Monitoring Soil Quality to Assess the Sustainability of Harvesting Corn Stover

Karlen, Douglas L.; Varvel, Gary E.; Johnson, Jane M. F.; Baker, John M.; Osborne, Shannon L.; Novak, J. M.; Adler, Paul R.; Roth, Greg; Birrell, Stuart J.

doi:10.2134/agronj2010.0160s

Cited by 73 publications

(59 citation statements)

References 60 publications

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“…Similarly, the slight increase in average grain yield when stover was removed suggests that producers may want to consider moderate stover harvest to help overcome stover management problems and costs [11] rather than using more aggressive tillage practices to incorporate the nongrain material [13,15,16]. However, the quantity of stover to harvest is a very site-and perhaps seasonally specific decision [21].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, the decision to harvest corn stover for bioenergy or bioproduct development is not that simple, because stover also supports many ecosystem services [12][13][14] and its harvest will increase annual nutrient removal [15][16][17]. Several reviews [e.g., 18] and workshops (e.g., www.swcs.org/roadmap) have stressed the importance of corn stover for protection against wind and water erosion, improving soil aggregation and structure, increasing infiltration and water retention, and mitigating soil temperature fluctuations.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Multilocation Corn Stover Harvest Effects on Crop Yields and Nutrient Removal

et al. 2014

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Corn (Zea mays L.) stover was identified as an important feedstock for cellulosic bioenergy production because of the extensive area upon which the crop is already grown. This report summarizes 239 site-years of field research examining effects of zero, moderate, and high stover removal rates at 36 sites in seven different states. Grain and stover yields from all sites as well as N, P, and K removal from 28 sites are summarized for nine longitude and six latitude bands, two tillage practices (conventional vs no tillage), two stover-harvest methods (machine vs calculated), and two crop rotations {continuous corn (maize) vs corn/soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.]}. Mean grain yields ranged from 5.0 to 12.0 Mg ha−1 (80 to 192 bu ac−1). Harvesting an average of 3.9 or 7.2 Mg ha−1(1.7 or 3.2 tons ac−1) of the corn stover resulted in a slight increase in grain yield at 57 and 51 % of the sites, respectively. Average no-till grain yields were significantly lower than with conventional tillage when stover was not harvested, but not when it was collected. Plant samples collected between physiological maturity and combine harvest showed that compared to not harvesting stover, N, P, and K removal was increased by 24, 2.7, and 31 kg ha−1, respectively, with moderate (3.9 Mg ha−1) harvest and by 47, 5.5, and 62 kg ha−1, respectively, with high (7.2 Mg ha−1) removal. This data will be useful for verifying simulation models and available corn stover feedstock projections, but is too variable for planning site-specific stover harvest. Abstract Corn (Zea mays L.) stover was identified as an important feedstock for cellulosic bioenergy production because of the extensive area upon which the crop is already grown. This report summarizes 239 site-years of field research examining effects of zero, moderate, and high stover removal rates at 36 sites in seven different states. Grain and stover yields from all sites as well as N, P, and K removal from 28 sites are summarized for nine longitude and six latitude bands, two tillage practices (conventional vs no tillage), two stoverharvest methods (machine vs calculated), and two crop rotations {continuous corn (maize) vs corn/soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.]}. Mean grain yields ranged from 5.0 to 12.0 Mg ha −1 (80 to 192 bu ac −1 ). Harvesting an average of 3.9 or 7.2 Mg ha −1 (1.7 or 3.2 tons ac −1 ) of the corn stover resulted in a slight increase in grain yield at 57 and 51 % of the sites, respectively. Average no-till grain yields were significantly lower than with conventional tillage when stover was not harvested, but not when it was collected. Plant samples ( ) 7:528-539 DOI 10.1007 collected between physiological maturity and combine harvest showed that compared to not harvesting stover, N, P, and K removal was increased by 24, 2.7, and 31 kg ha −1 , respectively, with moderate (3.9 Mg ha −1 ) harvest and by 47, 5.5, and 62 kg ha −1 , respectively, with high (7.2 Mg ha −1 ) removal. This data will be useful for verifying simulation models and available corn stover feedstoc...

