Progress 10/01/04 to 09/30/09
Outputs
OUTPUTS: A 20-year study was conducted in southern Illinois on land similar to that being removed from the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) to evaluate the effects of conservation tilllage systems on corn and soybean yields and for the maintenance and restoration of soil productivity of previously eroded soils. The effects of tilllage on soil loss from erosion and soil organic carbon (SOC) change were determined. The no-till (NT) system had significantly less soil loss from erosion and maintained more SOC than the moldboard plow (MP) and chisel plow (CP) tillage systems. The 10-year average corn yields were slightly higher from MP than NT and CP systems as a result of a significantly higher corn yield the first few years. The 10-year average NT soybean yield was slightly higher than for the MP and CP tillage systems. Crop yields for 10-years corn and 10-years soybean appear to show long-term productivity of NT compared favorably with that of MP and CP tillage systems. PARTICIPANTS: During the 20 years of this conservation tillage study, 3 graduates (2 Ph.D. and 1 M.S.), 1 staff member and 1 faculty member worked on this project. The Ph.D graduate students were from Kenya and Pakistan and the M.S. graduate student was from the United States and he continues to work at the University of Illinois conducting agronomic research. Dr. Kitur (Kenya) and Dr. Hussain (Pakistan) both returned home to their countries and are either involved in soil conservation and management research at a major university or for a federal agency that is working to extend soil and water conservation information to local farmers. In addition, this study was linked with NC-174 (Soil Erosion-Soil Productivity) and NC-1017 (Soil Carbon Sequestration). These multi-state effort and coordination lead to numerous regional refereed journal publications. TARGET AUDIENCES: The sustainable agricultural and carbon storage components of this research were presented in on-research center field day demostrations. This information contributed to improved management of our soil resources and enhanced environmehtal quality. Results from the study provided for documenting economic incentives for voluntary adoption of no-till systems which could be significant to policy makers who develop tillage and soil loss guidelines requiring conservation tillage. In addition to storing the soil organic matter, these soil-improving practices also increased soil productivity, improved soil quality, enhanced the the qualtiy of water draining from agricutlural land and provded a better understanding of long-term effects of specific soil management practices on soil carbon storage in the uplands. At the present time there is much interest in sequestrating carbon in the soil to reduce carbon admissions to the atmosphere and the projected carbon contribution as green house gas admissions to climate change. Results suggest that southern Illinois soils can be used for cropland with conservation proactices and forages while stilll maintaining the soil organic carbon levels (humus) in the soil equal to that of woodland (excluding the above-ground woodland trees or cropland plants or in their root systems since it is not yet part of the active carbon fraction or humus). PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: Not relevant to this project.
Impacts
Based on 20-years of crop yield measurements (10-years corn and 10-years soybean), the NT system appears to have resulted in similar long-term productivity and the system had significantly less soil loss from erosion and less SOC loss (-8%) when compared with that of the CP and MP systems (-27% and -26%, respectively). However, none of the tillage treatments (NT, CP or MP) sequestered SOC but the NT system maintained more SOC between year 1 and year 19 than the other treatments. The primary reason for the decline in SOC in all tillage treatments from year 1 to year 19 was the loss of sediment rich in SOC from the plots since the soils were on 6% slopes and subjected to water erosion. Conservation practices such as cover crops, border strips, filter strips and sod waterways are required to reduce the SOC loss to the streams and eventually to the atmosphere as carbon dioxide and methane. The results of this study should apply to similar root-restricting, sloping and moderately eroded soils in Illinois, Indiana, Missouri, and Kentucky.
Publications
- Olson, K.R., Lang, J.M. and Ebelhar, S.A. 2009. Impacts of conservation tillage systems on long-term yields. J. of Agronomy 8:14-20.
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Progress 01/01/08 to 12/31/08
Outputs
OUTPUTS: The radio-cesium (cesium-137) and technogenic magnetic tracer (magnetic fly ash spheroids) methods for the quantitative assessment of erosion-deposition processes were compared on Illinois landscapes with both cultivated and uncultivated sites located near Springfield, Illinois. The objectives of this study were to determine: (1) the variability of the cesium-137 and fly-ash contents within a stable landscape position, (2) the distribution and amount of fly ash and radio-cesium present in soil profiles on cultivated and uncultivated landscapes (summit, upper sideslope, lower sideslope and alluvial fan/floodplain), and (3) the extent of soil erosion and deposition at four landscape positions on cultivated and uncultivated transect sites using both the radio-cesium and technogenic magnetic tracer methods. On a stable site the fly-ash method had significantly greater natural variability (40% vs. 27%) than the cesium-137 method as a result of bioturbation. PARTICIPANTS: Continue the collaboration between UIUC, ACES, Department of NRES, and Moscow State Unversity, Faculty of Geography. Dr. A.N. Gennadiyev and I are submitting a research proposal to the U.S. Civilian Research and Development Foundation and the RFBR (Moscow, Russia). If the proposal entitled "Impacts of Land Use Changes as a Result of Global Warming on Soil Erosion, Soil Organic Carbon and Greenhouse Gas Emission to Atmosphere" is funded, a joint research team will travel to research study sites in both countries to collect additional soil carbon loss and sequestration data. TARGET AUDIENCES: Findings were published in Journal of Soil Science. PROJECT MODIFICATIONS: Not relevant to this project.
