Research Project: Managing Water Resources to Foster the Sustainable Intensification of Agroecosystems in the Northeastern U.S.

Location: Pasture Systems & Watershed Management Research

2023 Annual Report

Objectives
Objective 1. Describe and quantify sources and transport processes that transfer agriculturally derived environmental contaminants to receiving waters. Objective 2. Assess the effectiveness of newly developed and existing conservation practices that reduce the risk of agricultural contaminant losses that negatively affect water quality. Subobjective 2.1. Identify, develop, and evaluate manure, fertilizer, tillage, irrigation, drainage, and nutrient management practices that improve production use efficiency and minimize off-site transfers. Subobjective 2.2. Develop new technologies and management practices that improve and protect soil health. Sub-Objective 2.3. Modernizing soil testing to optimize agricultural and environmental priorities and achieve precision management. Objective 3: Develop management strategies and practices that conserve water resources and enhance agroecosystem services of wetlands cultivated for cranberry production. Subobjective 3.1. Characterize soil carbon dynamics and temporal and spatial patterns of nutrient discharge from cranberry farms. Subobjective 3.2. Develop new technologies and management practices that enhance water use efficiency and improve water quality on cranberry farms. Objective 4 . In support of LTAR network goals, design sustainable agricultural systems that balance production, environmental, and rural prosperity objectives under changing agricultural and climatic conditions in the northeastern U.S.

Approach
Research spans the Chesapeake Bay and Buzzards Bay watersheds, relying upon core sites in the Atlantic Coastal Plain (Manokin watershed, MD; Buzzards Bay watershed, MA), Appalachian Piedmont (Conewago watershed, PA), and Appalachian Ridge and Valley (Mahantango Creek watershed, PA and Spruce Creek watershed, PA). The scope of our research encompasses entire agroecosystems and the supporting industrial complex. The water quality emphasis is primarily on controlling nutrient (N and P) loss to the environment. Increasingly, our research addresses carbon as related to climate change mitigation and adaptation. In the Upper Chesapeake Bay, we focus primarily on dairy production, the most common production system in the watershed. Similarly, our Congressionally mandated work on cranberry production (Objective 3) focuses on cranberry production enterprises and related externalities in the Buzzard Bay watershed. The private enterprise is at the center of our work because the individual producer is a key decision maker. Research activities represent targets of opportunity as identified by scientists and/or stakeholders or are in response to external funding opportunities that have been prioritized by funding agencies and that leverage internal resources and university partnerships. As a member of the LTAR network, outcomes have relevance to other agroecosystems and outcomes from research by other members of the network have relevance to our region. Linkages between our research activities and those of the other 19 LTAR research programs are too numerous to describe in detail, but collectively, outcomes from research across the network have greater potential for producing significant new, actionable knowledge for the dairy and cranberry industries than from our work alone. Subsurface flow is the dominant hydrologic pathway in the Atlantic Coastal Plain, whereas overland and shallow lateral flows are the major pathways in the upland provinces. We have landowner contacts and research collaborators at all core sites and a research infrastructure that enables measurement and chemical sampling of surface runoff, subsurface flow, and stream flow. We combine field observations with laboratory experiments that allow for greater control over indirect variables. Our basic research (Objective 1) involves observational and experimental studies, using parametric and nonparametric statistics as well as numerical models to quantify temporal and spatial dynamics or determine differences between management/land use, landscape units, and watershed components. Our applied research (Objectives 2-4) includes experimental studies, remote sensing, and modeling.

