Fertilizer nitrogen recovery of irrigated spring malt barley

Well defined nitrogen (N) management in irrigated two-row malting barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) is critical for yield, quality, and to minimize negative environmental impacts. Data on fertilizer N recovery efficiency (FNRE) and the fate of fertilizer-N in the soil is lacking for irrigated malting barley. The objective of this study was to determine uptake and partitioning of 15N labeled urea in the plant and soil. Mimicking common regional practices, urea was either surface applied or incorporated at a total N rate of 214 kg N ha-1 at planting. Three common malt cultivars were grown, and samples were collected four times during the growing season (Feekes growth stages 4/5, 10.0, 11.2, and 11.4). Barley plants at Feekes 11.2 and 11.4 were separated into plant (culms plus leaves) and spikes. Plant N accumulation was lowest at Feekes 4/5 and increased to a maximum at Feekes 11.2 where FNRE was greatest at Feekes 10.0. Nitrogen was redistributed from the plant to the spike from Feekes 11.2 to 11.4. The barley plant FNRE averaged 43% at maturity. The total soil-plant FNRE for the surface application was 66%, which was less than the incorporated fertilizer FNRE of 77%. Results from the current study provide evidence of the increased FNRE of incorporated applications in high-input barley production systems as well as similar recovery efficiency as compared to previous work under higher-yielding conditions. Results can be used to refine growing practices to ensure agronomically and environmentally sound management

Barley yield and malt-characteristics as affected by nitrogen and final irrigation timing

Idaho is one of the largest malt barley (hordeum vulgare, L.) producers in the United States. In Idaho, barley is a major commodity in the irrigated production area of the semi-arid Snake River Plain of the southern part of the state. Grain quality and malting characteristics in addition to yields are key factors influencing production. While the importance of available nitrogen (N) and irrigation have been established, the interaction of these inputs has not been deeply investigated. To address this, we conducted research at the Kimberly R&E Center, ID arranged in a RCBD to determine yield and quality as affected by N application rate (0, 56, 112, 168 kg N ha-1) and irrigation cutoff timings with irrigation managed at 100% evapotranspiration (ET) until the crop growth stages of, F10: Feekes 10.0; F11.2: Feekes 11.2; and +7F11.2: +7d Feekes. Both N fertilization and irrigation cutoff timing affected tested grain, straw, and malt characteristics. Only minor differences were measured between F11.2 and +7F11.2 irrigation cutoff timings indicating irrigations past F11.2 were generally not beneficial. Application of N at 56 kg N ha-1 maximized yield in the study but greater predicted yields were determined from the fitted model and did not result in grain or malt quality characteristics outside of the range acceptable for malting. Results warrant further investigations into increased N applications to achieve higher yields while maintaining malt quality. Grain protein was well correlated to malt characteristics under varying N rates and irrigation cutoff timings. The results of this study provide evidence of the effects of irrigation cutoff timing and N management on grain yield and quality, barley straw, and malt characteristics that are critical for establishing appropriate fertilizer-N recommendations and irrigation management strategies in malting barley in Idaho

Intercropping in maize silage versus solo-seeding for alfalfa establishment in Wisconsin and Idaho

Alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) intercropping with maize (Zea mays L.) silage is being developed in the northern United States to improve the profitability and environmental sustainability of forage production. This study, conducted under rainfed conditions inWisconsin and semiarid irrigated conditions in Idaho, compared the establishment of alfalfa and dry matter yield of four intercropping systems to three conventional systems. The former systems included alfalfa interseeded at planting or the vegetative emergence (VE) stage of maize and grown with or without prohexadione growth retardant. The latter systems included alfalfa seeded in spring, summerseeded after barley (Hordeum vulgare L.), or late summer-seeded after maize silage. Spring seeded and interseeded alfalfa inWisconsin also received foliar fungicide and insecticide during establishment. During alfalfa establishment, yield of intercropped maize silage was 1.8- to 4.4-fold greater than spring-seeded alfalfa. Compared to spring-seeded alfalfa, interseeded alfalfa had similar or somewhat lower stand density but similar first cut yield the following year, provided that intercropped maize was harvested near September 1 to allow ample alfalfa fall regrowth. Shifting interseeding from maize planting to the VE stage decreased early-season alfalfa growth, but improved maize silage yield, with minor effects on alfalfa fall growth, stand density, and first cut yield. Prohexadione application had little impact on establishment or yield of interseeded alfalfa. While having high plant density, alfalfa seeded after barley or especially maize had less fall growth and low first cut yield. Overall, alfalfa establishment and yield of intercropping systems compared favorably with conventional systems

