Increasing Nitrogen Use Efficiency of Corn in Midwestern Cropping Systems

Nitrogen (N) loss from agricultural systems raises concerns about the potential impact of farming practices on environmental quality. N is a critical input to agricultural production. However, there is little understanding of the interactions among crop water use, N application rates, and soil types. This study was designed to quantify these interactions in corn (Zea mays L.) grown in production-size fields in central Iowa on the Clarion-Nicollet-Webster soil association. Seasonal water use varied by soil type and N application rate. Yield varied with N application rate, with the highest average yield obtained at 100 kg ha-1. N use efficiency (NUE) decreased with increasing N application rates, having values around 50%. Water use efficiency (WUE) decreased as N fertilizer rates increased. Analysis of plant growth patterns showed that in the low organic matter soils (lower water-holding capacities), potential yield was not achieved because of water deficits during the grain-filling period. Using precipitation data coupled with daily water use throughout the season, lower organic matter soils showed these soils began to drain earlier in the spring and continued to drain more water throughout the season. The low NUE in these soils together with increased drainage lead to greater N loss from these soils. Improved management decisions have shown that it is possible to couple water use patterns with N application to increase both WUE and NUE

Effective aerodynamic roughness estimated from airborne laser altimeter measurements of surface features

Aerodynamic roughness length (z0) and displacement height (d0) are important surface parameters for estimating surface fluxes in numerical models. These parameters are generally determined from wind flow characteristics using logarithmic wind profiles measured at a meteorological tower or by balloon release. It would be an advantage to use measurements of land surface characteristics instead of wind flow characteristics to estimate the z0 and d0 for large areas. Important land surface characteristics are the size and distribution of roughness elements (obstacles). This research evaluates the use of high resolution laser altimeter data to obtain these land surface characteristics. Data were collected at the US Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service (USDA-ARS), Jornada Experimental Range in southern New Mexico, USA over a coppice dune dominated area. These dunes are covered by honey mesquite (Prosopis glandulosa Torr.) with flat and mostly bare interdunal areas. For this analysis, three 450m laser transects with a 2 cm measurement interval were used. The distribution and size of dunes were calculated from these laser transects and used to compute z0. Analysis gave an average z0=4.3 cm and d0=70 cm for the three laser transects, which compares to z0=7±4 cm and d0=98±48 cm calculated from wind profile data measured at a 10m tower near the laser transects. These results show that the estimation of z0 and d0 for a complex terrain is possible using simple land surface features computed from high resolution laser altimeter data.

Patch scale turbulence over dryland and irrigated surfaces in a semi-arid landscape under advective conditions during BEAREX08

Quantifying turbulent fluxes of heat and water vapor over heterogeneous surfaces presents unique challenges. For example, in many arid and semi-arid regions, parcels of irrigated cropland are juxtaposed with hot, dry surfaces. Contrasting surface conditions can result in the advection of warm dry air over an irrigated crop surface where it increases the water vapor deficit and, thereby, atmospheric demand. If sufficient water is available, this can significantly enhance evaporative water loss from the irrigated field. The scale and frequency of turbulent eddies over an irrigated surface during periods of strong advection is not fully understood. High frequency (20 Hz) data were acquired over irrigated cotton, wheat stubble, and rangeland fields during the 2008 growing season as part of the Bushland Evapotranspiration and Agricultural Remote Sensing Experiment (BEAREX08). Spectral analysis of momentum and scalar quantities including heat and water vapor revealed low frequency features in the turbulence structure due to the penetration of the surface boundary layer by large-scale eddies during periods of unusually strong advection. Wavelet analysis was applied to assess specific events contributing to the spatial and temporal structure of turbulent flux eddies. The analysis showed that low frequency contributions were linked to both local and regional scale advective processes. These results clearly point to a need to better understand surface energy balance exchange for heterogeneous surfaces in arid and semi-arid regions under conditions of strong local and regional advection

Balanço de energia na cultura de pepineiro em ambiente natural e protegido Energy balance in cucumber crop in greenhouse and field conditions