Progress Report
In general, research has fully recovered from the restrictions imposed by the pandemic. While much of our research is on course, a few of our 24-month milestones were not fully met due to critical vacancies in lead scientist and other scientist positions in the Water Quality as well as external factors beyond our control that delayed progress in some areas. The sections below highlight progress in meeting the 24-month milestones for the four main objectives in the five-year project plan. Objective 1 of the project plan features four projects that seek to better understand the processes governing contaminant fate and transport. Overall, these projects are largely on track. For the groundwater age-dating project, three sets of well nests were installed along a north-facing hillslope in FD-36. Efforts are underway to further develop the wells this summer so they can be instrumented with water level and conductivity sensors. Following a period of background hydrologic and water quality monitoring, we will then sample the wells for age-dating tracers. In addition, multi-year sets of archived water samples are being sent to the Spatio-Temporal Isotope Analytics Lab (SPATIAL) at the University of Utah for water isotope determination. The high-frequency nitrate sensing project is also on schedule, as all five s::can sensors are operational in WE-38, and a sixth s::can sensor was recently installed near the outlet of Little Conewago Creek. Results from the s::can sampling campaigns in 2022 and 2023 are being analyzed for inclusion in a forthcoming paper on event-scale nitrate concentration-discharge patterns in agricultural watersheds. The paper is being led by a Penn State PhD student. In June 2022, an intensive sprinkling study was conducted at the University of Maryland Eastern Shore to characterize soil and aquifer properties affecting subsurface phosphorus transport in a ditch-drained agricultural field. The project team is working on several papers to summarize the findings from these studies. Lastly, the project on watershed-scale processes controlling urea fate and transport remains largely on track despite the recent retirement of Ray Bryant, who led the research on behalf of ARS. Prior to the lead scientist’s retirement, we established a cooperative agreement with the University of Maryland Eastern Shore. The agreement provides funds that support a technician who is assisting with the seasonal sampling of storms (before and after high flows) described in the project plan. Objective 2 of the project plan focuses on applied research that develops and tests various agricultural conservation practices for nutrient management. Under Subobjective 2.1, three projects center on advancing and assessing the MAnure PHosphorus EXtraction (MAPHEX) system for removing phosphorus from liquid dairy manures. We fully met the milestones related to the plot-scale field trials with MAPHEX-generated byproducts and the exploration of low-cost alternatives to field application of raw manure. However, we were unable to meet the 24-month milestone for developing and testing the simplified MAPHEX system due to unforeseen issues with the contractor that were beyond our control. With assistance from USDA’s Contracting Office, we expect to have a completed version of the simplified MAPHEX system by the end of the calendar year. Consequently, field demonstrations of the simplified MAPHEX system planned for the fall of year 2 will be performed in year 3. Elsewhere under Subobjective 2.1, the project involving corn response to Lysine fertilizer is in its second year of evaluation. Rate trials in the greenhouse and field-based studies using field-scale lysimeters are under way. A manuscript describing the results from the laboratory studies of Lysine leaching was recently submitted for publication. Finally, in collaboration with colleagues at the National Weather Service, we initiated a ten-year hindcasting experiment with the Sacramento Soil Moisture Accounting model with Heat Transfer (SAC-HT) in order to assess the value of using weather ensembles to improve forecasts of surface runoff in Mahantango Creek. This effort builds on a recently published paper in the Journal of Hydrometeorology reporting on the potential for deterministic runoff forecasts to predict runoff events that could wash off recently applied nutrients. Plot-scale runoff datasets for the SurPhos modeling component are being compiled, and initial SurPhos calibrations are expected to commence later this fall. Subobjective 2.2 comprises two projects that focus on technologies and management practices that enhance soil health. The 24-month milestone for the manure priming project was substantially met. Manure priming studies evaluating the benefits of applying manure to low fertility soils are ongoing, while split-plot studies assessing the benefits of additional manure applications relative to controls were conducted this spring. Preliminarily results from these studies point to potential yield benefits from manure relative to unfertilized soils, while the soil health benefits are generally marginal. The manure priming project contributes to a multi-location study that is being led by investigators from ARS’s Dairy Agroecosystems Workgroup (DAWG). The second project under Subobjective 2.2 is examining the effects of periodic tillage on phosphorus redistribution in soils. As with the first project, the 24-month