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ARS Home » Plains Area » Fort Collins, Colorado » Center for Agricultural Resources Research » Water Management and Systems Research » Research » Research Project #441841

Research Project: Long-term Tillage Influence Soil Nutrient Dynamics and Soil Quality in Dryland Cropping System

Location: Water Management and Systems Research

Project Number: 3012-13660-010-009-N
Project Type: Non-Funded Cooperative Agreement

Start Date: Mar 31, 2022
End Date: Mar 30, 2027

Objective:
1. Long-term influence of different commercial fertilizer rates on soil nutrient dynamics and soil quality parameters. 2. Long-term tillage and cropping system impact on soil quality parameters.

Approach:
A field plot experiment was initiated in 1965 in Hays, KS to investigate the effects of tillage intensity in a WSF rotation. The three tillage treatments were conventional tillage (CT), reduced tillage (RT) and no-tillage (NT) arranged in randomized complete blocks with four replications. Throughout the years, grain yield were periodically collected. In 2015, soil samples were collected to evaluate changes in soil chemical properties and soil carbon content after 50-yr of tillage and N fertilization. The USDA-ARS scientist will quantify some aspect of soil quality parameters (if applicable) including soil carbon content in this study site (0, 22, 45, 67 kg N/ ha).