Browsing by Subject "soil"
Now showing 1 - 20 of 24
- Results Per Page
- Sort Options
Item Bulletin No. 13. Surface Formations and Agricultural Conditions of Northeastern Minnesota(Minnesota Geological Survey, 1917) Leverett, Frank; Sardeson, Frederick W.; Purssell, U.G.This bulletin is a preliminary paper which treats the soils of only the northeast quarter of Minnesota. It will be followed by a report on the entire state, the field work for which already has been completed. The work has been done in accordance with the agreement for cooperation between the United States Geological Survey and the Minnesota Geological Survey, entered into, March, 1912. By this agreement the services of Mr. Frank Leverett were secured for surveying the surface formations and soils. Mr. Leverett has been engaged since 1886, or thirty years, in studying the surface geology of the Great Lakes region and because of his large experience in the greater area he was particularly well prepared to undertake the studies in Minnesota. He has spent, moreover, considerable time in the state studying its physiography in connection with the preparation of a monograph for the United States Geological Survey. Since the reorganization of the State Survey, the salary of Mr. Leverett has been met by the United States Geological Survey, while the greater part of his expenses have been paid by the State Survey. The State Survey has provided also for this work the services and expenses of Professor F. W. Sardeson, who has assisted in this work for the past five seasons. For a short period, also, the State has supplied the services of Dr. Arthur H. Elftman. We wish to acknowledge the generous assistance of the Division of Soils of the Department of Agriculture of the University of Minnesota and of the United States Bureau of Soils. The valuable contributions to the knowledge of the surface formations of Minnesota by the Minnesota Geological and Natural History Survey, under the direction of Professor N. H. Winchell, particularly those of Mr. Warren Upham of that Survey, have aided greatly in the preparation of this report. The section on climatic conditions in Minnesota has been generously contributed without any cost to the Survey by Mr. U. G. Purssell, Director of the Minnesota Section of the United States Weather Bureau. In the preparation of the maps and other data showing dates of killing frosts, lengths of growing season, rainfall, etc., Professor C. J. Posey has rendered efficient service.Item Bulletin No. 14. Surface Formations and Agricultural Conditions of The South Half of Minnesota(Minnesota Geological Survey, 1919) Leverett, Frank; Sardeson, Frederick W.; Purssell, U.G.This bulletin treats the soils of only the south half of Minnesota. The field embraced includes the part of the state south from the median line, which is near latitude 46° 25'. Following the plan in Bulletin No. 12, on Northwestern Minnesota, a brief general description of the surface features and deposits of the entire state is given, and the climate of the entire state also is discussed. It will be followed by a report on the entire state, the field work for which already has been completed. The work has been done in accordance with the agreement for cooperation between the United States Geological Survey and the Minnesota Geological Survey, entered into, March, 19I2. By this agreement the services of Mr. Frank Leverett were secured for surveying the surface formations and soils. Mr. Leverett has been engaged since 1886, or thirty-two years, in studying the surface geology of the Great Lakes region and because of his large experience in the greater area he was particularly well prepared to undertake the studies in Minnesota. He has spent, moreover, considerable time in the state studying its physiography in connection with the preparation of a monograph for the United States Geological Survey. Since the reorganization of the State Survey, the salary of Mr. Leverett has been met by the United States· Geological Survey, while the greater part of his expenses have been paid by the State Survey. The State Survey has provided also for this work· the services and expenses of Professor F. W. Sardeson, who has assisted· in this work for five seasons. We wish to acknowledge the generous assistance of the Division of Soils of the Department of Agriculture of the University of Minnesota and of the United States Bureau of Soils. The valuable contributions to the knowledge of the surface formations of Minnesota by the Minnesota Geological and Natural History Survey under the direction of Professor N. H. Winchell, particularly those of Mr. Warren Upham of that survey, have aided greatly in the preparation of this report. The section on climatic conditions