Research Project: Developing Agricultural Practices to Protect Water Quality and Conserve Water and Soil Resources in the Upper Midwest United States

Location: Soil and Water Management Research

2019 Annual Report

Objectives
1. Develop irrigation and drainage strategies in the North Central United States to protect water and soil resources a. Determine the potential of amendments to mitigate leaching and contamination of groundwater from agricultural operations. b. Identify materials and designs that will maximize contaminant removal from subsurface drainage water. 2. Identify and test innovative management practices to reduce potential adverse impacts on water quality or conserve water resources. a. Evaluate the effectiveness of low-input turf and management practices to reduce contaminant transport with runoff. b. Identify and test management practices to reduce reactive nitrogen leakage from dairy farming systems. c. Determine the impact of perenniallizing practices on the nutrient and water balances of corn/soybean systems. d. Determine the influence of management practices and water conservation strategies on water use and the occurrence and fate of contaminants in urban agriculture. 3. Conduct research as part of the LTAR network, and in concert with similar long-term, land-based research infrastructure in the U.S., use the Upper Mississippi River Basin LTAR site to improve the observational capabilities and data accessibility of the LTAR network and support research to sustain or enhance agricultural production and environmental quality in agroecosystems characteristic of the Upper Mississippi River Basin. Research and data collection are planned and implemented based on the LTAR site application and in accordance with the responsibilities outlined in the LTAR Shared Research Strategy, a living document that serves as a roadmap for LTAR implementation. Participation in the LTAR network and test innovative management practices to reduce potential adverse impacts on water quality or conserve water resources includes research and data management in support of the ARS GRACEnet and DAWG projects.

Approach
Protecting the integrity and supply of our water resources is one of the most important issues we will face this century and therefore the foundation of our project’s objectives (objectives 1 and 2). Our research approach requires laboratory to field scale investigations focusing on two strategies, prevention and mitigation. With the prevention strategy we will identify and understand the fate of potential water contaminants (e.g. agrochemicals: fertilizer, pesticides; anthropogenic compounds) and develop practices to prevent or minimize the off-site transport of contaminants from their site of application or point of origin. For instance, we will evaluate the fate of biochar and its efficacy as a soil amendment to reduce the leaching of agrochemicals (subobjective 1a), management practices to minimize agrochemical transport with storm runoff from low-input turf (subobjective 2a.1), and the occurrence of contaminants in urban agricultural systems and the influence of water conservation and management practices on contaminant availability (subobjective 2d). In addition, we will determine the influence of perennial cover crops and the use of different irrigation and nitrogen rates to reduce transport of nutrients with runoff and drainage from row crops subobjective 2c). Model simulations will also be used to predict nitrate loads in tile drainage from a concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFO) dairy and simulate the efficacy of alternative practices to reduce loads (subobjective 2b). In circumstances where contaminants are transported off-site with overland flow or leaching, mitigation strategies will be taken to remove contaminants from runoff and tile drainage before they reach surface waters or groundwater. Mitigation approaches include plot-scale studies to identify optimal buffer size and management of low-input turf for the removal of contaminants transported with runoff (subobjective 2a.2), while field and modeling experiments will identify the most effective bioreactor design and materials for removing nutrients from subsurface drainage water (subobjective 1b). Laboratory, field, and small watershed studies will be employed to enhance and extend the research that has been initiated to develop aspirational farming practices (ASP) for the Upper Mississippi River Basin and to compare their environmental and economic metrics against business as usual (BAU) farming practices in the region. Management practices that will be explored include maintenance of continuous living cover in sensitive locations on the landscape, and downstream or down-gradient practices that remove excess nutrients and reduce N2O emissions. Our multidisciplinary team and the interrelationship of our project subobjectives within and across these strategies will make progress towards the national goal for improved water resource security.