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Multilocation Corn Stover Harvest Effects on Crop Yields and Nutrient Removal

et al. 2014

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“…However, as the amount of corn stover left on the soil surface is diminished, organic C inputs are reduced, which over the time can potentially decrease soil organic matter -SOM (Karlen et al, 2011a;Jin et al, 2015) and thus affect soil structure formation and stability (Six et al, 2000). Maintaining a sustainable soil structure should be a prerequisite for harvesting corn stover for biofuel production or any other use.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Corn stover harvest and tillage impacts on near-surface soil physical quality

Tormena

Karlen

Logsdon

et al. 2017

Soil and Tillage Research

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and Cherubin, Maurício R., "Corn stover harvest and tillage impacts on nearsurface soil physical quality" (2017). Publications from USDA-ARS / UNL Faculty. 1628Faculty. . http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/usdaarsfacpub/1628 Corn stover harvest and tillage impacts on near-surface soil physical quality Excessive harvest of corn (Zea mays L.) stover for ethanol production has raised concerns regarding negative consequences on soil physical quality. Our objective was to quantify the impact of two tillage practices and three levels of corn stover harvest on near-surface soil physical quality through the Least Limiting Water Range (LLWR). We evaluated no harvest, moderate and high stover harvest treatments within no-tillage and chisel plow plots following seven years of continuous corn production. Forty undisturbed soil samples were taken from the 0-7.5 cm deep layer within each treatment and used to determine water retention curves, soil resistance to penetration and bulk density values (Bd). No-tillage plots had higher average soil bulk density and resistance to penetration values, and were more affected by stover harvest than chisel plow plots. The results confirmed that soil resistance to penetration determined the lower limit of the LLWR regardless of tillage or stover treatment, whereas soil aeration controlled the upper limit only at Bd > 1.45 and Bd > 1.55 Mg m À3 for chisel plow and no-tillage, respectively. The LLWR was smallest for no-tillage with moderate or high corn stover harvest, indicating poor soil physical condition for plant growth, while the largest LLWR occurred with moderate stover harvest and chisel plowing. The introduction of alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) into an extended rotation with no-tillage improved the LLWR by reducing the potential crop growth restriction due to resistance to penetration. Although bulk density values were only occasionally higher than the critical level (Bd = 1.60 Mg m À3 for chisel plow and Bd = 1.64 Mg m À3 for no-tillage), lower soil structure quality was evident with no-tillage under moderate or high stover harvest and with chisel plowing under high stover removal. The LLWR was more sensitive than available soil water content for detecting tillage and stover harvest effects on soil structural degradation.

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“…Stover harvest has been shown to have much less impact on soil quality than conventional tillage because it preserves belowground soil structure, subsurface biota, and some surface residue [14][15][16]. Field research continues to examine the physical, chemical, and biological implications of reduced or no-tillage coupled with corn stover harvest [17][18][19]. To evaluate the potential impacts of such practices on an integrated lignocellulosic feedstock supply chain, the total sustainable quantity of available biomass, assuming these practices are adopted, must be estimated.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Modeled Impacts of Cover Crops and Vegetative Barriers on Corn Stover Availability and Soil Quality

et al. 2014

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Environmentally benign, economically viable, and socially acceptable agronomic strategies are needed to launch a sustainable lignocellulosic biofuel industry. Our objective was to demonstrate a landscape planning process that can ensure adequate supplies of corn (Zea mays L.) stover feedstock while protecting and improving soil quality. The Landscape Environmental Assessment Framework (LEAF) was used to develop land use strategies that were then scaled up for five U.S. Corn Belt states (Nebraska, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, and Minnesota) to illustrate the impact that could be achieved. Our results show an annual sustainable stover supply of 194 million Mg without exceeding soil erosion T values or depleting soil organic carbon [i.e., soil conditioning index (SCI)>0] when no-till, winter cover crop, and vegetative barriers were incorporated into the landscape. A second, more rigorous conservation target was set to enhance soil quality while sustainably harvesting stover. By requiring erosion to be <1/2 T and the SCI-organic matter (OM) subfactor to be >0, the annual sustainable quantity of harvestable stover dropped to148 million Mg. Examining removal rates by state and soil resource showed that soil capability class and slope generally determined the effectiveness of the three conservation practices and the resulting sustainable harvest rate. This emphasizes that sustainable biomass harvest must be based on subfield management decisions to ensure soil resources are conserved or enhanced, while providing sufficient biomass feedstock to support the economic growth of bioenergy enterprises.

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Monitoring Soil Quality to Assess the Sustainability of Harvesting Corn Stover

Cited by 73 publications

References 60 publications

Multilocation Corn Stover Harvest Effects on Crop Yields and Nutrient Removal

Multilocation Corn Stover Harvest Effects on Crop Yields and Nutrient Removal

Corn stover harvest and tillage impacts on near-surface soil physical quality

Modeled Impacts of Cover Crops and Vegetative Barriers on Corn Stover Availability and Soil Quality

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