Doctor of Philosophy / Department of Agronomy / Mary Beth Kirkham / In Kansas, winter cover crops have a new interest with the development of summer crops for biofuel. When a crop is harvested for bioenergy, the residue is removed leaving the soil prone to erosion during the winter. It is possible that the use of winter cover crops may allow for more residue to remain in a field while keeping the soil from blowing. Therefore, the objective of this research was to determine the effect of two winter cover crops on the growth of two biofuel crops, corn (Zea mays L.) and forage sorghum [Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench] in a corn-forage sorghum rotation. The two cover crops were a legume, Austrian winter pea (Pisum sativum var. arvense Poir.) and winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.). Control plots were fallowed. The experiment was done for two years (2010 and 2011) at two locations: under rain-fed conditions in Manhattan in the northeastern part of Kansas, where the soil was a Belvue silt loam (coarse-silty, mixed superactive non-acid, mesic Typic Udifluvents) and under irrigated conditions in Tribune in the western part of Kansas, where the soil was a Richfield silt loam (fine, smectitic, mesic Aridic Argiustolls). Two levels of nitrogen were added to the soil: 0 and 101 kg ha[superscript]-1 N. Grain and stover yields of the corn and forage sorghum were determined at harvest of the crops in the fall, and dry matter production of the cover crops was determined at their termination in the springs of 2011 and 2012. Additional nitrogen fertilizer increased grain and stover yields in both growing seasons at both locations, except for Manhattan in 2010. During the second winter of the study, Austrian winter pea did not emerge in Manhattan, probably due to a combination of cold temperatures and drought. Austrian winter pea survived both winters at Tribune. Corn yielded more grain than did the forage sorghum in Manhattan in 2011 and in Tribune in 2011. This suggests that, under both rain-fed and irrigated conditions in Kansas, corn would potentially be more productive for bioenergy production than forage sorghum. The results of the study also showed that winter wheat for both Manhattan, Kansas, and Tribune, Kansas, should be the cover crop chosen, because of its ability to grow well during the off-season of the bioenergy crops and to provide soil cover during winter.

Corn silage is one of the major components in dairy cattle rations in the United States. Many factors affect the nutritional composition of corn for silage, such as cropping system, including cover crops, and the composition of the corn plant cell wall. The objectives of the first study were to determine the nutritional quality of different winter crops for silage and to determine the impact of the various winter crops on the succeeding productivity of corn and sorghum. Experimental plots were planted with 15 different winter crop treatments: 5 winter annual grasses in monoculture or with one of two winter annual legumes (crimson clover [CC] and hairy vetch [HV]). After harvesting the winter crops, each plot was planted with either corn or forage sorghum. Crimson clover increased DM yield compared to monocultures but HV did not. Adding legumes increased the crude protein concentration, but reduced the fiber and sugar concentrations of the forages. Even though in vitro neutral detergent fiber digestibility was reduced with the addition of legumes, the concentration of highly digestible non-fibrous components is greater in the mixtures than the monocultures, increasing the nutritive value of the silage. The objective of the second study was to determine the cell wall (CW) composition along the corn stalk. Three phytomers of corn plants were examined: center (C) of ear insertion, upper (U) and lower (L) phytomers. Each phytomer was cut into 4 sections: top (T), middle (M), bottom (B), and node (N). The CW, uronic acid (UA), glucose (GLU), and lignin concentrations did not change among phytomers. The concentrations of arabinose (ARA) and xylose (XYL) were greater in the U than in the L phytomers. Concentrations of CW, ARA, and XYL increased from B to T within the phytomer, but UA and GLU concentrations decreased from B to T. Lignin did not change within the phytomer. In mature corn for silage, changes within the corn internode may be more useful in determining how the environment changes the CW. / Ph. D.

Soil quality and health indicators are necessary to monitor and improve the agricultural sustainability. This experiment was conducted at Mississippi State, MS between 2015 and 2016. Soil samples were taken to determine bulk density, enzymatic activity, and total C and N. Results indicated greater bulk density, total C and N, and enzymatic activity for inter-row position than for within the corn row which was disturbed by strip-tillage. Soil bulk density tended to increase with soil depth; however, total C and N and total microbial activity decreased with depth both years. Total soil C and N increased from 2015 to 2016. Enzymatic activity was greatest at corn planting and decreased up thru four weeks apparently due to total C and N decomposition. Total C and N were related to bulk density and enzymatic activity because increase in soil C and N decreased the bulk density and increased the enzymatic activity values.