Progress Report
The initial samples from the biochar aging citizen science experiment have been received back in the laboratory. A project website has been created on SciStarter (https://scistarter.org/biochar-soil-aging) to improve recruitment of volunteers for the project. The soil and biochar have been analyzed by x-ray fluorescence to detect the presence of metal cations in the soil and the associated fractions on the biochar. These samples have also been processed and analyzed for compositional changes in carbon, hydrogen and nitrogen. They are being sent for more detailed analyses by scanning electron microscopy and further elemental surface analyses. Additionally, wireless balance systems have also been developed to monitor the gain or loss in mass of biochar samples while they undergo drying or moisture sorption (±10 mg). These systems can be enclosed in environments of known temperature, relative humidity and carbon dioxide concentrations, so the kinetics of the moisture sorption process can be determined on fresh and aged biochar samples. This work has demonstrated that the rate limiting step for moisture interaction with biochar is driven by the phase change (first order process) and not a diffusional limitation. Alterations in sorption characteristics for the aged biochar for a variety of chemical compounds is still ongoing. An experiment identifying materials and designs that will maximize contaminant removal from subsurface drainage water has been conducted, water analyses completed, and experimental data prepared for statistical analysis. Data on the percentage of system flow treated by the bioreactors have been prepared and are being analyzed. All water analyses have been completed on system and bioreactor outlet flow. A continuous nitrate-N concentration sensor and a turbidity sensor have been installed at the system inlet. Flow through the bioreactor beds was impeded last year, preventing planned tracer tests, which will be delayed a year until planned renovations are completed. Experiments are underway to provide a second field season of data evaluating the effectiveness of low-input turf and management practices to reduce contaminant transport with runoff. Field plots planted with a low-input fine fescue turfgrass are being managed as either a golf course fairway or residential lawn. Runoff collection gutters were repaired, repositioned and tested. Instrumentation for runoff collection was installed at each plot and calibrated. The manifold systems designed to deliver run-on for the filter strip experiments were repaired or modified to accommodate experimental needs. Water samples, collected during the first field season, were analyzed for nutrients and a tracer compound to characterize off-site chemical transport with runoff. Extraction and analysis of pesticides in the runoff water has been initiated. Research identifying and testing management practices to reduce reactive nitrogen leakage from dairy farming systems in ongoing. A peer-reviewed journal article on manure application methods has been published. The drainage component of the Integrated Farm Systems Model (IFSM) has been tested against field measurements reported in a number of published studies and a manuscript has been started. Collaboration on dairy-related environmental studies with other ARS units in the Dairy Agroecosystem Working Group has continued. Eddy covariance systems were installed in our new LTAR fields, one in the conventional corn/soy field and the other in our perennial living mulch field. Kura clover was planted in the perennial field to establish the living mulch system. The eddy covariance data will allow the direct measurement of evapotranspiration in both systems, which is necessary to compute the water balances for each system. A literature search and investigation of recorded historical land use to determine potential contaminants of concern for urban agriculture is ongoing. Established community gardens are being visited to observe currently utilized management practices and identify urban agricultural inputs. Collection of soil samples from vacant lots continues, and efforts to identify and sample additional locations where urban food production is anticipated is underway. Investigation, testing and refinement of extraction and analysis methodologies are ongoing. These efforts will identify the occurrence of contaminants in urban agriculture, begin to evaluate potential sources of contaminants and lead to the development and testing of management practices to mitigate concerns and provide customer/stakeholders with guidelines for healthy food production in areas with anthropogenic contaminants. Two new experiments were initiated. The first is a cooperative effort with several other LTAR locations, led by the Lower Chesapeake Bay LTAR, to determine the lag time of watersheds with a novel technique. The second will develop new methods to map nitrate concentrations in watersheds and related spatial differences to edge-of-field conservation practices.

Accomplishments
1. Detection of changes in lake evaporation. Biochar aging in soil is multifaceted. There is need to understand how biochar changes after it has been placed into various soils. ARS scientists in St. Paul, Minnesota, investigated changes in the sorption behavior of a herbicide to fresh and aged biochars. The same biochar was aged for 6 months buried in mesh bags at 3 locations across the U.S. (Idaho, Wisconsin and South Carolina). The biochar that was aged in the Wisconsin soil resulted in the largest increase in sorption behavior. Whereas the biochar that were aged in South Carolina and Idaho soils were not significantly altered in their sorption behavior. The exact reason for these differences could not be conclusively demonstrated, but it is believed linked to the alterations in the dissolved organic compounds sorbed to the biochar and/or alterations to the salt content following soil incorporation. These results clearly show there is a need to better understand the mechanisms of chemical alterations to biochar resulting from soil exposure to properly assess longer term impacts of biochar additions. These results are significant to farmers and policy makers and will assist scientists and engineers in understanding the potential pathways for improved mechanisms of biochar’s chemical sorption behavior.

2. Biochar aging in soil is multifaceted. There is a need to understand how biochar changes after it has been placed into various soils. ARS scientists, St. Paul, Minnesota, investigated changes in the sorption behavior of a herbicide to fresh and aged biochars. The same biochar was aged for 6 months buried in mesh bags at 3 locations across the United States (Idaho, Wisconsin, and South Carolina). The biochar that was aged in the Wisconsin soil resulted in the largest increase in sorption behavior. Whereas the biochar that were aged in South Carolina and Idaho soils were not significantly altered in their sorption behavior. The exact reason for these differences could not be conclusively demonstrated, but it is believed linked to the alterations in the dissolved organic compounds sorbed to the biochar and/or alterations to the salt content following soil incorporation. These results highlight the need to understand the mechanisms of chemical alterations to biochar resulting from soil exposure to properly assess longer term impacts of biochar additions. These results are significant to farmers and policy makers and will assist scientists and engineers in understanding the potential pathways for improved mechanisms of biochar’s chemical sorption behavior.

