Central Kansas Research Articles

Distinguishing Abiotic from Biotic Stressors in Perennial Grain Crops: Nutrient Deficiency Symptoms in Silphium integrifolium and Thinopyrum intermedium

Perennial grains have been proposed as a soil-healthy alternative to annual grains. Intermediate wheatgrass (Thinopyrum intermedium), whose seed is currently sold under the trade name Kernza®, and silflower (Silphium integrifolium), which is in the early stages of domestication at The Land Institute in Central Kansas, lack characterization for their deficiency symptoms. This has complicated attempts to assess the causes of visible stress on plants in the field and the greenhouse. By growing Th. intermedium and S. integrifolium in a set of hydroponic solutions, each containing all but one selected nutrient—including nitrogen, phosphorous, potassium, calcium, magnesium, sulfur, iron, boron, zinc, copper, molybdenum, and manganese—we were able to assess the effects of twelve different nutrient deficiencies across the two species. Visible symptoms were described and documented via photographs. The effects of the deficiencies on height, leaf biomass, root biomass, gas exchange and photosynthesis (silflower), and resin production (silflower) were measured. Calcium, nitrogen, and potassium were found to alter growth responses in intermediate wheatgrass; in silflower, growth, resin production, and photosynthetic traits were affected by many nutrient deficient treatments. Our results suggest that further work addressing how symptoms might look at the time of flowering, seed production, and in the field at different concentrations of key nutrients would help ongoing plant-breeding efforts.

Acoustic indices are responsive to local-scale but not landscape-scale agricultural land use

Agricultural land use shapes biodiversity patterns. In the literature, land use and land cover at both local and landscape scales has been shown to be important to understanding variation in biodiversity in agricultural systems including measures of occupancy, abundance, and diversity, with landscape scale processes moderating local patterns. The relative role of these processes in explaining variation in acoustic indices, an increasingly frequent measure of biological and environmental change, remains unknown. To address this gap, we recorded acoustic data by passive sampling for two months across 39 farms in central Kansas, USA with automated recording units. We used these data to calculate eight different acoustic indices. We found that acoustic indices were associated with local land use composition (within 100 m) but not landscape composition (within 1000 m). These data suggest that passive acoustic monitoring may be used explain how local land use shapes the soundscape and perhaps biodiversity, but future research should seek to understand the lack of response to landscape variation.

Correlative ecological niche model applications to predicting landscape-scale woody plant encroachment in Kansas tallgrass prairie systems.

Woody plant encroachment (WPE) in grassland ecosystems has been a pervasive process across the Great Plains, yet a predictive understanding of where it will occur has been elusive. As an exploration of tools of potential utility in this challenge, we mapped WPE processes over the years 2015-2021 in a set of 9 counties in central Kansas. We developed and tested two correlative models based on landscape features: one that assessed distribution of evergreen trees in 2015, and another that assessed areas of WPE in succeeding years. Both models were successful, being able to predict 2015 forest distributions and being able to predict WPE during 2015-2021, as functions of characteristics of landscapes. These simple, correlative models will certainly not be able to predict WPE processes globally, or even regionally, but provide first proof-of-concept explorations for the central Great Plains region.

East Central Kansas Experiment Field: Field Station Weather Reports: 2023 Growing Season

East Central Kansas Experiment Field: Field Station Weather Reports: 2023 Growing Season

Wheat Variety Test Results for South Central Kansas – 2023

Wheat Variety Test Results for South Central Kansas – 2023

Can deciduous tree revetments reduce streambank erosion rates on a sand‐bed stream?

AbstractAccelerated streambank erosion can threaten infrastructure and land, as well as water quality and aquatic habitats. Streambank stabilization techniques have been developed with the intent to reduce or halt streambank erosion. One such technique is the use of woody revetments. This case study evaluates the effectiveness of deciduous tree revetments on stabilizing streambanks on the Smoky Hill River, a low‐gradient, sand‐bed stream located in central Kansas in the United States. It was hypothesized that deciduous tree revetments would mimic bank protection processes of permeable‐type spurs, capturing sediment and reducing velocities and shear stresses near the toe of the streambank. To test this hypothesis, cross‐sectional dimensions of four streambanks were obtained before and after installation of tree revetments and compared to four natural, control streambanks (i.e., not stabilized) over a 5‐year period. Rates of bank erosion were calculated and compared. This study found that, in its current design form, deciduous tree revetments were not effective at reducing bank erosion, as all sites had experienced revetment failures by the end of the study period. Furthermore, the installation of tree revetments accelerated bank erosion rates following revetment failure. Increased bank erosion was attributed to both the construction disturbance, as well as improper anchoring of the revetment. The results of this case study show the importance of collecting bank stratigraphic data and incorporating it, as well as expected flow scenarios, in numerical modelling tools to assess designs and adjust accordingly. While conducting these analyses upfront may result in higher design costs, long‐term maintenance or replacement costs would be decreased.

