Doctor of Philosophy / Department of Agronomy / P. V. Vara Prasad / Sweet sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L. Moench) is an important bioenergy crop. There is a wide array of genetic diversity in sweet sorghum germplasm collections. However, information on traits associated with sugar yield, optimum harvesting time for maximum sugar yield, effects of abiotic stresses on sugar yield is scarce. The objectives of the present study were: to identify traits that are associated with sugar yield, to determine the optimum harvesting time for maximum sugar yield and to understand the physiological responses of different sweet sorghum genotypes to drought and high temperature. In order to meet these objectives, five independent field and greenhouse studies were conducted. Field experiments were conducted using 280 sweet sorghum germplasm and were evaluated for 2 years. From this study, 30 genotypes representing high and low sugar yielders were selected for the subsequent experiment. We observed a significant variation in physiological, morphological and sugar yield traits associated with biofuel production. In the selection experiment, investigations on the morphological, physiological attributes helped to identify those characters which influence or limit sugar yield in the sweet sorghum. Another field study was conducted to optimize the harvesting time for obtaining highest sugar and juice yields in sweet sorghum. Sweet sorghum variety M81E was harvested at ten growth stages. Our results suggest that the optimum time for harvesting of sweet sorghum cultivar M81E is between milk and hard dough stages when highest sugar yield was observed. Studies on different levels of water stress were studied under greenhouse conditions. Four sweet sorghum genotypes (Awanlek, Smith, Tracy and Wray) were subjected to three water stress treatments (100% pot capacity (PC); 70% PC and 30% PC) for 20 days at early seed filling (Milk) stage. The results showed that genotypes differed significantly for all growth and yield, biochemical and physiological traits. Severe water stress significantly decreased juice and sugar yields by decreasing net photosynthetic rate, transpiration rate, stomatal conductance and sucrose content in the stem juice. Genotypes Tracy and Wray produced significantly highest brix, stem fresh weight, juice and sugar yield under both irrigated and water stress conditions. In another greenhouse study, we quantified the effects of drought, high temperature, and their combinations on growth, physiology and yield of sweet sorghum genotypes. The same four genotypes above were subjected to four treatments, T1 - control, T2 - drought stress, T3 - high temperature stress and T4 - combination of drought and high temperature for 16 days after anthesis. The result showed that significant difference was observed for growth and yield traits, physiological traits and non-reducing and total sugar content in juice for genotypes and treatments. Among the genotypes Tracy recorded higher juice and sugar yield. Among the various treatments, combination of drought and high temperature was found to be more deleterious in reducing most of the biofuel traits followed by drought and high temperature stress. The above studies gave significant findings with regards to the identification of superior sweet sorghum germplasm, their tolerance capacity to different abiotic stresses, which allows better selection for the use of bioenergy production.

Doctor of Philosophy / Department of Agronomy / J. Anita Dille / Integrated weed management (IWM) is an ecological approach to weed control that reduces dependence on herbicides through understanding of weed biology and involves using multiple weed control measures including cultural, chemical, mechanical and biological methods. The critical period of weed control is the duration of the crop life cycle in which it must be kept weed-free to prevent yield loss from weed interference. Eight experiments were conducted throughout Kansas between October 2010 and June 2012 to identify this period in winter wheat grown under dryland and irrigated conditions. Impact of henbit and downy brome density on winter wheat yields were evaluated on four farmer’s fields with natural populations and on a research station with overseeded populations. Henbit density up to 156 plants m-2 did not affect winter wheat yield, while downy brome at a density of 40 plants m-2 reduced yield by 33 and 13% in 2011 and 2012, respectively. In the presence of downy brome, winter wheat should be kept weed-free approximately 30 to 45 days after planting to prevent yield loss; otherwise, weeds need to be removed immediately following release from winter dormancy to prevent yield loss due to existing weed populations. Flumioxazin and pyroxasulfone are herbicides registered for use in winter wheat, soybean and corn for control of broadleaf and grass weeds. Flumioxazin and pyroxasulfone were evaluated for plant response to localized herbicide exposure to roots, shoots, or both roots and shoots utilizing a novel technique. Two weed species, ivyleaf morningglory and shattercane, as well as two crops, wheat and soybean, were evaluated for injury after localized exposures. The location and expression of symptoms from the flumioxazin and pyroxasulfone herbicides were determined to be the shoot of seedling plants. The utilization of preemergence herbicides in winter wheat is not a common practice, although application may protect winter wheat from early season yield losses as determined by the critical weed-free period. Kansas wheat growers should evaluate the presence and density of weed species to determine which weed management strategy is most advantageous to preserving winter wheat yield.

