RZWQM simulation of long-term crop production, water and nitrogen balances in Northeast Iowa

Agricultural system models are tools to represent and understand major processes and their interactions in agricultural systems. We used the Root Zone Water Quality Model (RZWQM) with 26 years of data from a study near Nashua, IA to evaluate year to year crop yield, water, and N balances. The model was calibrated using data from one 0.4 ha plot and evaluated by comparing simulated values with data from 29 of the 36 plots at the same research site (six were excluded). The dataset contains measured tile flow that varied considerably from plot to plot so we calibrated total tile flow amount by adjusting a lateral hydraulic gradient term for subsurface lateral flow below tiles for each plot. Keeping all other soil and plant parameters constant, RZWQM correctly simulated year to year variations in tile flow (r² = 0.74) and N loading in tile flow (r² = 0.71). Yearly crop yield variation was simulated with less satisfaction (r² = 0.52 for corn and r² = 0.37 for soybean) although the average yields were reasonably simulated. Root mean square errors (RMSE) for simulated soil water storage, water table, and annual tile flow were 3.0, 22.1, and 5.6 cm, respectively. These values were close to the average RMSE for the measured data between replicates (3.0, 22.4, and 5.7 cm, respectively). RMSE values for simulated annual N loading and residual soil N were 16.8 and 47.0 kg N ha⁻¹, respectively, which were much higher than the average RMSE for measurements among replicates (7.8 and 38.8 kg N ha⁻¹, respectively). The high RMSE for N simulation might be caused by high simulation errors in plant N uptake. Simulated corn (Zea mays L.) and soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] yields had high RMSE (1386 and 674 kg ha⁻¹) with coefficient of variations (CV) of 0.19 and 0.25, respectively. Further improvements were needed for better simulating plant N uptake and yield, but overall, results for annual tile flow and annual N loading in tile flow were acceptable.     

Quantification of tillage and landscape effects on soil carbon in small Iowa watersheds

Knowledge of the long-term effects of tillage on soil organic carbon is important to our understanding of sustainable agricultural systems and global carbon cycles. In landscapes susceptible to erosion, tillage can exacerbate losses of soil and C by increasing erodibility and stimulating microbial respiration. We measured long-term changes in soil carbon and soil loss in three small watersheds located in southwest Iowa, USA. The following soil series were formed on deep loess hills: Ida and Dow (Typic Udorthents), Napier and Kennebec (Cumulic Hapludolls) and Monona (Typic Hapludolls). All watersheds were cropped to continuous corn (Zea mays L.) and two were moldboard plowed and disk tilled while the third was ridge-tilled. The ridge-tillage system had greater C contents in the surface soil than the disk tillage soils, but ridge-tillage was not different from the conventional tillage in carbon retention over time. The ridge-tillage system, however, was more effective in retaining soil within the watershed. Microbial respiration by soil microorganisms accounted for 97% of the carbon loss in the ridge-tilled watershed compared to carbon loss in eroded sediment (3%). Terrain analysis was used to segment the landscape into landform elements. Less total carbon was present in the soil profiles of backslope elements than in footslope or toeslope elements, reflecting the combined effects of soil erosion and deposition within the watersheds. Profile C content was also positively correlated with the wetness index, a compound topographic attribute, that identifies areas of the landscape where runoff water and sediment accumulate.     