milestone was substantially met. On-farm study sites will be identified this summer, and experimental plots will be established for sampling later in the fall. The study is a bit behind schedule due to delays that were encountered during the tail end of the pandemic. These delays caused some unforeseen setbacks with site selection and plot establishment. Subobjective 2.3 encompasses three projects that seek to modernize soil testing for precision agriculture. The projects were conceived by the former Research Leader. Since his departure, some progress has been made on the Fertilizer Recommendation System Tool (FRST), especially with respect the 12-month milestone of developing a database and establishing metadata requirements. The 24-month milestone for this project has not been met due to the ongoing lack of leadership for this project. The same holds true for the other two projects under former Research Leader’s direction: precision management of phosphorus and high-resolution spatial soil function modeling. Unfortunately, the Water project is unable to find alternate leaders for any of the three initiatives described under Subobjective 2.3. Therefore, we anticipate having to modify the five-year plan to reflect the fact that the Water project no longer has the capacity to pursue these projects. Objective 3 of the project plan is dedicated to research on cranberry agriculture, with a focus on developing management strategies that conserve water resources and enhance ecosystem services. Subobjective 3.1 includes two projects: one that compares carbon sequestration among active, restored, and retired cranberry farms, and another that seeks to measure and model nitrogen inputs to Buzzards Bay. The 24-month milestone for the carbon sequestration project was fully met, with measurements of carbon dioxide fluxes ongoing at active, retired, and ecologically restored cranberry sites. For the nitrogen loading project, the 24-month milestone was substantially met. Weekly to bi-weekly sampling was conducted for nitrate, ammonium, dissolved organic nitrogen, and particulate nitrogen in the seven rivers as intended. However, intensive storm sampling was delayed, due in part to the lack of precipitation events during the period when storm sampling was planned. We expect to carry out more intensive storm sampling later this year and in 2024. Under Subobjective 3.2, projects are centered on new technologies and practices for cranberry management, including the development and testing of variable-rate irrigation systems and the use of aluminum sulfate as a phosphorus sorbing agent. The 24-month milestone for the variable-rate irrigation study was fully met. We conducted soil water potential sampling at two study sites to test a variable rate irrigation system. We also conducted monthly drone flights to collect remotely sensed multispectral data at active, retired, and ecologically restored cranberry bogs. Additionally, we began fieldwork comparing the spatial variability and plant response to fertilizer applied to commercial cranberry beds via hand-crank, helicopter, and drone. The treatment of ponds with aluminum sulfate is on hold, as the selection of suitable sites for this project is contingent on a separate set of studies examining phosphorus losses from new hybrid cranberry farms. As such, the 24-month milestone was not met as planned due to the need for more data to guide site selection. Objective 4 of the project plan is oriented towards our commitments to the Long-Term Agroecosystem Research (LTAR) Common Experiment. We continue to support university collaborators at Penn State who work closely with University Park staff to implement scheduled field operations for crop rotations and carry out soil, plant, and water sampling as described in the research plan. The 24-month milestone for this objective was substantially met, with most field activities continuing as planned.

Accomplishments
1. Daily runoff forecasting in agricultural watersheds: a promising tool for nutrient management. A central aim of nutrient management planning is to prevent recently applied fertilizers and manures from washing off farm fields during rainfall events. Not only do nutrient wash-off events degrade water quality, but these events also remove nutrients that would otherwise promote soil fertility and crop production. Daily runoff forecasts are a promising new tool for alerting farmers about rainfall-runoff events that have the potential to generate nutrient wash-off, but such tools have not undergone formal testing for their accuracy and reliability. To address this need, ARS researchers at University Park, Pennsylvania, partnering with colleagues from NOAA’s National Weather Service and Penn State University, used long-term runoff monitoring data from the Mahantango Creek experimental watershed to evaluate the quality of daily runoff forecasts (1 to 3 days ahead) that were issued by a National Weather Service hydrologic model. Results from the study showed that daily runoff forecasts from the National Weather Service model had greater accuracy than simple persistence forecasts, which assume that future runoff conditions will be the same as the present conditions. Study findings have implications for nutrient management, as the National Weather Service model used in this research produced reliable runoff forecasts that could allow farmers to optimize the timing of their nutrient applications.

