long-term agricultural research: a means to achieve resilient agricultural production for the 21st...

University of Missouri

Sanborn Field Long Term Findings:Soil Water Availability

Clark J. Gantzer, Bohumil M Svoma, Ranjith

Udawatta, Stephen H. Anderson, Randall

Miles, and Constance Gacic

Dept. of Soil, Environmental and Atmospheric Sciences, School of Natural Resources

• Introduction• Objectives• Soil productivity and soil water• Erosion impacts: water storage of a claypan soil• Measurement of water storage of a claypan soil• Impact of climate on soil water• Conclusions

OUTLINE

IntroductionF.L. Duley-M.F. Miller Erosion Plots

Site of the 1st plots in the U.S. for measuring runoff and erosion as influenced by different crops was initiated by M.F. Miller in 1917. Results were published beginning in 1923, and provided the foundation for the soil conservation movement.

IntroductionF.L. Duley-M.F. Miller Erosion Plots

After the 1930’s these plots were used to investigate renovation of eroded claypan soil through the use or legumes, grass and corn with treatments to supply the nutrients that were lost through erosion.

Results indicate, that available water has permanently limited the soil productivity making corn production unfeasible.

Cropping and Erosion

In Missouri 12.5” of topsoil were

lost in Missouri by the 1930’s

Long Term Studies Soil Water

Objectives: To report results of long-term

studies on the loss of soil physical quality as a result of irreplaceable loss of available water from soil erosion on claypan soils.

Claypan Soils

Soil Ratings For Plant Growth (SRPG)

Sinclair, H.R., W.J. Waltman, S.W. Waltman, H.P. Terpstra, and D. Reed-Margetan. 1996. Soil ratings for

plant growth (SRPG). USDA-NRCS, National Soil Survey Center, Lincoln, NE.

Claypan Soil

Missouri Claypan Soils

After Blanco-Canqui et al. 2002. Soil Sci. Soc. Am. J. 66: 1596-1602.

Erosion of the clayspan silt-loam topsoil reduces the hydraulic conductivity over three orders of magnitude, causing decreased infiltration and increased runoff.

Sanborn Field

1926, Courtesy of Western Historical Manuscript Collection-Columbia, MO

Mumford Sanborn

Miller

Sanborn Field

Focus on the Historical Cropping and Soil

Management Systems1888-2015

Soil Organic Matter

Soil Organic MatterSanborn Field Plot 6, Cont. Corn – Full Fertility

2.0 % increase

2.6 % increase

After Hudson, 1994. Soil organic matter and available water capacity 49:189-194

Soil Organic Matter - Yield

Wheat yields and surface (0-20 cm) soil organic matter contents of 134 farmer fields of the semiarid Argentine Pampas. After Díaz-Zorita, et al.. 1999. Agron. J 91: 276-279.

Climate Effects on Corn Yield in Missouri

after Hu and Buyanovsky, 2003, J. Applied Meteorology

Results showed that climate effect on yield can be explained only by within-

season variations in rainfall

Soil Quality Score vs. AWC

After Karlen, et al. 2011. Agron. J. 103: 288-295

Soil Management Assessment Framework (SMAF) Warning: AWC IS CONSIDERED TOO TRANSITORY TO BE USEFUL

Soil Quality Score vs. AWC

After Karlen, et al. 2011. Agron. J. 103: 288-295

Needless to say, there is an urgent need to address this shortcoming in the Soil Management Assessment Framework (SMAF) initiative.

Productivity Index

after Kiniry, et al., 1983. A Soil Productivity Index Based Upon Predicted Water Depletion and Root Growth. Univ. of MO, Res. Bull. 1051.

Productivity Index

after Kiniry, et al., 1983

Sufficiency Available Water

after Kiniry, et al., 1983

After Erosion

AWC - Sufficiency Available WaterFor a Mexico Soil

UnEroded

Topsoil Depth & Clay Content - Sanborn Field

17: corn, unfertilized18: corn, 6-t FYM19: 6-yr rotation, 6-t FYM 20: 6-yr rotation, 6-t FYM 13: 6-yr rotation, 6-t FYM 22: timothy, 6-t FYM 23: timothy, unfertilized

6-yr rotation: com, oat, wheat, clover, timothy, and timothy

Clay Content from two Sanborn Field Plots

Clay Content from Sanborn Field Plots

Depth to maximum clay has decreased by ~10 cm

Mexico Soil – AWCby Depth

AWC=0.226

-1400-1200-1000-800-600-400-20000.20

Soil Water Potential

AWC = 0.191

AWC = 0.013

Corn Yield vs. Depth to Clay

Average corn yield for a Mexico soil: 1984-85; and 1987-89, vs, depth to clay.