Master of Science / Department of Agronomy / Kraig Roozeboom / Nitrogen fixation by Bradyrhizobium japonicum in soybean [Glycine max] is highly beneficial in soybean crop production. Nodulation issues have been encountered on fields new to growing soybeans in recent years in Kansas. The purpose of this research was to evaluate soybean nodulation performance under various situations and seed handling practices in order to educate producers on how to achieve reliable nodulation consistency in the field. The objectives of the study were to: 1) compare inoculant products using single and double rates and in combination with one another on fields with varying soybean history; 2) determine if there was a negative interaction between inoculant products and common seed treatments; and 3) discover the influence of inoculated seed storage conditions before planting on the rhizobia’s ability to successfully nodulate soybean roots. Field experiments were conducted on diverse Kansas sites in 2011 and 2012. Inoculant treatment and seed treatment interaction trials had ten and seven experimental sites respectively. Inoculated seed storage conditions were evaluated in a greenhouse experiment during the spring of 2013. All studies used a randomized complete block design with four replications. The Novozymes inoculant products generally provided superior nodulation performance over other company products in the study where soybean had not been in recent rotation with an average increase of 167% in nodule number verses the control. The combination of dry and liquid inoculant products provided a significant increase in root nodule number at five of the environments out of recent rotation with a 76% increase over single inoculant rates. Although there were early season nodulation differences between treatments in new soybean ground, these did not carry through to seed yield differences in the majority of research sites. Hot and dry summer conditions reduced yields, making detection of treatment differences difficult. There were no negative effects on nodulation performance with any of the seed treatments. Although soybean seed yield was 634 kg ha[superscript]-[superscript]1 greater for the Novozyme combination treatment compared to the check at one location in 2011, the control yielded as well or better than all other treatment/inoculant combinations, implying that yield differences were likely not related to inoculant treatments. At other sites, yield was not influenced by seed treatment and inoculant combinations. Results indicate that seed treatment formulations did not significantly impact bacterial inoculant product performance, soybean nodulation, or yield. Storage conditions had no effect on nodulation performance in the greenhouse study, likely due to survival of Bradyrhizobium japonicum in the heat-treated growth medium.

Doctor of Philosophy / Department of Agronomy / Charles W. Rice / Nitrogen is critical for plant growth and is a major cost of inputs in production agriculture. Too much nitrogen (N) is also an environmental concern. Agricultural soils account for 85% of anthropogenic N₂O which is a major greenhouse gas. Management strategies for N fertilization and tillage are necessary for enhancing N use efficiency and reducing negative impacts of N to the environment. The different management practices induce changes in substrate availability for microbial activity that may result in increasing or reducing net N₂O emitted from soils. The objectives of this research were to (1) integrate results from field studies to evaluate the effect of different management strategies on N₂O emissions using a meta-analysis, (2) quantify N₂O-N emissions under no-tillage (NT) and tilled (T) agricultural systems and the effect of different N source and placements, (3) perform sensitivity analysis, calibration and validation of the Denitrification Decomposition (DNDC) model for N₂O emissions, and (4) analyze future scenarios of precipitation and temperature to evaluate the potential effects of climate change on N₂O emissions from agro-ecosystems in Kansas. Based on the meta-analysis there was no significant effect of broadcast and banded N placement. Synthetic N fertilizer usually had higher N₂O emission than organic N fertilizer. Crops with high N inputs as well as clay soils had higher N₂O fluxes. No-till and conventional till did not have significant differences regarding N₂O emissions. In the field study, N₂O-N emissions were not significantly different between tillage systems and N source. The banded N application generally had higher emissions than broadcasted N. Slow release N fertilizer as well as split N applications reduced N₂O flux without affecting yield. Simulations of N₂O emissions were more sensitive to changes in soil parameters such as pH, soil organic carbon (SOC), field capacity (FIELD) and bulk density (BD), with pH and SOC as the most sensitive parameters. The N₂O simulations performed using Denitrification Decomposition model on till (Urea) had higher model efficiency followed by no-till (compost), no-till (urea) and till (compost). At the regional level, changes in climate (precipitation and temperature) increased N₂O emission from agricultural soils in Kansas. The conversion from T to NT reduced N₂O emissions in crops under present conditions as well as under future climatic conditions.