Review Publications
Welikhe, P., Williams, M.R., King, K.W., Bos, J.H., Akland, M., Baffaut, C., Beck, G., Bierer, A.M., Bosch, D.D., Brooks, E., Buda, A.R., Cavigelli, M.A., Faulkner, J., Feyereisen, G.W., Fortuna, A., Gamble, J.D., Hanrahan, B.R., Hussain, M., Kovar, J.L., Lee, B., Leytem, A.B., Liebig, M.A., Line, D., Macrae, M., Moorman, T.B., Moriasi, D.N., Mumbi, R., Nelson, N., Ortega-Pieck, A., Osmond, D., Penn, C.J., Pisani, O., Reba, M.L., Smith, D.R., Unrine, J., Webb, P., White, K.E., Wilson, H., Witthaus, L.M. 2023. Uncertainty in phosphorus fluxes and budgets across the U.S. long-term agroecosystem research network. Journal of Environmental Quality. 52(4):837-885. https://doi.org/10.1002/jeq2.20485.
Fils Pierre, J., Moreno, L.E., Garruna, R., Jacobsen, K.L., Laboski, C.A., Us-Santamaria, R., Ruiz-Sanchez, E. 2022. Effect of maize-legume intercropping on maize physio-agronomic parameters and beneficial insect abundance. Sustainability. 1-15. https://doi.org/10.3390/su141912385.
Clark, J.D., Fernandez, F.G., Camberato, J.J., Carter, P.R., Ferguson, R.B., Franzen, D.W., Kitchen, N.R., Laboski, C.A., Nafziger, E.D., Sawyer, J.E., Shanahan, J.F. 2020. Weather and soil in the US Midwest influence the effectiveness of single- and split-nitrogen applications in corn production. Agronomy Journal. 112(6):5288-5299. https://doi.org/10.1002/agj2.20446.
Bean, G.M., Ransom, C.J., Kitchen, N.R., Scharf, P.C., Veum, K.S., Camberato, J.J., Ferguson, R.B., Fernandez, F.G., Franzen, D.W., Laboski, C.A., Nafziger, E.D., Sawyer, J.E., Nielsen, R.L. 2021. Soil hydrologic grouping guide which soil and weather properties best estimate corn nitrogen need. Agronomy Journal. 113(6):5541-5555. https://doi.org/10.1002/agj2.20888.
Ransom, C.J., Clark, J., Bean, G.M., Bandura, C., Schafer, M., Kitchen, N.R., Camberato, J.J., Carter, P.R., Ferguson, R.B., Fernandez, F.G., Franzen, D.W., Laboski, C.A., Myers, B.D., Nafziger, E.D., Sawyer, J.E., Shanahan, J. 2021. Data from a public–industry partnership for enhancing corn nitrogen research. Agronomy Journal. 113(5):4429-4436. https://doi.org/10.1002/agj2.20812.
Li, D., Miao, Y., Ransom, C.J., Bean, G.M., Kitchen, N.R., Fernandez, F.G., Sawyer, J.E., Camberato, J.J., Carter, P., Ferguson, R.B., Franzen, D.W., Laboski, C.A., Nafziger, E.D., Shanahan, J. 2022. Corn nitrogen nutrition index prediction improved by integrating genetic, environmental, and management factors with active canopy sensing using machine learning. Remote Sensing. 14(2). Article 394. https://doi.org/10.3390/rs14020394.
Weitzman, J.N., Groffman, P.M., Adler, P.R., Dell, C.J., Johnson, F.E., Lerch, R.N., Strickland, T.C. 2021. Drivers of hot spots and hot moments of denitrification in agricultural systems. Journal of Geophysical Research-Biogeosciences. 126(7). Article e2020JG006234. https://doi.org/10.1029/2020JG006234.
Rejesus, R.M., Aglasan, S., Knight, L.G., Cavigelli, M.A., Dell, C.J., Hollinger, D., Lane, E.D. 2021. Economic dimensions of soil health practices that sequester carbon: promising research directions. Journal of Soil and Water Conservation. 76(3):55A-60A. https://doi.org/10.2489/jswc.2021.0324A.
Kleinman, P.J., Spiegal, S.A., Silviera, M., Baker, J.M., Dell, C.J., Bittman, S., Cibin, R., Vadas, P.A., Buser, M.D., Tsegaye, T.D. 2022. Envisioning the manureshed: Towards comprehensive integration of modern crop and animal production. Journal of Environmental Quality. 51(4):481-493. https://doi.org/10.1002/jeq2.20382.
