously fallowed versus wheat cropped subsoils on yield, AM colonization and nutrition of dry bean and sweet corn. Average mycorrhizal root colonization in dry bean was greater on unamended than on manure-amended soils but was not related to increases in yield, Zn concentration, or Zn uptake. Average colonization of sweet corn roots was generally greater in unamended than manure-amended soils, but yields were greater in manure-amended soils. Colonization of sweet corn roots measured over time was consistently greater in subsoils previously cropped to wheat than fallowed, but yields were similar. Previous wheat-cropping resulted in leveling off of colonization beginning 7 July (second sampling) in dry bean, while previous fallow resulted in continuously increasing colonization throughout the five sampling periods. Bean yields were greater on subsoils previously cropped than fallowed; thus yields were generally not related to AM colonization. Results of our study confirm other field results where AM colonization was greater in unamended than manure-amended soils and in cropped than in fallowed soils. Any yield increases observed were not closely related to AM colonization.

Effects of acidic cottage cheese whey on chemical and physical properties of a sodic soil

Abstract Sodic soil reclamation requires replacing exchangeable Na+ with Ca2+ and leaching the excess Na+ from the soil. Cottage cheese whey has an electrical conductivity (EC) of 6–10 dS m‐1, pH values of 4.2 or less, low sodium adsorption ratios (SAR), and contains 40–50 g kg‐1 of readily decomposable organic matter. These whey characteristics should all be beneficial in reclaiming sodic soils. This study was conducted to determine the effects of cottage cheese whey on the chemical and physical properties of a sodic soil (SAR = 16.3, ECe = 3.8, and pH 8.3). Cottage cheese whey was applied to 300‐mm‐deep sodic soil columns at 0‐, 20‐, 40‐, and 80‐mm rates followed by 80, 60, 40, and 0 mm of distilled water, respectively. The columns were then incubated at 10°C for 21 days, and then leached until 96 mm (0.60 pore volumes) of leachate was collected. All whey applications lowered the soil pH, SAR, and exchangeable sodium percentage (ESP) in both the upper and lower 150‐mm‐depth increments. Aggregate stabili...

Whey utilization in furrow irrigation: Effects on aggregate stability and erosion

Improving soil structure often reduces furrow erosion and maintains adequate infiltration. Cottage cheese whey, the liquid byproduct from cottage cheese manufacture, was utilized to stabilize soil aggregates and reduce sediment losses from furrow irrigation. We applied either 2.4 or 1.9L of whey per meter of furrow (3.15 or 2.49Lm(-2), respectively) by gravity flow without incorporation to two fields of Portneuf silt loam (Durinodic Xeric Haplocalcid) near Kimberly, ID. Furrows were irrigated with water beginning four days later. We measured sediment losses with furrow flumes during each irrigation and measured aggregate stability by wet sieving about 10 days after the last irrigation. Overall, whey significantly increased aggregate stability 25% at the 0-15mm depth and 14% at 15-30mm, compared to controls. On average, whey reduced sediment losses by 75% from furrows sloped at 2.4%. Whey increased the aggregate stability of structurally degraded calcareous soil in irrigation furrows.

Chemical oxygen demand fate from cottage cheese (acid) whey applied to a sodic soil

Abstract Cottage cheese (acid) whey is an effective amendment in sodic soil reclamation, but the high chemical oxygen demand (COD) of whey is of concern in land application. The objective of this research was to determine the fate of COD from cottage cheese whey applied to a sodic soil. Treatments of 0, 25, 50, and 100 mm (0, 20, 40, and 80 Mg COD ha‐1) of whey were applied to dry‐unacclimated Freedom silt loam (fine‐silty, mixed, mesic, Xerollic Calciorthids) in greenhouse lysimeters. The COD from lysimeter leachate at 1 m depth was monitored. Ninety days after whey application, total accumulative leachate COD for 0‐, 25‐, and 50‐mm whey applications was not significantly different. Leachate COD concentrations from the 100‐mm application reached 37% (29 400 mg COD L‐1) of the applied whey COD. Twenty‐eight days after whey treatment, infiltration was reduced in all whey‐treated lysimeters, probably as a result of increased microbial activity. Barley (Hordeum vulgare L. cv. Ludd) grain yield was 0.0, 0.0, ...