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Title: Impacts of Nitrogen Rate and Landscape Position on Soils and Switchgrass Root Growth Parameters

Journal Article · · Agronomy Journal
 [1];  [1];  [2];  [3];  [4];  [5];  [1];  [4];  [6];  [4]
  1. South Dakota State Univ., Brookings, SD (United States)
  2. South Dakota State Univ., Brookings, SD (United States); Himachal Pradesh Agriculture Univ. (India)
  3. Univ. of Puerto Rico, Mayaguez, PR (United States)
  4. Virginia Polytechnic Inst. and State Univ. (Virginia Tech), Blacksburg, VA (United States)
  5. Pusan National Univ., Miryang (Korea, Republic of)
  6. Oklahoma State Univ., Haskell, OK (United States)

Switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.) has been recognized as a potential bioenergy feedstock, and can positively impact soils and the environment. The experimental sites were established in 2008 at three locations with each in Oklahoma (OK), South Dakota (SD), and Virginia (VA) to assess the impacts of N fertilization rate (N rate; low, 0 kg ha-1; high, 112 kg ha-1) and landscape position (shoulder, backslope, and footslope) on select soil properties and root growth parameters. Data indicate that N rate did not affect soil bulk density (BD), pH, electrical conductivity (EC), soil organic carbon (SOC), and total nitrogen (TN) for any of five depths. Landscape position impacted some of these properties by depth, depending on location. The N rate influenced root weight (RW), root surface area (RSA), and root total nitrogen (RTN) for the total profile (0–100-cm depth) depending on local site conditions. The landscape position impacted RW, root total carbon (RTC), and RTN for total profile according to different site conditions. The interactions of landscape position by N rate on switchgrass root parameters were significant. The findings in this study indicate that the root system of switchgrass could improve soils and increase C accumulation and reduce the risk of N loss to benefit the environment.

Research Organization:
South Dakota State Univ., Brookings, SD (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE)
Grant/Contract Number:
FC36-05GO85041
OSTI ID:
1613533
Journal Information:
Agronomy Journal, Vol. 111, Issue 3; ISSN 0002-1962
Publisher:
Alliance of Crop, Soil, and Environmental Science SocietiesCopyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Citation Metrics:
Cited by: 28 works
Citation information provided by
Web of Science

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