skip to main content
US FlagAn official website of the United States government
dot gov icon
Official websites use .gov
A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.
https lock icon
Secure .gov websites use HTTPS
A lock ( lock ) or https:// means you've safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

Explore Research Products in the PAR
It may take a few hours for recently added research products to appear in PAR search results.


  • NSF Public Access
  • Search Results
  • Water and soil management strategies and the introduction of wheat and barley to northern China: an isotopic analysis of cultivation on the Loess Plateau
Title: Water and soil management strategies and the introduction of wheat and barley to northern China: an isotopic analysis of cultivation on the Loess Plateau
ABSTRACT Studies of ‘food globalisation’ have traced the dispersal of cereals across prehistoric Eurasia. The degree to which these crops were accompanied by knowledge of soil and water preparation is less well known, however. The authors use stable isotope and archaeobotanical analyses to trace long-term trends in cultivation practices on the Loess Plateau (6000 BC–AD 1900). The results indicate that ancient farmers cultivated grains originating in South-west Asia and used distinct strategies for different species. Barley was integrated into pre-existing practices, while wheat was grown using novel soil and water management strategies. These distinct approaches suggest that the spread of prehistoric crops and knowledge about them varied by local context.  more » « less
Award ID(s):
2052932
PAR ID:
10415548
Author(s) / Creator(s):
; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ;
Date Published:
Journal Name:
Antiquity
Volume:
96
Issue:
390
ISSN:
0003-598X
Page Range / eLocation ID:
1478 to 1494
Format(s):
Medium: X
Sponsoring Org:
National Science Foundation
More Like this
  1. ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; (, Agronomy Journal)
    Michael Kaiser (Ed.)
    By influencing soil organic carbon (SOC), cover crops play a key role in shaping soil health and hence the system's long‐term sustainability. However, the magnitude by which cover crops impacts SOC depends on multiple factors, including soil type, climate, crop rotation, tillage type, cover crop growth, and years under management. To elucidate how these multiple factors influence the relative impact of cover crops on SOC, we conducted a meta‐analysis on the impacts of cover crops within rotations that included corn (Zea maysL.) on SOC accumulation. Information on climatic conditions, soil characteristics, management, and cover crop performance was extracted, resulting in 198 paired comparisons from 61 peer‐reviewed studies. Over the course of each study, cover crops on average increased SOC by 7.3% (95% CI, 4.9%–9.6%). Furthermore, the impact of cover crop–induced increases in percent change SOC was evaluated across soil textures, cover crop types, crop rotations, biomass amounts, cover crop durations, tillage practices, and climatic zones. Our results suggest that current cover crop–based corn production systems are sequestering 5.5 million Mg of SOC per year in the United States and have the potential to sequester 175 million Mg SOC per year globally. These findings can be used to improve carbon footprint calculations and develop science‐based policy recommendations. Taken altogether, cover cropping is a promising strategy to sequester atmospheric C and hence make corn production systems more resilient to changing climates. 
    more » « less
  2. ; ; ; ; (, Vadose Zone Journal)
    Abstract Biofuel crops, including annuals such as maize (Zea maysL.), soybean [Glycine max(L.) Merr.], and canola (Brassica napusL.), as well as high‐biomass perennial grasses such as miscanthus (Miscanthus×giganteusJ.M. Greef & Deuter ex Hodkinson & Renvoiz), are candidates for sustainable alternative energy sources. However, large‐scale conversion of croplands to perennial biofuel crops could have substantial impacts on regional water, nutrient, and C cycles due to the longer growing seasons and differences in rooting systems compared with most annual crops. However, due to the limited tools available to nondestructively study the spatiotemporal patterns of root water uptake in situ at field scales, these differences in crop water use are not well known. Geophysical imaging tools such as electrical resistivity (ER) reveal changes in water content in the soil profile. In this study, we demonstrate the use of a novel coupled hydrogeophysical approach with both time domain reflectometry soil water content and ER measurements to compare root water uptake and soil properties of an annual crop rotation with the perennial grass miscanthus, across three growing seasons (2009–2011) in southwest Michigan, USA. We estimated maximum root depths to be between 1.2 and 2.2 m, with the vertical distribution of roots being notably deeper in 2009 relative to 2010 and 2011, likely due to the drought conditions during that first year. Modeled cumulative ET of both crops was underestimated (2–34%) relative to estimates obtained from soil water drawdown in prior studies but was found to be greater in the perennial grass than the annual crops, despite shallower modeled rooting depths in 2010 and 2011. 