Doctor of Philosophy / Department of Agronomy / Charles W. Rice / Biofuel feedstocks such as grains and cellulose are gaining increased attention as part of the U.S. portfolio of solutions to address climate change and improve energy security. As the future of biofuels unfolds, major concerns are emerging, including the sustainability of the soil resource in bioenergy cropping system. With a clear understanding of the sustainability risks that exist within the agricultural soil resources, it is now essential to develop metrics that document the soil health as well as the total biomass production of different cropping system. We tested the effectiveness of eight bioenergy plant species grouped between annual and perennial crops. Our main objective was to determine the sustainability of bioenergy cropping systems. There was significantly greater soil structural stability plus greater root biomass under the perennial crops but greater aboveground biomass in the annual crop. Differences in soil carbon measured to 1.2 m were not significant between energy crops after five years. A transparent, unbiased method to identify possible change in soil characteristics under bioenergy cropping practice was offered. Our next metrics were soil aggregate stability and microbial community structure as indicators of soil ecosystem health and environmental stability. The effects 24 years of differing levels of residue and fertilizer inputs on soil aggregate stability, aggregate C and microbial community structure were evaluated. A native, undisturbed prairie site, located nearby was used as a reference in this study. The results showed that greater inputs of inorganic N and increased returns of crop residues did not cause a proportionately greater increase in SOC. The abundance of microbial parameters generally followed their potential carbon pool in cultivated soils but a strong mismatch was observed in the native prairie site. Our results showed for the first time a clear disconnect between decomposers and macroaggregates; highlighting the role of soil structure in protecting organic matter. Soil carbon sequestration is one of the mechanisms that have been proposed as temporary measure to mitigate global climate change. However, there was a particularly large risk of negative effects of mitigation measures related to the increased removal of crop residues from cropping systems for use in bioenergy, if this means that soil carbon is reduced. Effective measurement of soil C at the field scale requires an understanding of the spatial variability of soil C on a landscape scale. Recent technological advances in soil C measurement offer new opportunities in this area. Our surface measurements of soil C by near infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) provided a quick assessment of soil C and, soil C predicted by NIRS and measured by dry combustion laboratory measurements was correlated with and R-squared of 0.84.

Master of Science / Department of Agronomy / Anita Dille / A better understanding of kochia (Kochia scoparia) seed characteristics is necessary for long term management of this increasingly troublesome weed. The objectives were to evaluate maternal environmental factors influencing kochia seed produced in the field and to document variability in dormancy and seed viability produced within a single kochia plant grown in the greenhouse or field. Field experiments were conducted in 2012 and 2013 at the Kansas State Agricultural Research Center in Hays. Two different kochia biotypes from Hays were planted with and without five canopy types, namely corn, soybean, grain sorghum, wheat stubble, and kochia plants. A greenhouse experiment with two generations (F1 and F2) of self-pollination was conducted with the same kochia biotypes. Date of initial flowering and final plant heights were recorded. Plants were harvested when seed was mature and divided into three equal parts (top, middle, and bottom). Seeds were cold treated or not, and approximately 50 seeds were placed in petri dishes with water for germination counts taken over six weeks. Viability of remaining seeds were then tested. For field-grown kochia, plants were taller in corn, sorghum and weedy canopies compared to the absence of a canopy. Seed germination from field grown kochia ranged between 77 and 100% for both treatments. There was reduced germination in the presence of a weedy canopy for both treatments and biotypes (77 to 82%) compared to the absence (93 to 99%), with an increase in hard viable seed in the presence of weedy canopy (5 to 14%). In the greenhouse, the F2 generation produced more immediately germinable seed compared to the F1 generation which had more seed with delayed germinability. Seed from bottom third of F1 and F2 plants had greater total germination (73 and 70%, respectively) compared to the middle (61 and 65%) and top (50 and 59%) thirds of the plant. There was a maternal environmental effect on kochia seed characteristics with implications on generating persistent seed for the future seedbank.