Watershed-scale assessment of soil quality in the loess hills of southwest Iowa

Soil quality is a concept that integrates soil biological, chemical and physical factors into a framework for soil resource evaluation. Conventional tillage practices can result in a loss of soil organic matter and decreased soil quality. The potential for soil quality degradation with tillage may vary depending upon landscape position and the spatial distribution of critical soil properties. Information on how to accurately integrate soil spatial information across fields, landscapes and watersheds is lacking in the literature. The primary objective of this study was to evaluate the long-term effect of conventional and ridge-tillage on soil quality in three small watersheds at the Deep Loess Research Station near the town of Treynor in southwest Iowa. Soil types included Monona silt loams in summit positions, Ida or Dow silt loams in backslope positions, and Napier or Kennebec silt loams in footslope positions. We removed surface soil cores from transects placed along topographic gradients in each watershed and quantified total soil organic C (SOC), total soil N (TN), particulate organic matter C (POM-C) and N (POM-N), microbial biomass C (MB-C), N mineralization potential (PMIN-N), nitrate N, extractable P and K, pH, water-stable macroaggregates (WSA), and bulk density (BD). We used terrain analysis methods to group the data into landform element classes to evaluate the effect of topographic position on soil quality. Results indicate that soil quality is higher under long-term ridge-tillage compared with conventional tillage. Soil quality differences were consistently documented among the three watersheds by: (1) quantification of soil indicator variables, (2) calculation of soil quality index values, and (3) comparison of indicator variable and index results with independent assessments of soil function endpoints (i.e. sediment loss, water partitioning at the soil surface, and crop yield). Soil quality differences under ridge-till were found specifically for the backslope and shoulder landform elements, suggesting that soil quality increases on these landform elements are responsible for higher watershed-scale soil quality in the ridge-tilled watershed.     

Soil carbon and tree litter dynamics in a red cedar–scotch pine shelterbelt

Carbon sequestration in the woody biomass of shelterbelts has been investigated but there have been no measurements of the C stocks in soil and tree litter under this agroforestry practice. The objective of this study was to quantify C stored in surface soil layers and tree litter within and adjacent to a 35-year-old shelterbelt in eastern Nebraska, USA. The 2-row shelterbelt was composed of eastern red cedar (Juniperus virginiana) and scotch pine (Pinus sylvestris). A sampling grid was established across a section of the shelterbelt on Tomek silt loam (fine, smectitic, mesic Pachic Argiudolls). Four soil cores were collected at each grid point, divided into 0–7.5 and 7.5–15 cm depth increments, and composited by depth. Soil samples were analyzed for total, organic, and inorganic C, total N, texture, pH, and nutrient content. Under the shelterbelt, all surface litter in a 0.5 × 0.5 m² area at each grid point was collected prior to soil sampling, dried, weighed, sorted, and analyzed for total C and N. Average soil organic carbon (SOC) in the 0–15 cm layer within the shelterbelt (3,994 g m⁻²) was significantly greater than in the cultivated fields (3,623 g m⁻²). The tree litter contained an additional ∼1,300 g C m⁻². Patterns of litter mass and soil pH and texture suggested increased organic inputs by tree litter and deposition of wind-blown sediment may be responsible for greater SOC beneath the shelterbelt. Further research is needed to identify the mechanism(s) responsible for the observed patterns of SOC within and adjacent to the shelterbelt and to quantify the C in biomass and deeper soil layers.

Assessing soil quality in a riparian buffer by testing organic matter fractions in central Iowa, USA

A multispecies riparian buffer strip (MRB) was established along Bear Creek in central Iowa by the Agroecology Issues Team at Iowa State University (ISU) in order to assess the ability of the MRB to positively impact soil erosion and process non-point source pollutants to improve water quality. Soil organic matter (SOM), and especially biologically-active soil organic matter, is considered to be an important soil quality indicator variable because of it has relationship to critical soil functions like erodibility and the capacity of the soil to act as an environmental buffer. The objectives of this study were to examine trends in SOM C accrual and to quantify intra-seasonal changes in SOM C and particulate organic matter (POM) C for each vegetation zone of a MRBS seven years after establishment on previously cultivated or heavily grazed soil. Total SOM C and POM C in soil under perennial vegetation (poplar, switchgrass and cool season grass) were significantly higher than under cropped soil. Total POM C changed within vegetation type over the four month study period, whereas total SOM C did not. After six growing seasons, SOM C increased 8.5% under poplar grown in association with cool season grass, and 8.6% under switchgrass. The results are very promising and suggest that changes in SOM C can occur in a relatively short time after the establishment of perennial vegetation in a MRB. These changes should increase the ability of MRB soil to process non-point source pollutants. This revised version was published online in June 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

A comparison of soil food webs beneath C<Subscript>3</Subscript>- and C<Subscript>4</Subscript>-dominated grasslands