Bagnall, D.K., Morgan, C.L., Cope, M., Bean, G.M., Cappellazzi, S.B., Greub, K.L., Liptzin, D., Baumhardt, R.L., Dell, C.J., Derner, J.D., Ducey, T.F., Dungan, R.S., Fortuna, A., Kautz, M.A., Kitchen, N.R., Leytem, A.B., Liebig, M.A., Moore Jr, P.A., Osborne, S.L., Sainju, U.M., Sherrod, L.A., Watts, D.B., Ashworth, A.J., Owens, P.R., et al. 2022. Carbon-sensitive pedotransfer functions for plant-available water. Soil Science Society of America Journal. 86(3):612-629. https://doi.org/10.1002/saj2.20395.
Liptzin, D., Rieke, E.L., Cappellazzi, S.B., Mac Bean, G., Cope, M., Greub, K.H., Norris, C.E., Tracy, P.W., Aberle, P.W., Ashworth, A.J., Baumhardt, R.L., Dell, C.J., Derner, J.D., Ducey, T.F., Dungan, R.S., Fortuna, A., Franzluebbers, A.J., Kautz, M.A., Kitchen, N.R., Leytem, A.B., Liebig, M.A., Moore Jr, P.A., Osborne, S.L., Owens, P.R., Sainju, U.M., Sherrod, L.A., Watts, D.B. 2023. An evaluation of nitrogen indicators for soil health in long-term agricultural experiments. Soil Science Society of America Journal. 87(4):868-884. https://doi.org/10.1002/saj2.20558.
Bagnall, D.K., Morgan, C., Bean, G.M., Liptzin, D., Cappellazzi, S., Cope, M., Greub, K.L., Norris, C.E., Rieke, E.L., Tracy, P.W., Ashworth, A.J., Baumhardt, R.L., Dell, C.J., Derner, J.D., Ducey, T.F., Fortuna, A., Kautz, M.A., Kitchen, N.R., Leytem, A.B., Liebig, M.A., Moore Jr, P.A., Osborne, S.L., Owens, P.R., Sainju, U.M., Sherrod, L.A., Watts, D.B. 2022. Selecting soil hydraulic properties as indicators of soil health: Measurement response to management and site characteristics. Soil Science Society of America Journal. 86(5):1206-1226. https://doi.org/10.1002/saj2.20428.
Rieke, E.L., Bagnall, D.K., Morgan, C., Greub, K., Bean, G.M., Cappellazzi, S.B., Cope, M., Liptzin, D., Norris, C.E., Tracy, P.W., Ashworth, A.J., Baumhardt, R.L., Dell, C.J., Derner, J.D., Ducey, T.F., Fortuna, A., Kautz, M.A., Kitchen, N.R., Leytem, A.B., Liebig, M.A., Moore Jr., P.A., Osborne, S.L., Owens, P.R., Sainju, U.M., Sherrod, L.A., Watts, D.B., et al. 2022. Evaluation of aggregate stability methods for soil health. Geoderma. 428. Article 116156. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geoderma.2022.116156.
Jeranyama, P., Kennedy, C.D. 2021. Advancements in spring frost protection to sustain cranberry production in Massachusetts. Agronomy Journal. p. 1-9. https://doi.org/10.1002/agj2.20928.
Church, C., Hristov, A.N., Kleinman, P.J., Fishel, S.K., Reiner, M.R., Bryant, R.B. 2023. Nutrient fate in the manure phosphorus extraction (MAPHEX) system: A four-farm case study. Applied Engineering in Agriculture. 39(3): 339-346. https://doi.org/10.13031/aea.15365.
Kennedy, C.D. 2021. Measuring and modeling nitrogen export from cranberry farms. Ecological Applications. 12(12):e03686. https://doi.org/10.1002/ecs2.3686.
Mcpheeter, D., Bruns, M., Karsten, H., Dell, C.J. 2022. Soil health indicators under continuous no-till vs. integrated weed management with strategic tillage. Frontiers in Soil Science. 6:907590. https://doi.org/10.3389/fsufs.2022.907590.