Doctor of Philosophy / Agronomy / DeAnn R. Presley / Crop residue removal for livestock feeding and biofuel production at large scales must be evaluated to assess impacts on soil productivity and properties. Among all the potential negative impacts, wind erosion is a major concern in the central Great Plains. We conducted an on-farm study from 2011 to 2013 by removing crop residue at five levels (0, 25, 50, 75, and 100%) to determine the effects of crop residue removal on soil wind erosion parameters such as dry aggregate size distribution including soil wind erodible fraction (EF <0.84 mm aggregates), geometric mean diameter (GMD) and geometric standard deviation (GSD), dry aggregate stability, and soil surface roughness. The sub-model of Wind Erosion Prediction System (WEPS) developed by the USDA-ARS, Single-event Wind Erosion Evaluation Program (SWEEP) is a stand-alone companion software package that can be applied to simulate soil loss and dust emission from a single windstorm event. We applied measured data (i.e. EF, GMD, GSD, and roughness) to SWEEP for predicting wind velocity that can initiate wind erosion and soil loss under each crop residue removal condition with wind velocity at 13 m sˉ¹. The threshold wind velocity to initiate wind erosion generally decreased with increase in crop residue removal levels, particularly for residue removal >75%. The total amount of soil loss in 3 hours ranged from about 0.2 to 2.5 kg mˉ² and depends on soil condition and crop residue cover. On the other hand, high-yielding crops can produce abundant crop residue, which then raises the question that if a farmer wants to reduce residue, what could they do without removing it? The application of fertilizer on crop residue to stimulate microbial activity and subsequent decomposition of the residue is often debated. We conducted wheat straw decomposition field experiments under different fertilizer rates and combinations at three locations in western Kansas following wheat harvest in 2011 and 2012. A double shear box apparatus instrumented with a load cell measured the shear stress required to cut wheat straw and photomicrography was used to measure the cross-sectional area of wheat straw after shearing. Total C and N were also analyzed. The fertilizer rate and timing of application during summer 2012 and Fall 2013 at the Hays site had impacts on wheat straw shear stress at break point. Across site years, earlier (fall) fertilizer application generally resulted in lower remaining aboveground biomass as compared to a spring application. Multivariate and linear regressions suggested that N and C:N ratio partially explain the results observed with respect to treatment effects on winter wheat residue decomposition.

Master of Science / Department of Agronomy / DeAnn Presley / Steve Thien / Interest and participation in urban agriculture is growing in many cities throughout the United States. Urban gardeners and farmers produce food on various types of urban lands. Common soil contaminants of urban areas limit the amount of land on which food may safely be grown. The objective of this study was to assess and meet the informational and technical assistance needs of urban gardeners and farmers as well as students enrolled in the introductory soils science course at Kansas State University on the topics of urban soil quality and contamination. A needs assessment survey of urban gardeners and farmers was conducted in four communities; Tacoma and Seattle, Washington, Kansas City, Kansas and Missouri, Manhattan, Kansas, and Gary, Indiana. The survey generated information about what urban gardeners and farmers know, think they know, and want to know about urban soil quality and contamination. Eighty-eight percent of respondents indicated that they do not have knowledge of the best management practices to minimize health risks involved when growing food crops on soils contaminated with lead, cadmium, arsenic or organic contaminants. Our results suggest that urban gardeners and farmers require and want information and guidance on soil testing for common contaminants, interpretation of testing results, and best management practices for growing food on mildly contaminated soils. The students enrolled in the introductory soil science course at Kansas State University are future agricultural and environmental professionals who need skills to address urban soils issues. Most of the students in the Agronomy 305: Soils course are not Agronomy majors. Furthermore, an increasing number of Agronomy 305 students come from urban and suburban communities and/or have interest in working in urban environments upon completion of their undergraduate degree. An urban soils laboratory was developed in response to the future workforce demands as well as the demographics of students enrolled in the Agronomy 305 course. Throughout the semester students evaluated the physical, chemical, and biological properties of a soil from this urban community garden. Reaction of students to the new urban soils lab offering has been positive with 72% of students enrolled in the course reporting that they have interest and need in learning about the urban soil issues covered in the lab course. Overall, student responses about their learning experience in the urban soils laboratory course were positive, indicating that incorporating urban soil principles enhanced their soil science education. Students who participated in the urban soils lab are better prepared, as future agricultural and environmental professionals, to address the educational and technical assistance needs of urban growers.

