Be a Part of the History of Soils in Illinois
If you want to go directly to the map, click here.
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
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
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
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
Illinois Crop Management Conference
NREC-funded researchers, Dr. Laura Christianson and Dr. Emerson Nafziger will be making presentations at the University of Illinois Extension Illinois Crop Management Conference on January 24, 2018 in Mt. Vernon. You can register directly from the web site: http://web.extension.illinois.edu/csrec/2013conference/