Avaliaram-se, diariamente, neste trabalho, o saldo de radiação (SR), o fluxo de calor no solo (G), o fluxo de calor latente de evaporação (LE) e o fluxo de calor sensível (H) ao longo do ciclo da cultura de pepineiro cultivado dentro e fora de casa de vegetação em ciclo de outono-inverno e primavera-verão. O SR e o G foram quantificados e o LE e o H estimados em dois níveis distintos pelo método da razão de Bowen. Os resultados mostram que a maior parte da energia disponível foi utilizada no fluxo de calor latente de evaporação e que os componentes do balanço de energia apresentaram-se mais consistentes em níveis próximos ao dossel da cultura e em ambiente protegido.<br>The net radiation balance (SR), the flow of heat in the soil (G), the flow of latent heat of evaporation (LE) and the flow of sensitive heat (H) were evaluated daily along the cycle of the cucumber crop cultivated inside and outside greenhouse in the autumn-winter and spring-summer cycles. SR and G were quantified and LE and H were estimated at two different levels by the method of Bowen ratio. The results showed that most of the available energy was used in the flow of latent heat of evaporation and that the components of the energy balance were more consistent in levels close to the dossel of the crop and in the greenhouse

An assessment of the differences between spatial resolution and grid size for the SMAP enhanced soil moisture product over homogeneous sites

Satellite-based passive microwave remote sensing typically involves a scanning antenna that makes measurements at irregularly spaced locations. These locations can change on a day to day basis. Soil moisture products derived from satellite-based passive microwave remote sensing are usually resampled to a fixed Earth grid that facilitates their use in applications. In many cases the grid size is finer than the actual spatial resolution of the observation, and often this difference is not well understood by the user. Here, this issue was examined for the Soil Moisture Active Passive (SMAP) enhanced version of the passive-based soil moisture product, which has a grid size of 9-km and a nominal spatial resolution of 33-km. In situ observations from core validation sites were used to compute comparison metrics. For sites that satisfied the established reliability and scaling criteria, the impact of validating the 9-km grid product with in situ data collected over a 9-km versus a 33-km domain was very small for the sites studied (0.039 m3/m3 unbiased root mean square difference for the 9-km case versus 0.037 m3/m3 for the 33-km case). This result does not mean that the resolution of the product is 9-km but that for the conditions studied here the soil moisture estimated from in situ observations over 9-km is a close approximation of the soil moisture estimated from in situ observations over the 33-km resolution. The implication is that using the enhanced SMAP product at its grid resolution of 9-km should not introduce large errors in most applications

Winds of Change: A Century of Agroclimate Research

Climate has been of primary concern from the beginning of agricultural research. Early in the 20th century, climatology and agronomy evolved separately, focusing primarily on production agriculture and crop adaptation. Concepts developed include thermal units and water use efficiency. The integrated discipline of agroclimatology developed in the mid-20th century. As theoretical understanding evolved, numerous papers related to agroclimatology were named Citation Classics. Spectral properties of plants and soils were identified that underpin today’s remote sensing technologies. Commercialization of instrumentation enhanced our ability to efficiently collect data using standardized methods. Private and public-sector partnerships advanced research capacity. Later in the 20th century, research focus shifted toward integrating knowledge into crop growth and agronomic models. Remote sensing provided capacity to gain theoretical and practical understanding of regional scale processes. In the early 21st century, recognition of earth as a system along with inter-related human systems is driving research and political agendas. There is a pressing need to change our data-rich to an information-rich environment. The emerging cyberinformatics field along with natural resource and agricultural system models allow us to apply climate information to assessments and decision support related to water supply, production, environmental management, and other issues. Solutions to today’s problems require interdisciplinary and multi-sectoral teams. While needs have never been greater, fewer universities maintain critical mass required to off er advance degrees in agroclimatology. It will be increasingly important that agrclimatology attract top students and provide training and practical experience in conducting integrated systems research, communications, and team skills