Master of Science / Department of Agronomy / Nathan Nelson / Phosphorus and sediment runoff are the primary cause of eutrophication in Cheney Lake, the primary water source for Wichita, Kansas. Best Management Practices (BMPs) such as no-till farming practices and nutrient management can be implemented to reduce phosphorus runoff on high-risk agricultural fields. Past efforts have established BMP use in this watershed, although the effectiveness of these efforts has not been evaluated. The goals of this project were to identify any existing water quality trends in the Cheney Lake watershed, estimate the current distribution of erosion in the watershed, and evaluate the placement of BMPs with regards to field-scale erosion risk. Parametric, multi-linear regression and non-parametric, seasonal Mann-Kendall analyses were used to identify trends in the Total Suspended Solids (TSS) and Total Phosphorus (TP) of grab samples from the North Fork Ninnescah River. A Geographic Information System (GIS) model based on the Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE) was used to estimate watershed-scale erosion, prioritize agricultural land for BMP placement, and evaluate existing placement of BMPs within the Cheney Lake watershed. No detectible trends were identified in the water quality data due to stream variability, frequency of sampling, or absence of actual improvement in water quality. Additional sampling must be done to detect any trends in the future. BMPs were implemented on 13% of prioritized field area, and 11% of non-prioritized field area. Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) fields were placed on 14% of prioritized field area, and 5% of non-prioritized field area. No-till practices were implemented on 13% of prioritized field area, and 18% of non-prioritized field area. The top 20% eroding fields were identified given current conditions, and account for approximately 56% of the watershed-wide erosion. The GIS method has demonstrated utility in evaluating past erosion control measures for the watershed and in informing future decisions concerning BMP placement.

Master of Science / Department of Agronomy / Humberto Blanco / DeAnn Presley / The U.S. agricultural sector is in a prime position to provide crop residues such as corn (Zea mays L.) stover as feedstock for large-scale bioenergy production. While producing renewable energy from biomass resources is a worthy initiative, excessive removal of corn stover from agricultural fields has the potential to increase soil erosion, degrade soil properties, and reduce corn yields. A need exists to objectively assess stover removal impacts on agriculture and the environment on regional scales. This project assessed the effects of removing various rates of corn stover on runoff and erosion and changes in soil physical properties and corn yields on a regional scale across three soils at Colby, Hugoton, and Ottawa in Kansas, USA. The soils were Ulysses silt loam (Fine-silty, mixed, superactive, mesic Aridic Haplustolls) at Colby, Hugoton loam (Fine-silty, mixed, superactive, mesic Aridic Argiustolls) at Hugoton, and Woodson silt loam (Fine, smectitic, thermic Abruptic Argiaquolls) at Ottawa, all with slopes [less than or equal to] 1%. Five stover treatments were studied that consisted of removing 0, 25, 50, 75, and 100% of stover after harvest from no-till and strip-till continuous corn plots. Simulated rainfall was applied in spring 2010 at rates representing 5 yr return intervals at each site and included a dry and wet run. Runoff increased with an increase in stover removal at Colby and Hugoton, but not at Ottawa. At Colby, stover removal rates as low as 25% caused runoff to occur 16 min sooner and increased sediment loss. At this site, runoff and sediment-carbon (C) loss increased as removal rates exceeded 25%. At Hugoton, complete stover removal increased loss by total N by 0.34, total P loss by 0.07, PO[subscript]4-P by 0.003 and NO[subscript]3-N by 0.007 kg ha-[superscript]1. At Ottawa, PO[subscript]4-P loss decreased by 0.001 kg ha-[superscript]1 with 25% removal and by 0.003 kg ha-[superscript]1 with 50% removal. Mean weight diameter (MWD) of wet aggregates decreased with an increase in stover removal on all soils. At Ottawa, stover removal at 75% reduced soil C in the top 5 cm by 1.57 Mg ha-[superscript]1. Soil volumetric water content decreased with stover removal at Colby and Ottawa, but was variable at Hugoton. Soil temperature tended to increase with stover removal during summer months and decrease during winter months. Soil temperature also fluctuated much more widely with stover removal, resulting in more freeze-thaw events compared to no stover removal. No effect of stover removal on soil water retention was observed on any of the soils. In 2009, removal rates [greater than or equal to]50% resulted in greater grain yield at Colby, while removal rates [greater than or equal to]75% resulted in greater grain yields at Ottawa in 2009 and 2010. Results from the first two years of stover management suggest that stover removal at rates above 25% for bioenergy production increased water erosion, degraded soil structural properties, and altered soil water and temperature regimes. Higher rates of removal ([greater than or equal to]75%) can also reduce soil C concentration in the short-term in rainfed regions. However, grain yields may be enhanced by stover removal from irrigated soils and from rainfed soils with adequate moisture. Overall, the increase in water erosion and alteration in soil properties in the short-term suggest that stover removal can detrimentally affect water quality and soil productivity in Kansas. Further long-term monitoring is warranted to conclusively discern stover removal implications.