After Thompson et al. 1992. Productivity of a Claypan Soil under Rain-Fed and Irrigated Conditions. JSWC. 47: 405-410.

Erase PI Data

Yield, PI, and Weighted Precipitation Deficit

After Thompson et al.,. 1992. Productivity of a Claypan Soil under Rain-Fed and Irrigated Conditions. J. Soil Water Conserv. 47: 405-410.

Shaw’s Precipitation Stress Index

The degree of moisture stress for each day is computed from

If the soil moisture supply can meet the atmospheric demand, the actual evapotranspiration (ET) is equal to the potential evapotranspiration (PET), and the stress for the day is zero.

After Shaw, 1974 A WEIGHTED MOISTURE-STRESS INDEX FOR CORN IN IOWA IOWA STATE J OF RES.

Five-day Weighted Water Stressfrom 1900-2015 for Claypan soils

After, Bohumil, and Gantzer. 2015. Regional Climatological Probabilities to Increase Success and Reduce Risk in Rain-fed Cover Crop Management in submission

Soil moisture storage under an evapotranspiring crop, soil moisture was modeled using the Thornthwaite-Mather climatic water budget (after Thornthwaite and Mather, 1955).

Soils across the claypan region were assumed to be at field capacity on March 1, soil moisture decrease is assumed to occur from the active layer of root growth.

Change in rooting depth each day was modeled for a claypan soil with a PI=0.2. The depth of water is given by the rooting depth multiplied by the AWC fraction in that depth. (after Gantzer and McCarty, 1987).

A 5-day weighted stress from June 15 to Sep 7 was calculated using the Shaw’s method.

(after Shaw, 1974. A weighted moisture-stress index for corn in Iowa)

Five-day Weighted Water Stress from 1900-2015 for Claypan Soils

Conclusion:Conservation is

Possible!No-Till

Cover-Crops Montgomery, 2007. Rates of soil erosion from agricultural fields under conventional and conservation agriculture, with erosion rates from areas and plots under native vegetation, rates of soil production, and geologic rates of erosion.

Conclusion:Conservation is Possible!Agroforestry

Conclusion:Conservation is Possible!

Riparian Systems: Control Runoff Sediment, N, and P losses

Nonpoint-source pollution reductionAgroforestry buffers under grazing and row crop management.

after Udawatta et al. 2011. J Environ. Qual. 40:800-806.

H.H Bennett, working for soil conservation.

Here he is on the way to a soil conservation meeting in Clarinda, Iowa; as you can guess, he was late to his meeting.

Yield vs. Depth to Clay

After Thompson et al. 1992. Productivity of a Claypan Soil under Rain-Fed and Irrigated Conditions. JSWC. 47: 405-410.

Corn and soybean yield from 1983 to 1987 as affected by topsoil depth and soil fertility when averaged across water management.

Depth of rooting as a function of date and PI

after Gantzer and McCarty. 1987. Predicting corn yields on a claypan soil using a soil productivity index. Trans. ASAE 30 (5): 1347-1352.

Five-day Weighted Water Stress from 1900-2015 for Claypan soils

The model assumption that soil moisture utilization mostly occurs from, and evenly within, the prescribed active layer varies based on RLD depth distribution, we present simulation results, of active layers from 0 to 100 cm in depth as rooting increases through the season.

Each year, the soil is assumed to be at capacity when the model is initialized on March 1. The active layer of the soil is assumed to be 10 cm deep until the rooting depth given by the equation in Gantzer and McCarty exceeds 10 cm. This is the maximum 5-day weighted index over Shaw’s 85 day period.

Soil Erosion Plots (1937)Frank L. Duley

Merritt F. Miller

F.L. Duley-M.F. Miller Erosion Plots

Hugh Hammond Bennett - Erosion Plots (1937)

long-term agricultural research: a means to achieve resilient agricultural production for the 21st...

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