Same soil, different answers
Soil tests are often an important component of fertilizer recommendation calculations, but different soil analysis methods used, interpretations of soil test results, and recommendation philosophies cause fertilizer recommendations for the same crop to vary greatly. In this month's cover story, fertilizer recommendations from commercial and university soil-testing labs in Utah forage systems were compared.
Relay-intercropping soybean and winter wheat in Wisconsin
Relay intercropping (RIC) is a cropping system in which a second crop is planted into a standing primary crop before it is harvested, resulting in a period of overlap where both crops grow simultaneously. A RIC system is likely a more viable option to produce two crops in northern climates where double cropping can be difficult to execute. Relay intercropping of soft red winter wheat and soybean offers potential benefits but requires optimized management. A two-year study evaluated the effects of soybean planting date and strip-tillage vs. no-tillage on RIC soybean yield and assessed the impact of strip-tillage on wheat yield.
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Nitrogen management for hybrid canola in Canada
High-yielding hybrid canola cultivars are grown widely across Canada, demanding higher nitrogen (N) inputs to support increased yields with high seed oil and protein content. While the improved N use efficiency of modern cultivars suggests high yields are achievable with less fertilizer supplies, the yield potential and N uptake efficiency of new canola hybrids are highly dependent on soil nutrient status and weather conditions, and these factors are difficult to assess before N application. These uncertainties complicate the precise N management practices for hybrid canola. In this study, we examined the yield response of a range of hybrid canola cultivars to N fertilization from 50 site-year field trials across Canada. We also evaluated the benefits of a split-N application strategy under both abundant and limited precipitation conditions. Based on these findings, AI models were developed to enable site-specific N recommendations.
Earn 1 CEU in Nutrient Management by reading this article and taking the quiz.
The nitrogen value of cover crops
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Cover crops are known for their ability to provide economic and ecosystem services to farmers, including, for example, impacting soil nitrogen. But how much nitrogen, exactly, can cover crops add or remove and how do we find out? In this episode of the Field, Lab, Earth podcast, Dr. Guillermo Marcillo discusses his work collating research data to get to the bottom of cover crop nitrogen replacement values.
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Harnessing AQUA4D technology
A sustainable solution for soil salinity and water efficiency in agriculture
Soil salinity and water scarcity are two of the most pressing challenges in modern agriculture. In arid and semi-arid regions, excessive soil salts and limited freshwater resources threaten crop productivity, soil health, and long-term agricultural sustainability. Innovative water treatment technologies, such as AQUA4D, are emerging as effective tools to address these critical issues. Earn 0.5 CEUs by reading this article and taking the quiz.
Societies support PFAS recommendations
Representing the research perspective, the American Society of Agronomy, Crop Science Society of America, and Soil Science Society of America have joined 16 other agricultural organizations in a PFAS and Agriculture Working Group to develop the nation’s first comprehensive set of federal recommendations to address PFAS contamination of agricultural land. The recommendations call upon Congress and the executive branch to take pragmatic steps to address PFAS in order to protect farmers and their families, keep farms and ranches in business, maintain a safe national food supply, and safeguard our nation’s farmland for future generations.
Sheep grazing impacts on soil health and pasture quality at Northeast solar sites
As solar energy development gains traction, there is a growing conflict in land use between solar site installations and farming in communities across the Northeastern U.S. One way to address this is by adapting agrivoltaics, a dual-use land strategy that combines agricultural and solar energy production. Solar grazing, which involves vegetation management with the use of livestock, has been a growing industry in the past decade. This study evaluated the effects of sheep grazing on soil health and pasture quality at 28 grazed and three non-grazed solar sites across the Northeastern U.S. Earn 1 CEU in Sustainability by reading this article and taking the quiz.
Ensuring reliable agronomic lab results: a practical guide
Agronomic lab results rely on three key pillars: representative sampling, accurate and precise laboratory analysis, and science-based interpretation. This article provides practical guidelines for preventing contamination, capturing variability, ensuring laboratory quality control, and using validated, research-backed correlations. By strengthening all three areas, agronomists can turn raw lab data into trustworthy, profitable decisions for crop and soil management. This article was prepared as a contribution of the Western Region Nutrient Management Coordinating Committee (WERA-103). Earn 0.5 CEUs in Soil & Water Management by reading this article and taking the quiz.
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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