2018
Sustainable system approach for improving soil health and managing soybean production
Home
Contributor/Checkoff:
Iowa Soybean Association
Category:
Sustainable Production
Keywords:
AgricultureBiodiversityCarbonField management Land Use SustainabilityU.S. Soy reputation
Parent Project:
This is the first year of this project.
Lead Principal Investigator:
Mahdi Al-Kaisi, Iowa State University
Co-Principal Investigators:
Project Code:
Contributing Organization (Checkoff):
Iowa Soybean Association
$54,831
Institution Funded:
Iowa State University
$54,831
Brief Project Summary:

Optimal systems approaches to soybean productions integrate best management practices with the best crop varieties. This research tests the three-way interaction between no-till, cover crops and three soybean varieties. The main goal is to document the agronomic, soil health, water quality and economic benefits of a systems approach. This goal can be realized through comparison of tillage, cover crop and soybean varieties in a systems approach to investigate its agronomic and economic value for soybean production, determining the effects of the stacking conservation practices and varying soybean varieties on soil health physical, chemical and biological indicators and their relationships to soybean productivity and determining the effects of the stacking conservation practices and varying soybean varieties on water quality.

Key Benefactors:
farmers, agronomists, Extension agents, NGOs

Information And Results
Final Project Results

Update:
This project was established in the fall of 2017 to determine the agronomic, soil health, water quality and economic benefits of integrating cover crop and tillage systems (not-till and chisel plow) in soybean production. The preliminary findings of this work demonstrated the short-term benefits of cover crop and NT in improving soil health as measured by the improvement of aggregate stability, water infiltration, and reduction in nitrate leaching under cover crop as compared to none cover crop treatments. The initial indicators of this systems’ approach shows the potential value of cover crop in reducing moisture content and improvement in soil temperature for early soybean germination as indicated by increase in soil temperate by 3-4 oF.

The seeding of cover crop before and after soybean crop in the Des Moines Lobe area is
encouraging giving the unique cold and wet soil conditions early in the spring. The integration of cover crop in the short-term as well as in the long-term is a good management practice for soil health and productivity, coupled with no-till. Although we are not reporting soybean yield at this time as we are waiting for the soybean harvest, a long-term study showed that soybean yield and economic return is much greater with no-till as compared to conventional tillage. We will provide more details and additional information at the end of the growing season after data analyses to show the potential agronomic, economic, soil heath, and water quality benefits of incorporating cover crops in a systems’ approach to soybean production in central Iowa

View uploaded report PDF file

Project Results:
This project was established in the fall of 2017 to determine the agronomic, soil health, water quality and economic benefits of integrating cover crop and tillage systems (not-till and chisel plow) in soybean production. The preliminary findings of this work demonstrated the short-term benefits of cover crop and NT in improving soil health as measured by the improvement of aggregate stability, water infiltration, and reduction in nitrate leaching under cover crop as compared to none cover crop treatments. The initial indicators of this systems’ approach shows the potential value of cover crop in reducing moisture content and improvement in soil temperature for early soybean germination as indicated by increase in soil temperate by 3-4 oF. The seeding of cover crop before and after soybean crop in the Des Moines Lobe area is encouraging giving the unique cold and wet soil conditions early in the spring. The integration of cover crop in the short-term as well as in the long-term is a good management practice for soil health and productivity, coupled with no-till. Although we are not reporting soybean yield at this time as we are waiting for the soybean harvest, a long-term study showed that soybean yield and economic return is much greater with no-till as compared to conventional tillage. We will provide more details and additional information at the end of the growing season after data analyses to show the potential agronomic, economic, soil heath, and water quality benefits of incorporating cover crops in a systems’ approach to soybean production in central Iowa.

The United Soybean Research Retention policy will display final reports with the project once completed but working files will be purged after three years. And financial information after seven years. All pertinent information is in the final report or if you want more information, please contact the project lead at your state soybean organization or principal investigator listed on the project.