Ammonia volatilization from fertilizer sources on a loam soil in Idaho

Optimizing crop nitrogen (N) uptake while minimizing ammonia (NH3) volatilization from N-fertilizer sources is a critical part of agricultural best management practices. Urea is the most widely used N-fertilizer but also one of the most susceptible to losses as NH3. Fertilizer source and additives can be used to reduce NH3 volatilization. Specifically, urease inhibitors e.g., N-(n-butyl) thiophosphoric triamide (NBPT) can reduce NH3 volatilization from urea. Novel fused ammonium sulfate nitrate (ASN) products have recently been developed as another potential alternative N-fertilizer source but have not been studied widely. A field study was performed to quantify NH3 volatilization from the newly available ASN fertilizer as compared to various N-fertilizers (ammonium sulfate (AS) and urea) including urea treated with the urease inhibitor NBPT in an alkaline calcareous loam soil in Idaho. Further, we assessed NH3 volatilization from surface applied and incorporated N-fertilizers from these various N sources. Untreated surface-applied urea volatilized the highest amount of NH3, whereas incorporation of N-fertilizers was effective in reducing volatilization as compared to untreated surface applied urea. Our study indicated that the N-fertilizer sources (AS, ASN, and Urea-NBPT) were equally effective in reducing NH3 volatilization when compared to surface applied urea. Our study will help refine N-fertilize management under multiple field situations and traditional management practices of crop producers in the western United States. Further, site-years and study locations would be needed to provide evidence of the effectiveness of ASN in reducing NH3 volatilization under a wider range of soil and environmental conditions

Deficit irrigation effects on adjunct and all-malt barley yield and quality

Semi-arid regions are reliant on supplemental irrigation to produce large-yielding and high-quality malt barley (Hordeum vulgare, L.). Current and widespread drought in the western United States is of particular concern as surface and ground water reductions are occurring that affect irrigation water availability. Implementing a seasonal deficit of water compared to evapotranspiration (ET) is a potential mechanism to reduce water usage if yield and quality can be maintained. Research was conducted at the University of Idaho Aberdeen R&E Center, Aberdeen, Idaho on the effects of deficit irrigation on yield, grain quality, and malt characteristics of barley. Five genotypes were selected to represent those used for large-scale adjunct brewing and those targeted at the all-malt craft industry. Irrigation was managed at three rates (100%, 75%, and 50%) of estimated crop evapotranspiration (ETc) using a sprinkler irrigation system. Total aboveground dry matter (TDM) was not affected by irrigation until soft dough (Feekes 11.2; F11.2). Yield was similar within a genotype with irrigation reduction from 100% ETc to 75% ETc. Averaged across genotypes, yields were 6936 kg ha-1 at 100% ETc and 6297 kg ha-1 at 75% ETc. At 75% ETc, protein was just below the adjunct target of 130 g kg-1, excluding Harrington, and no genotype stayed below 120 g kg-1, the all-malt target. Deficit irrigation is promising, particularly for adjunct brewing; however, expected changes to malting quality profiles must be understood and varietal selection, breeding advancements, and/or changes to malting criteria may be needed for successful implementation of deficit irrigation

Risk factors for transport-related problem behaviors in horses: A New Zealand survey