in Minnesota has been generously contributed without any cost to the Survey by Mr. U. G. Purssell, Director of the Minnesota Section of the United States Weather Bureau. In the preparation of the maps and other data showing dates of killing frosts, lengths of growing season, rainfall, etc., Professor C. J. Posey has rendered efficient service.Item Chemical Characterization Of Soil Organic Matter In A Chesapeake Bay Salt Marsh: Analyzing Microbial And Vegetation Inputs(2018-05) Bye, ErikBlue carbon ecosystems play an outsized role in the burial and storage of organic matter compared to other ecosystems. Increasing CO2 levels, sea level rise, and increasing temperature have been shown to influence the storage of organic matter in these environments. Changes to the stability of organic carbon stocks in these systems could have potentially significant affects to the current climate. For this reason, the stability of organic carbon stocks in these ecosystems must be understood at a deeper level to be able to predict how different environmental stressors will affect their stability. Through the combination of bulk organic matter analyses and biomarker methods, this project characterized the changes that organic matter underwent in a C3 and C4 plant-dominated marsh in the Chesapeake Bay to understand the degradation and stable soil organic matter formation process. Overall, the results support the MEMS framework that states soil organic matter is formed mainly through microbial degradation products that create stable organo-mineral complexes with the mineral soil fraction that resist degradation. The top section of each core shows a large decrease in labile materials coupled with indicators of microbial processing of organic matter. Overall, the formation of stable soil organic matter in this study was determined by the ecosystem properties instead of the initial input of organic matter.Item Consequences of nutrient enrichment for soil organic matter cycling in grasslands(2015-07) Riggs, CharlotteHuman activities have increased the availability of nutrients, such as nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and potassium (K), worldwide. Since alterations to nutrient cycles influence carbon (C) fixation and decomposition processes, nutrient enrichment affects global C stocks -- such as soil C. Carbon in soil organic matter (SOM) far outweighs vegetative C in the majority of biomes, especially grasslands. Consequently, either positive or negative changes to grassland soil C sequestration could feed back to influence the global C cycle. Unfortunately, the effects of nutrient enrichment on SOM cycling remain uncertain. In my dissertation, I examined the effects of nutrient addition on SOM cycling at participatory sites of the Nutrient Network -- a coordinated, global network of nutrient addition experiments that follow standard protocols for sampling and analysis. I found that the total soil C stock at experimental grasslands worldwide increased in response to the addition of N, P, and K. Furthermore, in a regional study in the US Central Great Plains, I found that N addition decreased microbial decomposition of SOM and tended to increase soil aggregation. Finally, in a laboratory study I found that decreased microbial biomass likely explains the decreased microbial decomposition of SOM in response to N addition. Overall, my results suggest that nutrient enrichment will lead to increased sequestration of soil C in some grassland soils.Item Development of a Mathematical Model to Predict the Role of Surface Runoff and Groundwater Flow in Overfertilization of Surface Waters(Water Resources Research Center, University of Minnesota, 1971-06) Johnson, Jack D.; Straub, Conrad P.A nutrient enrichment accounting mathematical model was devised for the New Prague watershed in Minnesota. The New Prague watershed is 23.3 square miles in area and is predominately a rural watershed. Model input data was collected over a 2 1/2 year period from a stream gauging station and two automatic sampling stations. Over 800 water samples were analyzed. Extensive effort was placed on better understanding the nitrogen and phosphorus cycles. It is evident that the spring runoff process and accumulative winter fertilizer applications constitute the major portion of diffuse sources of nutrients in the watershed. Point sources from feedlots and municipal and industrial effluents contribute only 11 percent of the annual EN (total nitrogen, four components) and 7 percent TP (total phosphorus). Disperse sources accounted for 89 percent of EN and 93 percent of TP, with spring runoff in the two months of March and April accounting for 79 percent of the annual EN and 64 percent of the TP. The nutrient output from