Review Publications
Ghane, E., Feyereisen, G.W., Rosen, C.J. 2019. Efficacy of bromide tracers for evaluating the hydraulic performance of denitrification beds. Journal of Hydrology. 574:129-137. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dib.2019.103914.
Dobbratz, M., Baker, J.M., Grossman, J., Wells, M., Ginakes, P. 2019. Rotary zone tillage improves corn establishment in a kura clover living mulch. Soil & Tillage Research. 189(6):229-235. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.still.2019.02.007.
Holly, M.A., Kleinman, P.J., Bryant, R.B., Bjorneberg, D.L., Rotz, C.A., Baker, J.M., Boggess, M.V., Brauer, D.K., Chintala, R., Feyereisen, G.W., Gamble, J.D., Leytem, A.B., Reed, K., Vadas, P.A., Waldrip, H. 2018. Identifying challenges and opportunities for improved nutrient management through U.S.D.A's Dairy Agroecosystem Working Group. Journal of Dairy Science. 101(7):6632-6641. https://doi.org/10.3168/jds.2017-13819.
Kleinman, P.J., Spiegal, S.A., Rigby Jr., J.R., Goslee, S.C., Baker, J.M., Bestelmeyer, B.T., Boughton, R., Bryant, R.B., Cavigelli, M.A., Derner, J.D., Duncan, E.W., Goodrich, D.C., Huggins, D.R., King, K.W., Liebig, M.A., Locke, M.A., Mirsky, S.B., Moglen, G.E., Moorman, T.B., Pierson Jr., F.B., Robertson, G., Sadler, E.J., Shortle, J., Steiner, J.L., Strickland, T.C., Swain, H., Williams, M.R., Walthall, C.L., Tsegaye, T.D. 2018. Advancing the sustainability of US agriculture through long-term research. Journal of Environmental Quality. 47(6):1412-1425. https://doi.org/doi:10.2134/jeq2018.05.0171.
Alexander, J.R., Venterea, R.T., Baker, J.M., Coulter, J.A. 2019. Kura clover living mulch: Spring management effects on nitrogen. Agronomy. 9(2),69:1-14. https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy9020069.
Jang, J., Anderson, E., Venterea, R.T., Sadowsky, M., Rosen, C., Feyereisen, G.W., Ishii, S. 2019. Cold-adapted denitrifying bacteria in woodchip bioreactor. Frontiers in Microbiology. 10(635):1-12. https://doi.org/10.3389/fmicb.2019.00635.
Souza, E., Rosen, C., Venterea, R.T. 2019. Contrasting effects of inhibitors and biostimulants on agronomic performance and reactive nitrogen losses during irrigated potato production. Field Crops Research. 241:1-11. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fcr.2019.05.001.
Fidel, R.B., Laird, D.A., Spokas, K.A. 2018. Sorption of ammonium and nitrate to biochars is electrostatic and pH-dependent. Nature Scientific Reports. 8(1):1-10. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-018-35534-w.
Novak, J.M., Moore, E., Spokas, K.A., Hall, K., Williams, A. 2018. Future biochar research directions. In: Ok, Y.S., Tsang, D.C., Bolan, N., Novak, J.M., editors. Biochar from Biomass and Waste. 1st edition, New York, NY: Academic Press. p. 423-432.
Fuertes-Mendizabal, T., Huerfano, X., Vega-Mas, I., Torralbo, F., Menendez, S., Ippolito, J.A., Kammann, C., Wrage-Monnig, N., Cayuela, M., Borchard, N., Spokas, K.A., Novak, J.M., Gonzalez-Moro, M., Gonzalez-Murua, C., Estavillo, J. 2019. Biochar reduces the efficiency of nitrification inhibitor 3,4-dimethylpyrazole phosphate (DMPP) mitigating N2O emissions. Nature Scientific Reports. 9(2346):1-16. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-019-38697-2.
Gamiz, B., Velarde, P., Spokas, K.A., Celis, R., Cox, L. 2019. Changes in sorption and bioavailability of herbicides in soil amended with fresh and aged biochar. Geoderma. 337:341-349. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geoderma.2018.09.033.
Borchard, N., Schirrmann, M., Cayuela, M.L., Kammann, C., Wrange-Monnig, N., Estavillo, J., Fuertes-Mendizabal, T., Sigua, G.C., Spokas, K.A., Ippolito, J., Novak, J.M. 2018. Biochar, soil and land-use interactions that reduce nitrate leaching and N2O emissions: A meta-analysis. Science of the Total Environment. 651:2354-2364. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenc.2018.10.060.
Ghane, E., Feyereisen, G.W., Rosen, C.J. 2019. Data of bromide sorption experiments with woodchips and tracer testing of denitrification beds treating agricultural drainage water. Data in Brief. 574:129-137. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dib.2019.103914.
Sigua, G.C., Novak, J.M., Watts, D.W., Ippolito, J.A., Ducey, T.F., Johnson, M.G., Spokas, K.A. 2019. Phytostabilization of Zn and Cd in mine soil using corn in combination with biochars and manure-based compost. Environments. 6(6):69. https://doi.org/10.3390/environments6060069.
Weyers, S.L., Thom, M.D., Forcella, F., Eberle, C.A., Matthees, H.L., Gesch, R.W., Ott, M., Feyereisen, G.W., Strock, J.S., Wyse, D. 2019. Potential for nutrient loss reduction in cover cropped systems in the Upper Midwest. Journal of Environmental Quality. 48(3):660-669. https://doi.org/10.2134/jeq2018.09.0350.