Transport-related problem behaviors (TRPBs) are common in horses and can cause injury to both the horses and their handlers. This study aimed to identify possible risk factors for TRPBs to inform approaches to mitigate TRPBs incidence and enhance horse welfare. An online cross-sectional survey was conducted to explore the prevalence of TRPBs and their association with human-, training-and transport management-related factors in New Zealand. The survey generated 1124 valid responses that were analyzed using descriptive statistics, and logistic regression analyses. Having at least one horse with TRPB was reported by 249/1124 (22.2%) respondents during the two previous years. Of these, 21/249 (8.4%) occurred during pre-loading, 78/249 (31.3%) during loading, 132/249 (53.0%) while travelling, and 18/249 (7.3%) during unloading. Our findings indicate that the use of negative reinforcement and positive punishment as training methods, using a whip or food for loading, and travelling in a straight load trailer/float while offering food were associated with a higher likelihood of TRPBs. Cross-sectional studies cannot determine causality and findings should be interpreted with caution, and evaluated in further experimental studies. The authors suggest that education on appropriate training methods for transport, and vehicle selection may mitigate the risk for TRPBs in horses

Soil carbonate analysis using the solvita compost maturity gel system

Soil fertility and nutrient-management programs across Idaho and the western United States need to consider the effective comparison of various extractants for nutrient analysis. Common extractants for primary (potassium; K), secondary (calcium; Ca, magnesium; Mg, sulfur; S) and micro (zinc; Zn, copper; Cu, manganese; Mn, iron; Fe, aluminum; Al, boron; B, sodium; Na,)-nutrients vary (e.g., ammonium acetate, AA, Olsen). The desire to develop relationships among common tests in the region and those of multinutrient extractants used or proposed in other geographical regions has increased due to the interest in soil health measurements (Mehlich-3; M-3 and Haney, Haney, Hossner, Arnold; H3A). To investigate these multinutrient tests, 46 primarily alkaline soils were sampled from the 0 to 30-cm depth in agricultural fields in Idaho. The majority of nutrients were highly related and relationships were developed. However, for Ca issues were noted for M-3 due to high levels of calcium carbonate in the soil interfering with the test on alkaline soils. Additionally, issues were noted for specific micronutrients when both acidic and alkaline soils were combined in the analysis, but were improved when they were separated. Thus, this research provides specific correlation equations that could be used for comparison among tests as well as provides evidence of the potential suitability of multinutrient extractants in the region

Patterns and associations between dominant crop productions and water quality in an irrigated watershed

Irrigation consumes the largest share of freshwater resources but is a necessary practice to boost agricultural output to meet increasing global demand for food and fiber. Irrigation not only impacts water quantity but can also degrade water quality. Research efforts have explored various aspects of irrigation efficiency and irrigated crop productivity, but few studies have examined how different crops collectively modulate water utilization and water quality at the watershed scale. In this study long-term water quantity and quality monitoring data collected as part of the Conservation Effect Assessment Project (CEAP) combined with crop and evapotranspiration (ET) modeling products were used to elucidate relationships between crop and water processes in an irrigated watershed. We use a correlational approach to build relationships between water quantity and quality metrics and the fractional volumes of ET associated with major crops in the Twin Falls Canal Company irrigation tract. Results suggest that sub-watershed size and subsurface flow contribution in drainage tunnels influenced hydrologic patterns observed and led to 2 distinct groups. Group 1 sub-watersheds were large, typically included subsurface drain tunnels and had high return flow volumes and low sediment concentration while group 2 sub-watersheds were smaller in size, had low return flow volumes and high sediment concentration. Irrigation return flow volume normalized by sub-watershed area was positively associated with ET fractions of potato (Solanum tuberosum) in group 1 during the spring and summer months. Spring sediment loss per return flow volume showed a negative association with ET fractions of sugar beet and combined alfalfa (Medicago sativa) and pasture crops in group 2. A negative association was found between phosphorus (P) load per return flow volume and ET fractions of alfalfa / pasture, corn (Zea mays), dry beans (Phaseolus vulgaris), and sugar beet (Beta vulgaris) across sub-watershed groups. Nitrate (NO3-N) load per return flow volume was negatively associated with potato and corn ET fractions in group 1 especially during the spring and fall month but positively associated with dry beans over the irrigation season. While direct cause and effect were not established between crops and water quantity and quality, results from this study provide valuable information on management factors associated with various crop production systems that may control observed hydrologic response. Example of factors considered in explaining some of the observed patterns include early germination and ground coverage, tight control on soil water content, and the erosion attenuation effect of sedimentation ponds