1. Soil productivity Assessment for Bioenergy and Conservation (Sparc)
Newell Kitchen
USDA-ARS Cropping Systems and Water Quality Research Unit
Columbia, MO
Translating Missouri USDA-ARS Research and Technology into Practice A training session provided by USDA-ARS-CSWQRU, October 2012, Columbia, MO

2. Co-Existence of Marginality & Vulnerability
Marginal Soils
Vulnerable Soils
Agriculture is faced with increasing demands to implement sustainable management strategies in response to ongoing water and soil quality degradation.
This need is especially strong for some landscape areas along the fringes of the Corn Belt which can be both marginal and vulnerable on a subfield basis. Co-existence of marginality and vulnerability has been the impetus for developing more sustainable cropping systems.
Marginal landscapes are those having small or negative profitability due to suppressed grain yield or greater risk of crop failure. Over the past 150 years, grain cropping has accelerated erosion and severely degraded cropland productivity of some sensitive soils areas. These degraded areas are also vulnerable to additional, accelerated degradation, and are disproportionately responsible for delivering excess sediments, nutrients, and agrochemicals to surface water resources. Productive use of these acres is critical for viable farms and rural communities; but over the long term, grain cropping of these acres may be environmentally and economically unsustainable.
Translating Missouri USDA-ARS Research and Technology into Practice A training session provided by USDA-ARS-CSWQRU, October 2012, Columbia, MO

3. Profitability Mapping Averaged Over a Decade
Marginal landscapes are those having small or negative profitability due to suppressed grain yield or greater risk of crop failure.
Over the past 150 years, grain cropping has accelerated erosion and severely degraded cropland productivity of some sensitive soils areas.
In this 88 acre field near Centralia Missouri, yield maps for a decade were converted to profitability, taking into consideration all input costs, land costs, labor, and year-specific grain prices.
Over this decade, soybean averaged profitable for most of the field (center map).
Conversely, average corn profitability was negative for most of the field.
Combining both crops, about 2/3 of the field was profitable and about 1/3 the farmer lost money.
Areas not making money mostly coincide with areas of greatest loss in topsoil.
Translating Missouri USDA-ARS Research and Technology into Practice A training session provided by USDA-ARS-CSWQRU, October 2012, Columbia, MO

4. Claypan Soil Landscape Affects Production
A generalized cross cut of a claypan soil landscape shows how topsoil over the claypan has been in many cases been eroded down to a few inches or less.
Since plant available water is so much less with the argilic portion of the soil profile, for a soil profile of 40 inches of soil, water available for crops is much less.
The side-slope area easily could have 1/3 the plant available water as the footslope area of a field.
Translating Missouri USDA-ARS Research and Technology into Practice A training session provided by USDA-ARS-CSWQRU, October 2012, Columbia, MO

5. Lost Soil Function from Soil Degradation
Degraded soils that are economically marginal and environmentally vulnerable are appropriately described as unsustainable with current production systems.
For sustainable production on these soils, new systems that minimize long-term risk are needed.
Farmers are primarily motivated by economic risk since their farms represent their livelihood.
The general public is concerned with environmental risk (e.g., preserving water, soil and air quality) and, increasingly, with food security risk.
Translating Missouri USDA-ARS Research and Technology into Practice A training session provided by USDA-ARS-CSWQRU, October 2012, Columbia, MO

6. Soil Productivity Assessment for
Renewable Energy and Conservation (SPARC)
South Farm, Columbia, MO
Economic and environmental risks are exacerbated on croplands that have been degraded as a result of modern era cultivation and production practices.
Major land-use changes are needed to remediate soil function and restore sustainability of these degraded soils.
Such an opportunity presents itself with the thousands of acres of perennial warm-season bioenergy crops being introduced on marginal and vulnerable soils in Missouri and Arkansas through the USDA Biomass Crop Assistance Program (BCAP).
Side-by-side comparisons of grain and biomass bioenergy production on marginal and vulnerable landscapes is needed… thus SPARC.
Translating Missouri USDA-ARS Research and Technology into Practice A training session provided by USDA-ARS-CSWQRU, October 2012, Columbia, MO