Soil organic matter (SOM) constitutes the largest reservoir of carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) of the earth's surface. In agricultural soils, the organic fraction is of great importance in maintaining soil quality, while contributing a small fraction. Thus, the adoption of soil management practices and cover crops are important to promote th e C and N accumulation in the soil and consequently improve its quality. The no - tillage system (NT ) as conservation practice improves the soil structure, water infiltration and increases the contribution of C and N in the soil by deposition of crop residue on the surface. Thus, the soil is kept constantly covered by organic residuce of plants during their vegetative stage. This study aims to evaluate the stocks of C and N in the profile of a very clayey soil . The winter cover crops were grown under two mana gement systems i. e., NT and conventional - tillage system (CT ) in an long - term 26 years experiment. The experiment was started in the winter of 1986 in an Oxisol rich in aluminium , in southwestern Paraná at the Agronomic Institute of Paraná, with eight winter treatments (oat, rye, vetch , hairy vetch, wild radish, wheat, blue lupine and fallow). The collection of the soil samples was conducted in November 2012 at the following depths: 0 5, 5 10, 10 20, 20 30, 30 40, 40 60, 60 80 and 80 100 cm. A soil samples were collected under native forest from an area adjacent the experimental area serving as control . The soil C and N contents through the elemental analyzer. After 26 years of cultivation, the soil under NT showed the highest levels and stocks of C and N in the surface layers compared to the CT . However, b elow 20 cm and even upto 1 meter de p th , the soil C and N stocks did not differ between the soil management systems. Regarding the use of different plant cover, these treatments did not differ in stocks of C and N in both management systems (NT and CT). / A matéria orgânica do solo (MOS) constitui o maior reservatório de carbono (C) e nitrogênio (N) da superfície terrestre. Em solos agrícolas, a fração orgânica tem grande importância na manutenção da qualidade do solo, apesar de contribuir com uma pequena fração. Dessa forma, a adoção de práticas de manejo de solo e plantas de cobertura é importante para promover o acúmulo de C e N no solo e, consequentemente, a melhoria de sua qualidade. O sistema plantio direto (SPD), como prática conservacionista, melhora a estrutura, a infiltração de água no solo e aumenta o aporte de C e N no solo, através da deposição dos resíduos culturais em sua superfície. Assim, o solo é mantido permanentemente coberto por resíduos orgânicos culturais ou pelas plantas em fase vegetativa. O presente trabalho tem como objetivo avaliar os estoques de C e N no perfil de um solo muito argiloso em que foram cultivadas plantas de cobertura de inverno sob dois sistemas de manejo (SPD e sistema cultivo convencional (SCC)), em um experimento de longa duração (26 anos). O experimento foi instalado no inverno de 1986, em um Latossolo Vermelho Aluminoférrico, na região sudoeste do Paraná, no Instituto Agronômico do Paraná, com dois sistemas de manejo, SPD e SCC e com oito tratamentos de inverno (aveia preta, centeio, ervilhaca comum, ervilhaca peluda, nabo forrageiro, trigo, tremoço azul e o pousio). A coleta das amostras de solo foi realizada em novembro de 2012, nas seguintes profundidades: 0 5, 5 10, 10 20, 20 30, 30 40, 40 60, 60 80 e 80 100 cm. Também foram coletadas amostras de solo sob mata nativa, em área contígua à área experimental. Foram determinados os teores de C e N através do analisador elementar. Após 26 anos de cultivo, o solo sob SPD apresentou os maiores teores e estoques de C e N nas camadas superficiais comparativamente com o SCC. Abaixo de 20 cm e até a camada de um metro de profundidade, os estoques de C e N não diferiram entre os sistemas de manejo de solo. Quanto ao uso das diferentes plantas de cobertura, esses tratamentos não apresentaram diferenças nos estoques de C e N em ambos os sistemas de manejo (SPD e SCC).