the watershed could be decreased by increasing penetration of the large amounts of EN and TP in snowpacks into the soil through land terracing to restart rapid spring runoffs and sub-surface drains to allow rapid drainage during the crop season.Item Effects of Fertilizers and Stand on Corn and of Stand on Soil Moisture(Minnesota Agricultural Experiment Station, 1955-04) Shubeck, Fred E; Caldwell, A. C.Item Effort Versus Reward: Preparing samples for fungal community characterization in high-throughput sequencing surveys of soils(2015-03-25) Song, Zewei; Schlatter, Dan; Kennedy, Peter; Kinkel, Linda; Kistler, H.Corby; Nguyen, Nhu; Bates, Scott; songx208@umn.edu; Song, ZeweiNext generation fungal amplicon sequencing is being used with increasing frequency to study fungal diversity in various ecosystems; however, the influence of sample preparation on the characterization of fungal community is poorly understood. We investigated the effects of four procedural modifications to library preparation for high-throughput sequencing (HTS). The following treatments were considered: 1) the amount of soil used in DNA extraction, 2) the inclusion of additional steps (freeze/thaw cycles, sonication, or hot water bath incubation) in the extraction procedure, 3) the amount of DNA template used in polymerase chain reaction (PCR), and 4) the effect of sample pooling, either physically or computationally. Soils from two different ecosystems in Minnesota, USA, one prairie and one forest site, were used to assess the generality of our results. The first three treatments did not significantly influence observed fungal operational taxonomic unit (OTU) richness or community structure at either site. Physical pooling captured more OTU richness compared to individual samples, but total OTU richness at each site was highest when individual samples were computationally combined. We conclude that standard extraction kit protocols are well optimized for fungal HTS surveys, but because sample pooling can significantly influence OTU richness estimates, it is important to carefully consider the study aims when planning sampling procedures.Item Environment and the River: Maps of the Mississippi.(Center for Urban and Regional Affairs, University of Minnesota, 1991) Craig, William J.; Anderson, William S.Item Farming and Soil Carbon: A Partial Solution to the Global Warming Problem(2006) Bertelsen, SaraItem Geographic Patterns. Minnesota's Changing Agricultural Land.(Minnesota State Planning Agency., 1988) Minnesota State Planning Agency; CURAItem Links between root carbohydrates and seasonal pattern of soil microbial activity of diverse european populations of Pinus sylvestris grown in a provenance plantation(Polish Botanical Society, 2003) Kaliszewska-Rokicka, Barbara; Oleksyn, Jacek; Zytkowiak, Roma; Reich, Peter BActivity of soil dehydrogenase (DHA) was measured in the mineral soil in a forest stand of 15 to 16-year-old Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) from geographically diverse populations, as an indicator of biological activity of soil microorganisms, in a provenance experiment in Poland. The pine populations originated from six European countries (Sweden, Russia, Latvia, Poland, Germany, France) and differed widely in aboveground biomass and productivity. Soil DHA during two growing seasons showed pronounced seasonal variability, which was significantly related to the fine root concentration of nonstructural carbohydrates. Higher DHA was found in soil under canopies of the central and southern European populations than in those from more northern parts of the Scots pine range. Significant positive correlation between soil DHA and aboveground tree biomass suggest that these patterns most likely resulted from differences in carbon dynamics and productivity among populations.Item Modeling of Frost Heave In Soils(1991-10) Michalowski, Radoslaw L.; Voller, Vaughan; Sterling, RaymondThis report results from a research project undertaken over the period July 1, 1990 to September 30, 1991. The research project itself resulted from the combination of two proposals to the Center for Transportation Studies for research into the mechanics of frost heaving in soils. Both proposals had a general objective of creating a better understanding of the behavior of the soil-water-ice systems and frost susceptible soils at freezing temperatures and improving the capabilities of the faculty, researchers and students in an area of study which is important for road design in Minnesota.Item OFR09-02, Minnesota Soil, Till, and Ground-Water Geochemical Data(Minnesota Geological Survey, 2009) Lively, R.S.; Thorleifson, L.HarveyThe rocks and soils that are the foundation of our environment leave an imprint on the