MayCrops & Soils
The May issue of Crops & Soils is online! Our cover story this month explores strategies to improve water productivity in sweet corn in the Texas Southern High Plains.
Farming shallow histosols in South Florida
Impacts on crop production and strategies for soil conservation
More than half of the U.S. sugarcane production comes from the Everglades Agricultural Area. The region’s high agricultural productivity is largely attributed to its fertile organic soils, Histosols, which contain up to 85% organic matter and provide essential nutrients for crop growth. However, decades of intensive farming coupled with hot and humid climate have led to significant soil loss. This article examines the impacts of farming on shallow organic soils in South Florida, exploring how reduced soil depth affects crop production and what strategies can help mitigate further soil loss. Earn 1 CEU in Soil & Water Management by taking the quiz.
Featured articles
Does slope influence soluble phosphorus losses in spring snowmelt runoff in the Prairie Pothole Region of Canada?
Phosphorus (P) losses from agricultural land in the Prairie Pothole Region of Canada are dominated by P dissolved in snowmelt runoff water. This article presents a study showing that slope was not a major driver of P losses in snowmelt runoff. Earn 0.5 CEUs in Soil & Water Management by taking the quiz for the article. This article was prepared as a contribution of the Western Region Nutrient Management Coordinating Committee (WERA-103).
Sweet corn productivity under strategic irrigation and biochar application in the Texas Southern High Plains
The Texas Southern High Plains faces severe water limitations for agriculture, making efficient irrigation essential due to high evapotranspiration and declining groundwater from the Ogallala Aquifer. To address this, researchers developed a growth stage-based irrigation strategy for sweet corn, paired with biochar soil amendments, aiming to improve water productivity under drought-prone conditions. A two-year field study tested different irrigation levels and biochar rates to evaluate their effects on sweet corn growth, yield, and water efficiency. Earn 0.5 CEUs in Soil & Water Management by taking the quiz for the article.
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Upcoming webinars in June 2025
We have some great webinars coming up in June. They are free to certified professionals and ASA, CSSA, SSSA members. Gain 1 CEU for each webinar!
Integrated weed management is important for smutgrass control in bahiagrass forages
Bahiagrass is one of the most predominant warm-season grasses grown in the southern Coastal Plains Region in the southeastern United States. However, weeds can be problematic, especially perennial weeds such as smutgrass. Hexazinone has been identified as an effective management tool for controlling smutgrass in bahiagrass, but timing the application to receive adequate precipitation is challenging. Recent research has shown that a timely fertilizer application following hexazinone can accelerate bahiagrass recovery, giving it a competitive advantage over other weed species. This article reports on an experiment that set out to evaluate population shifts in bahiagrass forage following the implementation of integrated herbicide and fertilizer management plans for controlling smutgrass. Earn 0.5 CEUs in Integrated Pest Management by taking the quiz for the article.
Shallow non-inversion tillage associated with improved soil health in Prince Edward Island potato production
In Canada, Prince Edward Island (PEI) is one of the leading provinces for potato production, growing 85,300 acres (34,100 ha) and producing 25,930 million cwt (1.2 million Mt) of potatoes in 2024. Many producers are moving away from use of the moldboard plow and are investing in non-inversion shallow till implements, often referred to as performing “vertical tillage” or “residue tillage.” The implements till less deeply than the plow, mixing the top 6 to 8 inches of soil rather than inverting it. Given this change in tillage practices in PEI, scientists at Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada devised a research project to better understand how shallow non-inversion tillage practices compared side-by-side in commercial fields compared with traditional moldboard plowing practices. Their objective was to compare both tillage regimens in terms of impact on soil health metrics, soil moisture, potato petiole nitrate concentration, and potato yield and quality metrics. Earn 0.5 CEUs in Soil & Water Management by taking the quiz for the article.
Soil fertility, fertilizers, and crop nutrition: Past, present, and future
Society has made (and will be making) significant demands on agriculture in the not-to-distant future. Meeting future sustainability goals and environmental regulations while simultaneously continuing to meet requirements for food, feed, fuel, and fiber requires a firm understanding of how “we” have collectively arrived at our current status as it relates to our fertility principles and beliefs as well as the processes that address them. This series intends to describe crop nutrition and fertilizers from where we have been to where the authors believe that we will likely need to be prepared to go if we are to support world demands into the foreseeable future.
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