Maize planting date and maturity in the US central Great Plains: Exploring windows for maximizing yields

Region-specific guidelines for maize in the US Great Plains are needed to account for variability in farmer practices and inherent soil and climate differences. Therefore, it becomes critical to define environment tailored management strategies for maize crop to improve and sustain yields over time. The aims of this study were to: i) define homogenous maize yield environments classified as related to the maximum yield and its stability over time in the US central Great Plains region; ii) explore the combinations of planting date and hybrid maturity that lead to optimal yield for each of the previously defined homogenous maize yield environments; and iii) identify environments presenting different windows for maximizing yields (combinations of planting date by hybrid maturity). Hybrid maturity (growth cycle) by planting date combinations were explored at 70 sites within central and eastern Kansas and northern Oklahoma (herein defined as the US central Great Plains region) using 30 years of historical weather data. In addition to the analysis of an extensive maize field dataset, a crop growth model, Agricultural Production Systems Simulator (APSIM), was utilized to evaluate the crop yield and phenology of all hybrid maturity by planting date combinations to define environment tailored management strategies. The simulated yields were spatially clustered based on attainable yield and stability over time to delimit more homogeneous productivity environments. Overall, greater yields were attained with long-maturing hybrids (comparative relative maturity, CRM, 101 and 115). Delaying the planting date from April to mid-May decreased yield in eastern environments. Moreover, late planting maintained yields and increased stability in central environments. For central Kansas and Oklahoma, anticipation of physiological maturity date (3–16 days) with reduced yield penalties (<5%) were possible by using short-season hybrid maturities (CRM 85). Future scenarios for intensification could be explored in those environments presenting more windows for maximizing yields, either with early planting and harvest dates or via late planting providing time for a short crop before maize. Adoption of more region-specific guidelines for maize management could help to optimize yield and its stability over time and seek further opportunities to diversify risk and intensify our current maize-based farming systems in the US central Great Plains.

Infection and Recurrence Rates in Rural Inguinal Hernia Repair.

Inguinal hernia repair (IHR) is a common procedure performed by general surgeons in rural community hospitals. Infection and recurrence rates for three types of IHR over two years at a rural Kansas hospital were analyzed. Previous research has shown outcomes regarding pain at six weeks were typically no different, and neither were long-term results, between open and laparoscopic techniques. However, there were fewer data showing the outcomes of these three hernia repair approaches in rural settings. This was a retrospective, cross-sectional study using data collected from the electronic medical record (EMR) of a small hospital in central Kansas. Data from adult patients who had undergone IHRs over a two-year period (2018-2019) were deidentified and described using frequencies and percentages. This study used multi-variate logistic regression to examine the association of patient, surgeon, and surgical procedure characteristics on the occurrence of post-operative complications. Of the patients who received IHR, 46 were male and 5 were female. Mean age was 66 years, with a minimum of 34 and maximum ≥ 89 years. There were 14 total post-operative complications; two were superficial infections. There were no recurrences. The sample size for each procedure type was too small to allow for statistical testing. However, the hospital had no recurrences. Future research should follow-up with this and other rural hospitals and perform a direct comparison of hernia surgery outcomes with those at a larger, more urban hospital, to understand potential differences by hospital size.

Community assembly of prairie farm ponds: build it and they will come, stock it and they won't

Dam construction affects freshwater ecosystems worldwide. While there is much focus on large impoundments, farm ponds are overlooked despite their near-ubiquity across human-altered landscapes. Within the Great Plains of North America, there are millions of farm ponds, yet little is known about the fish communities and factors structuring them. We propose a conceptual model where fish, amphibian, and crayfish abundances differ along a pond size and water permanency gradient and are further influenced by interactions among species. In the summer of 2021, we sampled 100 farm ponds across central Kansas, primarily on private land. Pond size and permanency explained community structure with smaller and less permanent ponds being dominated by amphibians and crayfish while larger ponds were dominated by stocked sportfish. Distribution modeling revealed a negative correlation between stocked fish and other community components indicating potential interactions. If we are to conserve headwater stream species, especially those that are threatened or endangered, strategies that integrate farm ponds seem necessary given their prevalence on the landscape.