Impacts
The fly-ash and cesium-137 methods did provide consistent results for six of the eight cultivated and uncultivated landscape positions. At the other two sites where significant deposition or erosion did occur prior to the 1960's, the amount of erosion loss was different. The applicable time period for the fly-ash method assessment of the erosion and deposition situation was during the last 150 years while the cesium-137 method only assessed the last 50 years. Land use, vegetation, erosion and deposition may have differed during the first 100 years (1860's to 1960's) of European settlement from those of the last 50 years (1960's to present) at the cultivated and uncultivated sites. Any such impact, either deposition or erosion prior to the 1960's, would not be reflected in the cesium-137 data but would be reflected in the fly-ash data.
Publications
- Olson, K.R., Gennadiyev, A.N. and Golosov, V.N. 2008. Comparison of fly-ash and radio-cesium tracer methods to assess soil erosion and deposition in Illinois landscapes (USA). Soil Science 173:575-586.
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Progress 01/01/07 to 12/31/07
Outputs
OUTPUTS: Activities: The primary objective of this pilot field research study was to compare the storage of soil organic carbon on sloping woodland and cropland landscapes of southern Illinois. Soil samples were collected from 3 transects at each of the woodland and cropland landscapes with four landscape positions. The 2 more extensive positions were subdivided which resulted in samples being collected from each of six landscape segments to a depth of 1 m. The 3 soil cores from each observation site were cut into 0.05 to 0.30 m lengths and composited by depth for the laboratory analysis. A least-significant difference procedure was used to determine differences between land use treatments for the landscape segments and depth intervals. Services: Will serve on a Ph.D thesis committee to help conduct additional field research studies to look at soil organic carbon storage under different tree species. Products, new fundamental knowledge or applied knowledge: It appears that the soils
in southern Illinois can remain in agricultural production without significantly increasing the loss of soil organic carbon to the atmosphere.
PARTICIPANTS: The field research study was funded as part of Regional Research Project ILLU-802-372 and in cooperation with North Central Regional Project NC-1017 Soil Carbon Sequestration (formerly, NC-174 Soil Erosion-Productivity).
TARGET AUDIENCES: Agricultural and timberland owners and managers as well as public agencies involved in attempts to sequestor soil organic carbon and reduce greenhouse gas emmission.
Impacts
Results suggested that the cropland landscape retained 95% of the total soil organic carbon as a paired woodland site on a volumetric basis during the last 130 years of agricultural use. The years with forages may have increased the soil organic carbon of the cropland site and helped offset losses due to soil erosion and aeration as a result of tillage, crop rotations and management inputs. The woodland and agricultural landscapes appear to have similar amounts of soil organic carbon when the crop rotations include forages, cover crops, conservation tillage, and contour farming. This study only included soil organic carbon and did not attempt to address or include the amount of C stored in above-ground woodland trees or cropland plants or in their root systems. At the present time there is much interest in sequestrating carbon in the soil to reduce carbon admissions to the atmosphere and the projected carbon contribution to global warming. Results suggest that southern
Illinois soils can be used for cropland with conservation practices and forages while still maintaining the soil organic carbon levels of woodland.
Publications
- Olson, K.R. 2007. Soil organic carbon storage in Southern Illinois woodland and cropland. Soil Science 172:623-630.
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Progress 01/01/06 to 12/31/06
Outputs
Many factors including management history, soil type, climate, and soil landscape processes affect the dynamics of soil organic carbon (SOC). The primary objective of this research was to determine the effects of no-tillage and tillage systems on the SOC content after 12 years of controlled treatments. A tillage experiment with three treatments (no-till (NT), chisel plow (CP) and moldboard plow (MP)) was initiated in the spring of 1989 in southern Illinois. After 12 years, the 0-15 cm surface soil layer of MP was significantly lower in SOC than the NT and CP plots. The surface layer (0-15 cm), subsoil (15-75 cm), and rooting zone (0-75 cm) of all treatments had reduction in SOC on a volumetric basis when compared to the pre-treatment values for sod. The annual rate of SOC stock build-up in the root zone (0-75 cm), above the MP system base level, was 0.71 Mt ha-1) for the NT system and 0.46 Mt ha-1 for the CP sytem.
Impacts
For land coming out of the Conservation Reserve Program and returning to row crop production, NT and CP systems would maintain more SOC stock than MP system and reduce CO2 emissions to the atmosphere.
Publications
- Olson, K.R., Lang, J. M. and Ebelhar, S.A. 2006. Soil organic carbon changes after 12 years of no-tillage and tillage of Grantsburg soils in southern Illinois. Soil and Tillage Research 81: 217-225.
- Olson, K.R., Jones, R.L., Gennadiyev, A.N, Chernyanskii, S.S., Woods, W.I. and Lang, J.M. 2006. Fly ash distributions to assess erosion and deposition in Illinois landscapes. Soil and Tillage Research 89:155-166.
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Progress 01/01/05 to 12/31/05
Outputs
In the United States, millions of hectares of highly erodible cropland have been in the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) for the past 10 to 20 years. Any conversion of CRP land back to corn and soybean production would required the use of conservation tillage to meet federal and state soil erosion control standards. Evaluation of crop yield response of the conservation tillage systems, such as no-till and chisel-plow, over time are needed to assess the return of this land to crop production.
Impacts
Based on 14 years of crop yield measurements (7 years corn and 7 years soybeans), the NT system appears to have resulted in improved long-term productivity compared with that of the moldbard plow and chisel plow systems. The results of this study should be applicable in similar root-restricting, sloping and moderately eroded soils in Illinois, Indiana, Missouri and Kentucky.
Publications
- Olson, K.R., Ebelhar, S.A., and Lang, J.M. 2005. Impacts of conservation tillage systems on maize and soybean yields of eroded Illinois soils. Pakistan Journal of Agronomy 3(1):31-35.
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