chemistry of our water and our lives. This chemical landscape reflects a combination of natural history and cumulative human impacts, and it influences biodiversity and human health. Geochemical mapping thus is needed to clarify elemental variations, and to support assessment of the natural and human-influenced factors that dictate these variations. The Minnesota Geological Survey (MGS) and the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA), in cooperation with the United States Geological Survey (USGS), therefore have assembled three geochemical data sets for soil and water as a basis for an atlas that will provide an overview of geochemical patterns, and a reference that will place more thorough environmental geochemical surveys into a context. Data contributed to the project were derived from soil, soil parent material, and well water samples analyzed following USGS, Geological Survey of Canada, and Environmental Protection Agency protocols, respectively. The soil data include stream sediments largely in the western part of the state, and the soil parent material data are from sites underlain by till. The well water samples were from multiple aquifers utilized for drinking water, at greatly varying depth and geology.Item PERENNIAL FUEL, FEED, AND CEREAL: HIGH DIVERSITY PERENNIALS FOR BIOFUEL AND INTERMEDIATE WHEATGRASS FOR GRAIN AND FORAGE(2019-12) Dobbratz, MichellePerennial crops may counteract negative effects of annual agriculture, such as carbon emissions, water pollution, and erosion, and systems are being developed that supply fuel, feed, and cereal. One source of fuel is cellulosic ethanol from perennial sources, and one source of feed and cereal is intermediate wheatgrass. Regarding cellulosic ethanol, markets are not currently supported by policy, making adoption of these systems largely a matter of carbon storage benefit. Regarding intermediate wheatgrass, little is known about its nitrogen balance and reproductive morphology, complicating long-term management. In the perennial cellulosic ethanol system, I measured aboveground biomass, change in total soil C, soil microbial biomass, and extracellular enzyme activity with and without nitrogen in four species mixture treatments ranging from 1-24 native species at four sites across Minnesota. I found no overall trends, possibly due to variation across sites or due to minimal management over the 12 years since establishment. Over time, soil carbon increased in the shallower depths at one site and decreased in the deeper depths at two sites. I measured plant, tiller, and rhizome densities in plants from sown seed, vegetative propagation, or seed shatter at four sampling times in 1 year old and 2 year old intermediate wheatgrass stands. Tiller density was similar in both stands, but rhizome and propagule densities were greater in the 2 year old stand. Likely, tiller replacement and death rates are equal, but vegetative propagation increases between years, increasing plant population, possibly leading to competition and affecting long-term yield. Also in intermediate wheatgrass, I measured nitrogen in shoot, root, and grain tissue along with soil mineral and mineralized nitrogen in three nitrogen treatments (80 kg N ha-1 in spring, 40-40 kg N ha-1 in spring and summer, and unfertilized control) at four sampling times in 1 year old and 2 year old stands. The spring treatment had greater root nitrogen, but it also had greater lodging. The late fall sampling had the greatest soil nitrogen, and since soil mineral N was low at that time there was likely an influx of organic nitrogen, likely due to root turnover.Item Proceedings of the 1st Agricultural Drainage and Water Quality Field Day(2002-08-14) Strock, Jeffrey S.; Baker, Jim; Busman, Lowell; Gupta, Satish; Moncrief, John; Randall, Gyles; Russelle, Michael; Taylor, ElwynnItem Snow Cover and Winter Soil Temperatures at St. Paul, Minnesota(Water Resources Research Center, University of Minnesota, 1971-06) Baker, DonaldThe objectives of this study of winter soil temperatures under a sod cover were to show the configuration of the soil isotherm patterns, in particular that of OC, and to determine which soil thermal characteristics can be estimated by the snow cover. The temperature data were obtained at the University of Minnesota Agricultural Experiment Station plots on the St. Paul campus with copper-constantan thermocouples during the winter of 1961-62 through 1968-69. Based upon the depth and persistence of the snow cover there were in effect 3 kinds of winters: one with deep and persistent snow cover, one with very little snow cover and all other winters. There was a close relationship between the kinds of winters and the maximum depth to which the OC isotherm penetrated, and