Location: Cropping Systems and Water Quality Research
Project Number: 5070-21600-001-005-N
Project Type: Non-Funded Cooperative Agreement
Start Date: Mar 1, 2023
End Date: Feb 28, 2026
Objective:
Overall research goals are to identify recommendations and cropping systems that will reduce nutrient loss, enhance nutrient efficiency, document the effectiveness of best management practices and facilitate needed updates in Missouri nitrogen (N) fertilizer recommendations.
Specific objectives of ARS are:
Objective 1. Determine whether the N contributions from cover crops are significant and validate lowering N fertilizer rates
Objective 2. Measure crop indices that describe the allocation of nitrogen between biomass and grain
Objective 3. Co-develop N balance information (input-output) from data on nitrogen retained in the field (biomass, soil) and exported (grain, contained in runoff, nitrous oxide loss)
Approach:
Cooperator will conduct experiments relating corn nitrogen application recommendations to soil health at Missouri Experiment Stations. ARS will conduct research at the Bradford Research Center outside Columbia, Missouri. ARS will work with the cooperator in the central region of Missouri to establish field experiments, collect agronomic measurements, and contribute to interpretation and analyses of data. Measurements of soil health variables will be conducted by the cooperator.