Date Available
4-21-2015
Year of Publication
2015
Document Type
Master's Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Science (MS)
College
Agriculture, Food and Environment
Department/School/Program
Plant and Soil Sciences
Advisor
Dr. Rebecca McCulley
Co-Director of Graduate Studies
Dr. Krista Jacobsen
Abstract
Unintentional nitrogen (N) loss from agroecosystems produces greenhouse gases, induces eutrophication, and is costly for farmers; therefore, adoption of conservation agricultural management practices, such as no-till and cover cropping, has increased. This study assessed N loss via leaching, NH3 volatilization, N2O emissions, and N retention in plant and soil pools of corn conservation agroecosystems across a year. Three systems were evaluated: 1) an unfertilized organic system with cover crops Vicia villosa, Triticum aestivum, or a mix of the two; 2) an organic system with a Vicia cover crop employing three fertilization schemes (0 N, organic N, or a cover crop N-credit approach); 3) a conventional system with a Triticum cover crop and three fertilization techniques (0 N, urea N, or organic N). During cover crop growth, species affected N leaching but gaseous emissions were low across all treatments. During corn growth, cover crop and fertilizer approach affected N loss. Fertilized treatments had greater N loss than unfertilized treatments, and fertilizer type affected gaseous fluxes temporally and in magnitude. Overall, increased N availability did not always indicate greater N loss or yield, suggesting that N conserving management techniques can be employed in conservation agriculture systems without sacrificing yield.
Recommended Citation
Shelton, Rebecca Erin, "CONSERVATION AGRICULTURE IN KENTUCKY: INVESTIGATING NITROGEN LOSS AND DYNAMICS IN CORN SYSTEMS FOLLOWING WHEAT AND HAIRY VETCH COVER CROPS" (2015). Theses and Dissertations--Plant and Soil Sciences. 59.
https://uknowledge.uky.edu/pss_etds/59
