Dennis Timlin

Nitrogen Concentration and Dry-Matter Accumulation in Maize Crop: Assessing Maize Nitrogen Status with an Allometric Function and a Chlorophyll Meter

The ability to determine the optimal nitrogen (N) content in maize plants needed to obtain maximum growth is important to the management of the crop. It has been shown that N content declines as a function of aboveground biomass accumulation (W): [N] = 3.4W–0.37. The goal of this study is to evaluate the applicability of relating chlorophyll meter readings with the optimal N content relationship to provide a tool for whole-plant N-status diagnosis in maize without the necessity of measuring N content. Biomass of shoot and specific organs, N concentration, and chlorophyll meter measurement of specific leaves were measured over several sites and years. Nitrogen-concentration measurements indicated that whole-plant N status can be represented by the N concentration of the topmost fully expanded leaf. A quantitative relationship between N concentration and chlorophyll meter measurement on the uppermost expanded leaf was established and validated.

Impact of Altered Land Use on the Hydrology of Urban Territories

This paper describes the impact of altered land use on urban flooding in Northwest Indiana over a 10-year time span between 1992 and 2001. The studied watershed, the Great Calumet basin, is located on the south shore of Lake Michigan, which is well known as a highly industrialized area. The flood peaks and the time-to-peak values are used to analyze the flooding problems of the study area. The study uses a Hydrologic Engineering Center for Hydrologic Modeling System (HEC-HMS) model to explore the change in land use represented by Curve Number (CN). The model parameters are calibrated using archived raintall data available in National Climatic Data Center (NCDC) and United States Geological Survey (USGS) Instantaneous Data Archive (IDA). All four simulations show that the peak flow of simulated hydrographs in the terrain conditions of 2001 is by 22% higher than that in the terrain of 1992. The paper concludes with the results of simulation analyses that can be used to remedy flooding problems in the study area.

Phosphorus Nutrition Affects Temperature Response of Soybean Growth and Canopy Photosynthesis

In nature, crops such as soybean are concurrently exposed to temperature (T) stress and phosphorus (P) deficiency. However, there is a lack of reports regarding soybean response to T × P interaction. To fill in this knowledge-gap, soybean was grown at four daily mean T of 22, 26, 30, and 34°C (moderately low, optimum, moderately high, and high temperature, respectively) each under sufficient (0.5 mM) and deficient (0.08 mM) P nutrition for the entire season. Phosphorus deficiency exacerbated the low temperature stress, with further restrictions on growth and net photosynthesis. For P deficient soybean at above optimum temperature (OT) regimes, growth, and photosynthesis was maintained at levels close to those of P sufficient plants, despite a lower tissue P concentration. P deficiency consistently decreased plant tissue P concentration ≈55% across temperatures while increasing intrinsic P utilization efficiency of canopy photosynthesis up to 147%, indicating a better utilization of tissue P. Warmer than OTs delayed the time to anthesis by 8–14 days and pod development similarly across P levels. However, biomass partitioning to pods was greater under P deficiency. There were significant T × P interactions for traits such as plant growth rates, total leaf area, biomass partitioning, and dry matter production, which resulted a distinct T response of soybean growth between sufficient and deficient P nutrition. Under sufficient P level, both lower and higher than optimum T tended to decrease total dry matter production and canopy photosynthesis. However, under P-deficient condition, this decrease was primarily observed at the low T. Thus, warmer than optimum T of this study appeared to compensate for decreases in soybean canopy photosynthesis and dry matter accumulation resulting from P deficiency. However, warmer than OT appeared to adversely affect reproductive structures, such as pod development, across P fertilization. This occurred despite adaptations, especially the increased P utilization efficiency and biomass partitioning to pods, shown by soybean under P deficiency.

Evaluating County-level Potential Production Capacity of Potatoes for Maine using the Crop Model SPUDSIM

The United States Eastern Seaboard Region, consisting of the coastal states from Maine to Virginia, depends on centralized and distantly produced food to supply its urban population. Non-local food sources may be vulnerable to uncertainties such as increasing fuel costs, population growth, and climate change. County-level estimates of potential crop production capacity, as well as the associated resource requirements, are necessary to aid farmers and policy planners in making management decisions and identifying potential areas for local food production. The potato growth model SPUDSIM, developed by USDA-ARS, was used to simulate potato production for each county in Maine. Daily climate data generated from the model CLIGEN based on historic data from NOAA weather stations were used along with SSURGO soil data and management information to quantify crop yield and resource requirements (fertilizer and irrigation) at a high resolution throughout the state. The simulated crop productivity was aggregated to determine the distribution of crop productivity at the county scale and compared with agricultural census data from NASS. The production capacity was compared to the potential future capacity under various scenarios, providing valuable information for local agencies as well as providing a baseline for future research regarding predicting potential production capacity under land use change and climate change scenarios.