Soil food webs influence organic matter mineralization and plant nutrient availability, but the potential for plants to capitalize on these processes by altering soil food webs has received little attention. We compared soil food webs beneath C₃- and C₄-grass plantings by measuring bacterial and fungal biomass and protozoan and nematode abundance repeatedly over 2 years. We tested published expectations that C₃ detritus and root chemistry (low lignin/N) favor bacterial-based food webs and root-feeding nematodes, whereas C₄ detritus (high lignin/N) and greater production favor fungal decomposers and predatory nematodes. We also hypothesized that seasonal differences in plant growth between the two grassland types would generate season-specific differences in soil food webs. In contrast to our expectations, bacterial biomass and ciliate abundance were greater beneath C₄ grasses, and we found no differences in fungi, amoebae, flagellates, or nematodes. Soil food webs varied significantly among sample dates, but differences were unrelated to aboveground plant growth. Our findings, in combination with previous work, suggest that preexisting soil properties moderate the effect of plant inputs on soil food webs. We hypothesize that high levels of soil organic matter provide a stable environment and energy source for soil organisms and thus buffer soil food webs from short-term dynamics of plant communities.     

Spatial Analysis of Soil Fertility Parameters

Databases identifying spatial distributions of soil properties are needed to implement site-specific management practices. This study examined spatial patterns for nine soil chemical properties in two adjacent fields, one in a corn (Zea mays L.)-soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] rotation with inorganic fertilizer and the other in a 5-yr corn-soybean-corn-oat (Avena sativa L.)-meadow rotation with organic nutrient sources. We established sampling grids in both fields and collected soil cores to a depth of 30 cm. Soil properties with strong spatial correlations (low nugget variance/total variance ratio) and the maximum distance to which those properties were correlated (range) differed for the two fields. Soil pH, exchangeable Ca, total organic C, and total N were strongly correlated and had range values greater than 182 m in the conventional field. Bray P and exchangeable Mg were strongly correlated with range values of less than 100 m within the other. Low nugget/total variance ratios and small range values for P and Mg suggest patchy distributions, probably from long-term animal manure and municipal sludge application. Since most variance was structural in the organic field, placing sampling points closer together would improve data precision. In contrast, a relatively coarse sampling grid with fewer sampling points spaced further apart appears adequate for the conventional field. To develop accurate sampling strategies for precision agriculture, long-term field management histories should be documented since the practices appear to affect both the properties that are strongly correlated and the range to which the correlation exists.     

A preliminary watershed scale soil quality assessment in north central Iowa, USA

Soil quality assessment has been recognized as an important step toward understanding the long-term effects of conservation practices within agricultural watersheds. Our objective was to assess soil quality within the South Fork watershed of the Iowa River using various indicators and assessment approaches. Soil samples were collected during 2003 and 2004 from 29 areas of 32 ha (80 acres) each along two transects traversing the watershed. Soil pH, Mehlich III extractable P, K, Ca and Mg, electrical conductivity (EC), total organic carbon (TOC), and total N (TN) were measured. The Soil Management Assessment Framework (SMAF) was used to compute a soil quality index (SQI), while soil loss, the soil tillage intensity rating (STIR), N-leaching potential, and soil conditioning index (SCI) were determined for each sampling area using the 2003 version of the Revised Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE2). Overall, there were no soil fertility limitations within the watershed based on an average pH of 6.96 and extractable P and K levels of 36 and 162 mg kg⁻¹, respectively. Soil loss, STIR, N-leaching, and SCI averaged 1.13 Mg ha⁻¹, 68, 3, and 0.4, respectively. The SMAF analysis indicated soils within the watershed were functioning at 87% of their full potential. The lowest indicator score was associated with TOC (0.60) because the average value was only 28.4 g kg⁻¹. The SCI and SQI indices were positively correlated although since it used measured data, the SMAF appears to provide more information about the effects of management practices within the watershed. Soils in upper landscape positions had lower TOC and C:N ratios indicating an increased risks for both erosion and for nitrate leaching. Management of soils on hilltops may be the most effective way to minimize N and P losses within the watershed.