    more » « less
  3. ; ; (, Journal of Soil and Water Conservation)
    The potential for healthy soils to address goals of productivity and sustainability has motivated a global soil health movement. Though this movement involves many groups, farmers’ perceptions are particularly important because they influence whether and how soil health concepts are practiced on farms. We used surveys of Michigan row crop farmers, followed by cognitive mapping exercises and interviews with a smaller subset of farmers, to describe how farmers understand, manage, and evaluate soil health. We report three key findings. First, we found that Michigan farmers believe in the benefits of soil health, but they are less certain of how to manage soil health on-farm. In particular, farmers found it challenging to evaluate how practices alter soil properties they know are important for soil health, including organic matter, compaction, and soil biology. Second, we found that most Michigan farmers are taking steps to improve the health of soils they farm, which was reflected in their current practices. Use of no-till and cover crops was especially prominent, and decisions to utilize them were motivated by yield benefits and water management. Third, we show that farmers primarily assess soil health with traditional agronomic soil tests and qualitative indicators (e.g., yield, crop coloration, and soil texture), which have strong ties to soil type. Overall, our findings emphasize that while Michigan farmers agree on the key properties and outcomes of healthy soils, they are less certain of how their management translates into improved soil health on-farm. Developing faster-responding, outcome-focused indicators as well as local benchmarks guided by soil type may motivate future adoption and retention of soil health practices. 
    more » « less
  4. ; (, Water Resources Research)
    Abstract Irrigated agriculture depends on surface water and groundwater, but we do not have a clear picture of how much water is consumed from these sources by different crops across the US over time. Current estimates of crop water consumption are insufficient in providing the spatial granularity and temporal depth required for comprehensive long‐term analysis. To fill this data gap, we utilized crop growth models to quantify the monthly crop water consumption ‐ distinguishing between rainwater, surface water, and groundwater ‐ of the 30 most widely irrigated crops in the US from 1981 to 2019 at 2.5 arc min. These 30 crops represent approximately 95% of US irrigated cropland. We found that the average annual total crop water consumption for these 30 irrigated crops in the US was 154.2 km3, 70% of which was from irrigation. Corn and alfalfa accounted for approximately 16.7 and 24.8 km3of average annual blue crop water consumption, respectively, which is nearly two‐fifths of the blue crop water consumed in the US. Surface water consumption decreased by 41.2%, while groundwater consumption increased by 6.8%, resulting in a 17.3% decline in blue water consumption between 1981 and 2019. We find good agreement between our results and existing modeled evapotranspiration (ET) products, remotely sensed ET estimates (OpenET), and water use data from the US Geological Survey and US Department of Agriculture. Our data set and model can help assess the impact of irrigation practices and water scarcity on crop production and sustainability. 
    more » « less
  5. ; ; ; ; ; ; ; (, Environmental Management)
    Abstract The adoption of conservation agriculture methods, such as conservation tillage and cover cropping, is a viable alternative to conventional farming practices for improving soil health and reducing soil carbon losses. Despite their significance in mitigating climate change, there are very few studies that have assessed the overall spatial distribution of cover crops and tillage practices based on the farm’s pedoclimatic and topographic characteristics. Hence, the primary objective of this study was to use multiple satellite-derived indices and environmental drivers to infer the level of tillage intensity and identify the presence of cover crops in eastern South Dakota (SD). We used a machine learning classifier trained with in situ field samples and environmental drivers acquired from different remote sensing datasets for 2022 and 2023 to map the conservation agriculture practices. Our classification accuracies (>80%) indicate that the employed satellite spectral indices and environmental variables could successfully detect the presence of cover crops and the tillage intensity in the study region. Our analysis revealed that 4% of the corn (Zea mays) and soybean (Glycine max) fields in eastern SD had a cover crop during either the fall of 2022 or the spring of 2023. We also found that environmental factors, specifically seasonal precipitation, growing degree days, and surface texture, significantly impacted the use of conservation practices. The methods developed through this research may provide a viable means for tracking and documenting farmers’ agricultural management techniques. Our study contributes to developing a measurement, reporting, and verification (MRV) solution that could help used to monitor various climate-smart agricultural practices. 
    more » « less
  • Citation Formats
  • MLA
  • APA
  • Chicago
  • BibTeX
  • Save / Share this Record
  • Send to Email