Sjoerd W. Duiker

Erodibility and infiltration characteristics of five major soils of southwest Spain

Equations used to calculate erodibility in the Water Erosion Prediction Project soil erosion Ž. model WEPP are based on erodibility studies in the USA and may not function well in another Ž. region. This study was conducted to: i analyze erodibility and infiltration characteristics of some Ž. predominant soils of southern Spain, and ii test equations used to calculate interrill erodibility in the WEPP model on these soils. The five soils chosen for this study in Andalusia, southwest Ž. Spain, were: two terrace soils referred to as ‘Red and Yellow Alfisols’ , an alluvial soil

Use of a rolled-rye cover crop for weed suppression in no-till soybeans.

Abstract Cover crop management with a roller/crimper might reduce the need for herbicide. Weed suppression from a rolled cereal rye cover crop was compared to no cover crop with and without postemergence herbicide application in no-till soybean. The experiment was designed as a two-way factorial with rye termination and soybean planting date as the first factor and weed control treatment as the second. Cereal rye was drill-seeded in late September and managed using glyphosate followed by a roller/crimper in the spring. Soybean was no-till seeded after rolling and glyphosate was applied postemergence about 6 wk after planting to half the plots. Rye biomass doubled when delaying rye kill by 10 to 20 d. Weed density and biomass were reduced by the rye cover crop in all site–location combinations except one, but delaying rye kill and soybean planting date only reduced both weed density and biomass at a single location. The cover crop mulch provided weed control similar to the postemergence herbicide in two of four locations. Treatments did not affect soybean grain yield in 2007. In 2008, yield at Landisville with rye alone was equal to those yields receiving the postemergence herbicide, whereas at Rock Springs, it was equivalent or less. The net added cost of a rye cover crop was

Assessment of Soil Erodibility in Taleghan Drainage Basin, Iran, Using Multivariate Statistics

123 ha−1 with or

Assessment of an Integrated Weed Management System in No-Till Soybean and Corn

68.50 ha−1 without a postemergence herbicide application. A rolled-rye cover crop sometimes provided acceptable weed control, but weed control alone did not justify the use of the cover crop. The potential for reduced herbicide use and other ecosystem services provided by a cover crop justify further refinement and research in this area. Nomenclature: Glyphosate; rye, Secale cereale L.; soybean, Glycine max L.

Iron (Hydr)Oxide Crystallinity Effects on Soil Aggregation

Soil erosion has been recognized as one of the major forms of human-induced soil degradation. Due to land use changes in Iran, erosion has increased 800% between 1951 and 2002, calling for urgent action. But erosion research and policy development are hampered by a lack of information on the underlying factors controlling erosion. Soil types vary in their inherent susceptibility to erosion; but, like most countries, Iran lacks a network of field plots where erodibility is measured. A proxy for erodibility based on existing data and supplemented by an easily measured minimum data set is therefore needed. In this study, we use geological mapping and cluster, principal component, and factor analysis to group soils in the Taleghan Drainage Basin in Iran and subsequently determine their erodibility. First, a geological map of the area was prepared by photogeological methods and on-the-ground verification. Then, three soil profiles were investigated within similar landform units of each geological formation, and soil samples were taken. Physical and chemical properties that might impact soil erodibility (soil texture, pH, electrical conductivity, CaCO3, and soil organic matter) were used to create a matrix of soil properties and parent material. Application of cluster analysis and factor analysis to the data allowed identification of three geological (parent material) clusters. To investigate the mutual effect of land use and parent material on soil erodibility, a soil erodibility factor was obtained for three land use types in each cluster: rangeland, cropland (irrigated), and dry-land farming (nonirrigated). Geological cluster 1, consisting of marl, gypsum, and gypsiferous mudstone, was the most erodible; geological cluster 2, consisting of recent alluvium, alluvial fan, and landslip deposits, was of intermediate erodibility; and geological cluster 3, consisting of igneous rocks, dolomite, and conglomerate, was the least erodible. Within each geological cluster, dry-land farming was the most erodible, cropland was medium erodible, and rangeland was least erodible. The study suggests that geological and land use maps provide a useful framework for assessing soil erodibility. This work can guide future soil erosion studies and direct soil conservation policy to areas most susceptible to erosion.

Hairy vetch management for no-till organic corn production.

The objective of this study was to evaluate weed control, crop yields, potential soil loss, and net returns to management of an integrated weed management system in no-till corn and soybean compared to an herbicide-based strategy. The integrated weed management system reduced herbicide inputs by delayed cover crop termination, herbicide banding, and high-residue cultivation (reduced herbicide [RH]), while the other system used continuous no-tillage and herbicides to control weeds (standard herbicide [SH]). Research was conducted within the Penn State Sustainable Dairy Cropping Systems Experiment, where corn and soybean are each planted once in a 6-yr crop rotation. In this 3-yr study, weed density and biomass were often greater under RH management, but weed biomass never exceeded 19 g m−2 in corn and 21 g m−2 in soybean. Corn yield and population did not differ in any year, and net returns to management were

Soil fertility distributions in long-term no-till, chisel/disk and moldboard plow/disk systems

33.65 ha−1 higher in RH corn due to lower herbicide costs and slightly, though not significantly, higher yields. Soybean yield was lower in RH compared to SH in 2 of 3 yr, and was correlated with soybean population and cover crop residue. Net financial returns were

Carbon sequestration potential by afforestation of marginal agricultural land in the Midwestern U.S

43.69 ha−1 higher in SH soybean compared to RH. Predicted soil loss never exceeded T (maximum allowable soil loss) for any treatment and slope combination, though soil loss was 100% greater on a 10% slope under RH management (vs. SH) due to cultivation. Nomenclature: cereal rye (Secale cereale L.); corn (Zea mays L.); soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.]