Illinois Nutrient Research & Education Council

Category: Investment Insights

Illinois Nutrient Research & Education Council > News > Press Releases > Investment Insights
27 Mar 2020
0 Comments By Julie Armstrong Investment Insights, Technical Information , , ,

NREC-funded Research in Peer-Reviewed Journal

Thanks to the ongoing work of NREC funded researchers at the University of Illinois and cooperators from the Illinois Fertilizer & Chemical Association, the results of “Soil and crop response to phosphorus and potassium management under conservation tillage” have been published in the Agronomy Journal.

Core Ideas from the published research are:

  • No-till reduced yield relative to strip-till
  • Deep banding P and K with strip-till resulted in no yield advantage over broadcast applications
  • Although there is no agronomic advantage, deep banding effectively reduced soil P and K levels in soil surface layers
  • Critical soil test K levels were greater than current recommendations

You can read the full journal article here: Strip-till paper 2020 and a summary here: Investment Insight March_3-20

04 Dec 2018
0 Comments By Illinois NREC Featured, Investment Insights, Technical Information , , , , , , , , ,

Cover crops and water quality

In a field-size study area, Dr. Williard and his team are in the middle of a multi-year project at Southern Illinois University farms to look at relationships between cover crops and N availability to corn. What they have learned so far is that cereal rye is an effective scavenger of nitrogen, reducing the amount of nitrate that leached via soil water. Click here for the latest.  Cover Crops and Water Quality – Williard

Visit the NREC Facebook page to view a video of Dr. Williard presenting his research at the Illinois Farm Bureau Annual Meeting in December of 2018.

04 Dec 2018
0 Comments By Illinois NREC Featured, Investment Insights, Technical Information , , , , , , , ,

New saturated buffer designs

Building upon past research, Dr. Schoonover and his team are demonstrating an alternative design of saturated buffers that address commonly encountered issues with the Best Management Practices (BMP) of saturated buffers. This new research will look at the alternative designs, as well as installation requirements and effectiveness under various field and climatic conditions. The research is taking place in Moultrie County. Saturated Buffers – Schoonover

04 Dec 2018
0 Comments By Illinois NREC Featured, Investment Insights, Technical Information , , , , , , ,

Do termination dates influence corn N requirements?

Current N management guidelines in Illinois are not adjusted for inclusion of cover crops especially with different cover crop termination dates. The termination date can influence the decomposition rate of cover crops in a corn cropping system and change the dynamics of N release to the crop. Dr. Amir Sadeghpour of Southern Illinois University leads this project.  Click here for the latest.  cover crops and termination dates – Sadeghpour

04 Dec 2018
0 Comments By Illinois NREC Featured, Investment Insights, Technical Information , , , , , , ,

How wide? How deep?

Understanding the influence of tile depth and spacing on nutrient loss – does depth or distance count for something?  Research under way by Dr. Rabin Bhattarai from the University of Illinois leads a study investigating how tile depth and spacing variations impact nitrogen (N) and phosphorous (P) losses. The study evaluates current tile drainage design and assesses negative impacts on tile drainage and N and P losses.  Click here to download a summary of his current research.  How wide, how deep – Bhattarai

04 Dec 2018
0 Comments By Illinois NREC Featured, Investment Insights, Technical Information , , , , , , , ,

Cover cropping on a large scale

Using cover crops shows the potential to reduce nutrient loss, but most of this research has been done at the plot or field scale levels. This project explores whether the use of cover crops can effectively be scaled up to the watershed – not just a field – and whether the addition of cover crops alone, with no other changes in farm management, can improve surface water quality. An overview of Dr. O’Reilly’s research can be found here:  Catherine O’Reilly

04 Dec 2018
0 Comments By Illinois NREC Investment Insights , , , , ,

Recycling Phosphorus Back to Agriculture – Can it Work?

Dr. Andrew Margenot at the University of Illinois and his team are looking at the possibilities of recycling P for use on agricultural fields. This new research is an enhancement of research by Dr. Margenot
where he is looking at slow release P fertilizers to increase crop production and environmental quality. Click here to download his Investment Insight:  Can it work – Magenot

04 Dec 2018
0 Comments By Illinois NREC Investment Insights , , , , , , ,

DNRA – what the heck is that?

Dissimilatory Nitrate Reduction to Ammonium (DNRA) is also known as nitrate ammonification and is the result of anaerobic respiration. In this process microbes oxidize organic matter and use nitrate (rather
than oxygen) as an electron acceptor, reducing it to nitrite – then ammonium (as opposed to nitrogen gas – as in denitrification). Get a simple explanation to better understand how this can help farmers manage nutrients. Click her to download the flyer.