7. SPARC Research Treatments Study 1: GRAIN vs BIOMASS
2012-
corn
soybean
switchgrass (60 # N/A)
switchgrass (0 # N/A)
corn
soybean
switchgrass (60 # N/A)
miscanthus (60 # N/A)
Two studies over this 32 block area.
The first study is a comparative evaluation of Grain vs Biomass production
Treatments were changed in 2012 to incorporate miscanthus into the studies
Translating Missouri USDA-ARS Research and Technology into Practice A training session provided by USDA-ARS-CSWQRU, October 2012, Columbia, MO

8. SPARC Research Treatments Study 2: Variations in BIOMASS Management
2012 -
switchgrass (Kanlow; 60 # N/A)
switchgrass (Kanlow; 90 # N/A)
switchgrass (Cave-in-Rock; # N/A )
switchgrass 2 cut (feed/fuel; 90 # N/A)
switchgrass + white clover
switchgrass + native legumes
switchgrass (Kanlow; 60 # N/A)
switchgrass (Kanlow; 90 # N/A)
miscanthus (0 # N/A)
switchgrass 2 cut (feed/fuel; 90 # N/A)
switchgrass (0 # N/A)
switchgrass + native legumes
The second study is a comparative evaluation of different types of biomass bioenergy production
As in study 1, treatments were changed in 2012 to incorporate miscanthus
Translating Missouri USDA-ARS Research and Technology into Practice A training session provided by USDA-ARS-CSWQRU, October 2012, Columbia, MO

9. Corn Yield
Here corn yield is examined by different soil erosion classes
Translating Missouri USDA-ARS Research and Technology into Practice A training session provided by USDA-ARS-CSWQRU, October 2012, Columbia, MO

10. Soybean Yield
Here soybean yield is examined by different soil erosion classes
Translating Missouri USDA-ARS Research and Technology into Practice A training session provided by USDA-ARS-CSWQRU, October 2012, Columbia, MO

11. Cave-n-Rock
60 lbs N/A
Translating Missouri USDA-ARS Research and Technology into Practice A training session provided by USDA-ARS-CSWQRU, October 2012, Columbia, MO

12. Kanlow
0 lbs N/A
Translating Missouri USDA-ARS Research and Technology into Practice A training session provided by USDA-ARS-CSWQRU, October 2012, Columbia, MO

13. Kanlow
60 lbs N/A
Translating Missouri USDA-ARS Research and Technology into Practice A training session provided by USDA-ARS-CSWQRU, October 2012, Columbia, MO

14. Kanlow
90 lbs N/A
Translating Missouri USDA-ARS Research and Technology into Practice A training session provided by USDA-ARS-CSWQRU, October 2012, Columbia, MO

15. Corn Yield as a Function of DTC
P = 0.06
P = 0.02
P <
Corn yield as a function of depth to claypan (DTC).
In all three years, yield increased with DTC
In 2009 and 2010, the controlling factor was N. With low DTC, more N was lost, presumably to denitrification
In 2011 the controlling factor was water
Translating Missouri USDA-ARS Research and Technology into Practice A training session provided by USDA-ARS-CSWQRU, October 2012, Columbia, MO

16. Soybean Yield as a Function of DTC
While there is a slight trend for yield increase with increasing DTC with soybeans, this was not significant for three years
Translating Missouri USDA-ARS Research and Technology into Practice A training session provided by USDA-ARS-CSWQRU, October 2012, Columbia, MO

17. Corn Yield as a Function of DTC
Switchgrass yield for these two years was unaffected by DTC
Translating Missouri USDA-ARS Research and Technology into Practice A training session provided by USDA-ARS-CSWQRU, October 2012, Columbia, MO

18. Bleak 2012 Yields Both Hot and Dry 2012 through 9/1
Translating Missouri USDA-ARS Research and Technology into Practice A training session provided by USDA-ARS-CSWQRU, October 2012, Columbia, MO

19. Estimate of Topsoil Impact on 2012 Production
10-20 bu/ac
0-5 bu/ac
Summit
40-60 bu/ac
Side-slope
Claypan
4-5 tons/ac
Toe-slope
3-4 tons/ac
55-65% clay % clay
6-7 tons/ac
Estimated yield for corn and switchgrass for 2012 indicated that even on a very hot and droughty year, significant yield can be obtained for switchgrass. The same can not be said for corn.
Translating Missouri USDA-ARS Research and Technology into Practice A training session provided by USDA-ARS-CSWQRU, October 2012, Columbia, MO