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Soil Water Content Data for The Bushland, Texas Alfalfa Experiments

    This dataset contains soil water content data developed from neutron probe readings taken in access tubes in each of the four large, precision weighing lysimeters and in the fields surrounding each lysimeter at the USDA-ARS Conservation and Production Laboratory (CPRL), Soil and Water Management Research Unit (SWMRU), Bushland, Texas (Lat. 35.186714°, Long. -102.094189°, elevation 1170 m above MSL) beginning in 1989. Readings were taken periodically with a field-calibrated neutron probe at depths from 10 cm to 230 cm (maximum of 190 cm depth in the lysimeters) in 20-cm depth increments. Periods between readings were typically one to two weeks, sometimes longer according to experimental design and need for data. Field calibrations in the Pullman soil series were done every few years. Calibrations typically produced a regression equation with RMSE <= 0.01 m3 m-3. Data were used to guide irrigation scheduling to achieve full or deficit irrigation as required by the experimental design.

    Weighing Lysimeter Data for The Bushland, Texas Alfalfa Datasets

      This dataset consists of four years of weighing lysimeter data for alfalfa grown at the USDA-ARS Conservation and Production Laboratory (CPRL), Soil and Water Management Research Unit (SWMRU), Bushland, Texas (Lat. 35.186714°, Long. -102.094189°, elevation 1170 m above MSL) in 1996 through 1999. Alfalfa was grown on two large, precision weighing lysimeters, each in the center of a 4.44 ha square field. The datasets for individual season years consist of soil water content, weather, crop growth and yield, agronomic calendar, water balance (evapotranspiration, precipitation, dew/frost, irrigation), and lysimeter energy and water balance data. This particular dataset contains lysimeter soil water storage and drainage data, and data from in-soil and above-soil sensors. Properties sensed included wind speed, air temperature and relative humidity, components of the radiation balance (e.g., net radiation, incoming and reflected shortwave, photosynthetically active radiation (PAR), incoming and reflected longwave, thermal infrared emitted by the plant/soil surface), soil heat flux, soil temperature, and soil volumetric water content at certain depths. Not all properties were always sensed in any one year.

      Evapotranspiration, Irrigation, Dew/frost - Water Balance Data for The Bushland, Texas Alfalfa Datasets

        This dataset consist of 15-minute and daily amounts of evapotranspiration (ET), dew/frost fall, precipitation (rain/snow), irrigation, scale counterweight adjustment, and emptying of drainage tanks, all in mm. The values are the result of a rigorous quality control process involving algorithms for detecting dew/frost accumulations, and precipitation (rain and snow). Changes in lysimeter mass due to emptying of drainage tanks, counterweight adjustment, maintenance activity, and harvest are accounted for such that ET values are minimally affected. Data are for alfalfa grown at the USDA-ARS Conservation and Production Laboratory (CPRL), Soil and Water Management Research Unit (SWMRU), Bushland, Texas (Lat. 35.186714°, Long. -102.094189°, elevation 1170 m above MSL) in 1996 through 1999. Alfalfa was grown on two large, precision weighing lysimeters, each in the center of a 4.44 ha square field.

        Growth and Yield Data for the Bushland, Texas Alfalfa Datasets

          This dataset consists of growth and yield data for four seasons of alfalfa grown at the USDA-ARS Conservation and Production Laboratory (CPRL), Soil and Water Management Research Unit (SWMRU), Bushland, Texas (Lat. 35.186714°, Long. -102.094189°, elevation 1170 m above MSL) for 1989, 1990, 1994, 2013, 2016, and 2018. Maize was grown on four large, precision weighing lysimeters, each in the center of a 4.44 ha square field. The entire datasets for individual season years consist of soil water content, weather, crop growth and yield, agronomic calendar, water balance (evapotranspiration, precipitation, dew/frost, irrigation), and lysimeter energy and water balance data. This dataset focuses on the alfalfa growth and yield data.

          The Bushland, Texas, Alfalfa Datasets

            This parent dataset links to four seasons of datasets on alfalfa grown for grain at the USDA-ARS Conservation and Production Laboratory (CPRL), Soil and Water Management Research Unit (SWMRU), Bushland, Texas (Lat. 35.186714°, Long. -102.094189°, elevation 1170 m above MSL) in 1996 through 1999. Alfalfa was grown on two large, precision weighing lysimeters, each in the center of a 4.44 ha square field. The datasets for individual years consist of soil water content, weather, crop growth and yield, agronomic calendar, water balance (evapotranspiration, precipitation, dew/frost, irrigation), and lysimeter energy and water balance data. Additional resources provide metadata on conventions, symbols used, geographic coordinates of fields, lysimeters and weather stations, and soil properties.

            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)].

              Alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) cultivars mean annual forage yield (US Ton ac-1) from Northeast USA and Ontario (Canada) from 1995 to 2013

                Database of forage yield for 679 alfalfa cultivars from 1060 public trials conducted between 1995 and 2013, comprising 86 locations in 11 US states (Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin) and one Canadian province (Ontario). Includes 28,070 observations, with an observation defined as a cultivar total annual forage yield mean across three to eight replicates per trial-year. Dataset includes Years 1 (establishment year) through 4 to 6 (depending on location and year).

                Data from: Genome-Wide Association Mapping of Loci Associated with Plant Growth and Forage Production under Salt Stress in Alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.)

                  Salinity tolerance is highly desirable to sustain alfalfa production in marginal lands that have been rendered saline. In this study, we used a diverse panel of 198 alfalfa accessions for mapping loci associated with plant growth and forage production under salt stress using genome-wide association studies (GWAS). The plants were genotyped using genotyping-by-sequencing (GBS). A greenhouse procedure was used for phenotyping four agronomic and physiological traits affected by salt stress, including dry weight (DW), plant height (PH), leaf chlorophyll content (LCC), and stomatal conductance (SC). For each trait, a stress susceptibility index (SSI) was used to evaluate plant performance under stressed and non-stressed conditions. Marker-trait association identified a total of 42 markers significantly associated with salt tolerance. They were located on all chromosomes except chromosome 2 based on the alignment of their flanking sequences to the reference genome (*Medicago truncatula*). Of those identified, 13 were associated with multiple traits. Several loci identified in the present study were also identified in previous reports. BLAST search revealed that 19 putative candidate genes linked to 24 significant markers. Among them, B3 DNA-binding protein, Thiaminepyrophosphokinase and IQ calmodulin-binding motif protein were identified among multiple traits in the present and previous studies. With further investigation, these markers and candidates would be useful for developing markers for marker-assisted selection in breeding programs to improve alfalfa cultivars with enhanced tolerance to salt stress.