Using a New Cenozoic Glacial History Paradigm to Explain Saline-Smoky Hill River Drainage Divide Area Topographic Map Evidence: Kansas, USA

A recently proposed glacial history paradigm (new paradigm) explains previously ignored Saline-Smoky Hill River drainage divide area topographic map drainage system and erosional landform evidence by headward erosion of the east-oriented Saline River valley across large and prolonged south-oriented meltwater floods which flowed in complexes of closely-spaced anastomosing channels. The eastward sloping drainage divide extends from the Saline River&amp;rsquo;s western Kansas headwaters between the Saline River (north) and the Smoky Hill River (south) until in central Kansas the Smoky Hill River turns in a southeast and then north direction to join the Saline River with their combined flow continuing as the Smoky Hill River in an east direction to join the Republican River with the combined flow then becoming the Kansas River. Evidence for closely-spaced south-oriented anastomosing channels consists of previously undescribed low points (divide crossings) which are found along the drainage divide and which link north-oriented Saline River tributaries with south-oriented Smoky Hill River tributaries. Evidence that Saline River valley headward erosion beheaded and reversed south-oriented anastomosing channels also consists of the numerous low points along the drainage divide and of barbed tributaries to the now north-oriented Saline River tributaries which suggest large south-oriented meltwater floods extended much further west than commonly accepted glacial history interpretations permit. The topographic map evidence is consistent with the new paradigm interpretation that a thick continental icesheet by its weight and by deep erosion created and occupied a deep &amp;ldquo;hole&amp;rdquo; as massive south-oriented meltwater floods flowed across the rising deep &amp;ldquo;hole&amp;rdquo; rim until the deep &amp;ldquo;hole&amp;rdquo; rim uplift diverted the floodwaters toward what became the deep &amp;ldquo;hole&amp;rsquo;s&amp;rdquo; only remaining southern outlet (the Mississippi River valley).

Nitrogen and Phosphorus Rates’ Impact on Different Varieties of Alfalfa in Central Kansas

Nitrogen and Phosphorus Rates’ Impact on Different Varieties of Alfalfa in Central Kansas

Wheat Variety Test Results for South Central Kansas - 2022

Wheat Variety Test Results for South Central Kansas - 2022

Alfalfa water productivity and yield gaps in the U.S. central Great Plains

Yield gap (Yg) analyses using farmer-reported yield and management data have been performed for a number of annual grain crops, but it lacks for perennial forages. The U.S. accounts for 21 % of the global alfalfa production with a large rainfed area located in the central Great Plains, serving as an interesting case-study for Yg in perennial forages. Most existing alfalfa Yg analyses quantified the magnitude of the Yg but failed to identify associated management practices to reduce it. Challenging this analysis, a systematic benchmark for alfalfa water productivity [WP, kg dry matter per mm evapotranspiration (ETc)] that allows for the quantification of Yg in farmer fields does not exist. Our objectives were to (i) benchmark alfalfa WP, (ii) quantify Yg in alfalfa farmer fields, and (iii) identify management opportunities to improve alfalfa yield. We conducted a systematic review of literature and compiled a database on alfalfa yield and ETc (n = 68 papers and 1027 treatment means) from which a WP boundary function was derived. We collected management and yield data from 394 commercial rainfed alfalfa fields during 2016–2019 in central Kansas. We then used satellite imagery to define the growing season (and corresponding water supply) for each field. The boundary function was then used to calculate Yg of each field, and conditional inference trees (CIT) explored the impact of management practices associated with increased yield. Our boundary function suggested an alfalfa WP of 34 kg ha-1 mm-1. Farmer-reported yield ranged from 0.9 to 19.0 Mg ha-1, averaging 7.6 Mg ha-1. Alfalfa water-limited yield potential (Yw) ranged from 11.1 to 23.2 Mg ha-1, resulting in an average yield gap of 54–60 % of Yw. Row spacing, seeding rates, and management of phosphorus fertilizer were major agronomic practices explaining alfalfa yields in farmer fields, followed by surrogate variables as sowing season, stand age, and soil pH. Our study provided the first systematic analysis estimating attainable alfalfa WP as function of ETc, suggesting that large alfalfa Yg exist in the U.S. central Great Plains. We also identified key agronomic practices associated with increased alfalfa yield. The WP here derived can be used for future studies aiming at quantifying alfalfa Yg across the globe. This was an initial step in quantifying Yg and its associated causes at farmer fields, and we highlight limitations and future directions for perennial forages yield gap analyses.

