Location: Soil Drainage Research
Project Number: 5080-13000-010-21
Start Date: Oct 01, 2011
End Date: Dec 31, 2013
Field experiments will be conducted at two locations including Hoytville and Piketon in Ohio to test the efficacy of: (a) continuous soybean versus soybean/corn rotation; (b) cover crops versus no cover crop; (c) reduced levels of mineral fertilizers, and (d) FGD gypsum which will be surface applied annually at 3 different rates (0; 200 lbs per acre per year; and 2,000 lbs per acre per year). FGD gypsum will be obtained from coal-fired power plants in the local region. Each treatment will be replicated four times. Data will be collected to quantify the effectiveness of the proposed agronomic practices on (1) plant health, pest control, nitrogen fixation and grain yield, (2) core soil biological, chemical, and physical indicators that affect long-term soil quality and fertility of the soil; and (3) reducing soil greenhouse gas emissions and climate change impacts including soil carbon sequestration.