Alternative Biomass Production Study for Resilient Economic Agricultural Practices in Morris, Minnesota The Tillage Study was established in 1997 to assess the effect of a variety of tillage intensities on soil C. The initial eight treatments included no-tillage, moldboard + disk tillage, chisel tillage, and fall and spring residue management, with or without strip-tillage and strip-tillage + subsoiling (Archer and Reicosky, 2009). In 2004, treatments were reduced to no-tillage, moldboard tillage, and fall and spring residue management without strip-tillage, but all had an early or late planting date. The last comprehensive set of soil samples were collected in 2006. In 2008, the strip-tilled subset of the Tillage Study plots were repurposed for the Alternative Biomass Production Systems study, which was designed to explore alternative strategies to support bioenergy including planting of cellulosic feedstock. The Alternative Biomass Production plots included perennials in an extended 6-year rotation, winter cereal rye cover crops in a corn-soybean rotation, and an alternative Sorghum-Sudan grass hybrid forage system, all of which have and will continue to be monitored for agronomic and soil properties.

Cover crop (CC) growth and biomass production in the Mid-Atlantic region can be limited following double crop soybean due slow establishment related cool fall temperatures. Interseeding CC in summer before soybean canopy closure can improve establishment and spring biomass production. This practice can also increase the diversity of available CC species, reduce weed pressure and reduce nutrient losses. This study evaluates the effects of interseeded CC on soil temperature, soil water balances, evapotranspiration, infiltration, and yield and water use efficiency of corn (Zea mays L.) phase, following soybean (Glycine max L.) The study was conducted at the USDA Beltsville Agricultural Research Center, Beltsville, MD from 2017 through 2020. The cropping systems under study were primarily sequences of corn-soybean-wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)-double crop soybean all planted with no-tillage management. No cover crops (NC) were grown prior to corn in Systems 3 and 4. In System 5, a cover crop (CC) mixture of rye (Secale cereale L.)-hairy vetch (Vicia villosa Roth)-crimson clover (Trifolium incarnatum L.) was interseeded into DCS prior to soybean canopy closure. In System 6, red clover (rc, Trifolium pratense L.) was interseeded into wheat in March and rye was planted into rc after wheat harvest in July. Resources in this dataset: Resource Title: CCSP 2023 AGWAT Metadata File Name: CCSP 2023 AGWAT Metadata.docx Description: Meta information describing data collection procedures, estimation of ET and infiltration, and methods used to replace sensor data having errors. Resource Title: CCSP Experiment Setup Info Tables 1 Through 4 File Name: CCSP Experiment Setup Info Tables 1 Through 4.xlsx Description: File contains data from Tables 1 through 4 of the manuscript and a schematic of the crop rotation; Table 1 describes the four cropping systems; Table 2 provides corn planting and harvest dates, cumulative growing degree days (CumGDD oC), rainfall, and period of soil water measurement for the growing season; Table 3 describes the soil water sensors and soil depths measured; and Table 4 gives 10 year average monthly air temperature and rainfall (2011 to 2020). Cover crop varieties are included in an additional worksheet. [Note: file updated to include cover crop varieties worksheet on 07/21/2023] Resource Title: CCSP Corn Yield Cover Crop Biomass File Name: CCSP Corn Yield Cover Crop Biomass.xlsx Description: Cover crop biomass (kg/ha) and corn yields (kg/ha) for 2017 through 2020 are provided at the replication and cropping system treatment level. Details about biomass sampling and corn harvest are contained in the manuscript. Resource Title: CCSP ET Calc Input Output Data And Meta Info File Name: CCSP ET Calc Input Output Data And Meta Info.xlsx Description: Weather data used to estimate daily evapotranspiration using ETCalc, an online calculator (Danielescu, 2021 and 2022) [ https://etcalc.hydrotools.tech/pageMain.php]. The input and output data are provided in separate tabs of the excel file. The first tab provides additional meta information. Resource Title: CCSP Weather 2017-2020 Rain And Air Temp For GDD File Name: CCSP Weather 2017-2020 Rain And Air Temp For GDD.xlsx Description: Daily data collected from a nearby weather station used to calculate 10-year average rainfall and temperature and used to calculate growing degree days in each growing season. Growing degree day calculations are presented in tabs for each year. Resource Title: CCSP Soil Temperature And Soil Water By Depth File Name: Volumetric soil water content (m3/m3) (VWC) and soil temperature data collected at 4 depths in each plot. VWC was converted to mm water per depth and summed for the soil profile (0 to 862 mm). Measurements were averaged to daily values. Soil water storage and soil temperature data are given for each replication, cropping system treatment, and horizon depth in separate tabs for each year.

Farming Systems Study for Greenhouse gas Reduction through Agricultural Carbon Enhancement network in Morris, Minnesota Tillage is decreasing globally due to recognized benefits of fuel savings and improved soil health in the absence of disturbance. However, a perceived inability to control weeds effectively and economically hinders no-till adoption in organic production systems in the Upper Midwest, USA. A strip-tillage (ST) strategy was explored as an intermediate approach to reducing fuel use and soil disturbance, and still controlling weeds. An 8-year comparison was made between two tillage approaches, one primarily using ST the other using a combination of conventional plow, disk and chisel tillage [conventional tillage (CT)]. Additionally, two rotation schemes were explored within each tillage system: a 2-year rotation (2y) of corn (Zea mays L.), and soybean (Glycine max [L.] Merr.) with a winter rye (Secale cereale L.) cover crop; and a 4-year rotation (4y) of corn, soybean, spring wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) underseeded with alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.), and a second year of alfalfa. These treatments resulted in comparison of four main management systems CT-2y, CT-4y, ST-2y and ST-4y, which also were managed under fertilized and non-fertilized conditions. Yields, whole system productivity (evaluated with potential gross returns), and weed seed densities (first 4 years) were measured. Across years, yields of corn, soybean and wheat were greater by 34% or more under CT than ST but alfalfa yields were the same. Within tillage strategies, corn yields were the same in 2y and 4y rotations, but soybean yields, only under ST, were 29% lower in the fertilized 4y than 2 yr rotation. In the ST-4y system yields of corn and soybean were the same in fertilized and non-fertilized treatments. Over the entire rotation, system productivity was highest in the fertilized CT-2y system, but the same among fertilized ST-4y, and non-fertilized ST-2y, ST-4y, and CT-4y systems. Over the first 4 years, total weed seed density increased comparatively more under ST than CT, and was negatively correlated to corn yields in fertilized CT systems and soybean yields in the fertilized ST-2y system. These results indicated ST compromised productivity, in part due to insufficient weed control, but also due to reduced nutrient availability. ST and diverse rotations may yet be viable options given that overall productivity of fertilized ST-2y and CT-4y systems was within 70% of that in the fertilized CT-2y system. Closing the yield gap between ST and CT would benefit from future research focused on organic weed and nutrient management, particularly for corn.