a fair relationship to the rate of movement of the OC isotherm into the soil. The combination of type of winter (snow depth and duration) with cumulative heating degree days proved to be a simple and effective means of predicting the maximum freezing depth.Item Soil Factors Affecting the Growth of Quaking Aspen Forests in the Lake States(Minnesota Agricultural Experiment Station, 1960-01) Stoeckeler, Joseph H.Item Soil Organic Carbon Responses Following Two Years of Subsurface Tile Drainage Installation in Northwest Minnesota(2022-07) Sherbine, KyleInstallation of subsurface tile drainage systems is growing in Minnesota as a management technique to mitigate the impacts of changing precipitation patterns, and the initial effect of drainage on soil organic carbon cycling is poorly understood. Altering the water table in arable soils may impact biogeochemical cycling and soil processes by changing soil oxygen levels and subsequently, where soil biota can persist. Drainage is likely to expose previously protected soil organic matter (SOM) to microbial decomposition, with unknown consequences for soil carbon cycling and storage. This two-year study tracked changes in SOM pools down to 90 cm in silty clay loams at the University of Minnesota Northwest Research and Outreach Center in Crookston, MN following fall 2019 drainage installation. The objective of this project is to help us evaluate changes in carbon cycling in recently drained soils, and whether drainage is likely to increase or decrease total C stocks. These measurements have implications for grower participation in carbon markets and government programs incentivizing climate-smart agriculture. As bulk soil C stocks may change slowly but active C may change seasonally, we measured potentially mineralizable carbon (PMC) and water-extractable organic carbon (WEOC), indices of labile C, three times per year. Particulate (POM) and mineral-associated organic matter (MAOM), representing short and long-term SOM storage, were measured annually and characterized by their quantity, quality, and relative contribution to total soil organic carbon (SOC). Finally, carbon dioxide (CO2) and methane (CH4) emissions were measured across the 2020 and 2021 growing seasons to observe changes in microbial byproducts. Precipitation across the 2020 growing season (437 mm) was more than double the precipitation across the 2021 growing season (217 mm). We found that PMC and WEOC were significantly influenced by the season in which sampling occurred with higher quantities in spring and lower quantities in fall. The POM characteristics were influenced by drainage treatments with drained plots containing greater quantities (0-30 and 60-90 cm) and a greater relative contribution of POM-OC to total SOC (30-60 and 60-90 cm). The MAOM quality decreased over the two-year study (30-60 and 60-90 cm), but the relative contribution of MAOM-OC to total SOC increased at all depths in the final year. These results indicate POM is more affected by large-scale management decisions, whereas MAOM is affected by shifts over time in local, small-scale processes. Drainage did not significantly affect CO2 or CH4 emissions; however, CO2 emissions were significantly less in 2021 due to decreased precipitation and exceptional drought conditions in Polk County, Minnesota. Overall, we found little evidence of subsurface tile drainage depleting SOM pools or increasing greenhouse gas emissions. Future research should be conducted to evaluate how soil C is affected by subsurface drainage in the long run.Item Soils Information and Interpretive Procedures.(Center for Urban and Regional Affairs, University of Minnesota., 1976) Anderson, Jeffrey P.Item Solvita and Other Measures as Indicators of Soil N Availability in Minnesota Soils(2016-12) Tu, XinyiSolvita is a commercialized short-term C mineralization test reported to predict potentially mineralizable N (PMN) and thus useful as a basis for N recommendations. Our study compared Solvita results with other measures of available N and potential corn yield, including PMN measured in a laboratory aerobic incubation, soil organic matter, KCl-extractable N, and permanganate oxidizable C. We showed that a 50% water-filled pore space wetting method gave much more reproducible results than the fixed volume method previously recommended. Solvita proved to be a good indicator of mineralizable C and N, but not better than SOM, inorganic N, or POXC in MN soils. Solvita had stronger relationships with these soil measures in coarser textured soils (clay < 35%) and was related to corn yield in corn-corn rotations but not when preceding crops were alfalfa or soybean. At this point, we do not recommend its use as a tool for N recommendations.