Washed Ashore – New Elasmosaurid Specimens (Plesiosauria: Sauropterygia) from the Late Cretaceous of Colorado and Kansas and Their Bearing on Elasmosaurid Lineages of the Western Interior Seaway

A partial elasmosaurid plesiosaur skeleton (DMNH V.90000) recovered from the Juana Lopez Member, Carlile Shale of southeastern Colorado is stratigraphically unique. The contextual occurrence of the ‘Juana Lopez elasmosaur’ is rare both in terms of geologic age (late Middle Turonian) and paleoecology (littoral shore deposit). The skeletal anatomy contains diagnostic characters of an ‘intermediate’ grade of derivation although the paucity of material prevents formal naming of a new taxon. Another partial elasmosaurid skeleton (UNSM 50134, also known as the ‘Holyrood elasmosaur’) from the Lincoln Limestone (Middle Cenomanian), Greenhorn Limestone of central Kansas is similarly unique in terms of context. The ‘Holyrood elasmosaur’ also occurs in littoral shore deposits and possesses a unique suite of plesiomorphic characters previously undocumented within Elasmosauridae of the Western Interior Seaway. Dimensional data for vertebrae and appendicular elements leads to a refined generalization that there are minimally three lineages of elasmosaurids present in the Western Interior Seaway; a plesiomorphic group (equidimensional mid-cervical centra, elongate podials), a group intermediate in morphology (elongate mid-cervicals, equidimensional podials), and a derived group (highly elongate mid-cervicals, foreshortened podials). The plesiomorphic group is represented by UNSM 50134 (Holyrood elasmosaur), a new genus and species described herein (Plesioelasmosaurus walkeri, gen. et sp. nov.). Gastroliths are present with both specimens, reinforcing the prevalence of silicic stones routinely occurring within elasmosaurid partial skeletons, and the link of elasmosaurid ecology to nearshore environments. Shared plesiomorphic limb traits among early (Cenomanian) representatives of both elasmosaurid and polycotylid lineages may serve as an indicator of shared heritage (Xenopsaria) and subsequent convergent evolution of foreshortened limb elements.

First reproductive evidence for the Slender Glass Lizard (Ophisaurus attenuatus) in Nebraska

The Slender Glass Lizard (Ophisaurus attenuatus) reproduces across parts of northern and central Kansas, but its distribution extends into southern Nebraska. In Nebraska, not a single aspect of reproductive activity has been reported for this species in the state. Herein, we report on the first documentation of reproduction in Nebraska. On 22 September 2021, we captured two hatchling Slender Glass Lizards at the Ash Grove Wildlife Management Area in Franklin County, Nebraska. We calculated that those individuals likely hatched around the first week of September. Presence and reproduction of Slender Glass Lizards at the study site likely was associated with ungrazed grasslands. Although Slender Glass Lizards were listed as extinct in the state prior to 2009 due to a lack of sightings for decades, a few recent observations have been reported in southern counties bordering Kansas. In Nebraska, additional surveys and studies are required to better understand the distribution and requirements for this species of conservation need in the state. Keywords: Grassland, hatchling, Nebraska, Ophisaurus attenuatus, reproduction, Slender Glass Lizard

Cover Crop Grazing Effects on Soil Compaction Indicators in Western and Central Kansas

Grazing cover crops (CCs) on no-till (NT) croplands in western and central Kansas could increase the profitability of crop production in these water-limited environments. However, little information exists about potential soil compaction associated with grazing CCs in these cropping systems. From 2019 to 2021, two studies investigated the effects of grazing CCs on soil bulk density and penetration resistance in NT cropping systems. At the Kansas State University HB Ranch near Brownell, KS, CCs grazed with yearling heifers were compared to ungrazed CCs and fallow under NT or occasional tillage (OT). In another study, CCs grazed with yearlings or cow-calf pairs were compared to ungrazed CCs across seven site-years on producer fields in western Kansas (Alexander and Hays) and central Kansas (Marquette 1 and 2). Soil bulk density and penetration resistance measurements were made at the time of subsequent grain crop planting following CCs. At Brownell, CC management, tillage, and their interaction had no significant effect (P > 0.05) on soil bulk density. Across years, bulk densities with fallow, ungrazed CCs, and grazed CCs were 1.11, 1.15, and 1.15 g/cm3at the 0- to 2-inch soil depth, respectively. Soil bulk densities with NT and OT were 1.14 and 1.14 g/cm3 at the 0- to 2-inch soil depth, respectively. Similarly, CC grazing had no significant effect on soil bulk density and penetration resistance across the seven on-farm sites-years. At the western Kansas locations, soil bulk density averaged 1.23 g/cm3 at the 0- to 2-inch soil depth with grazed or ungrazed CCs. At the central Kansas locations, soil bulk density averaged 1.31 and 1.36 g/cm3 at the 0- to 2-inch soil depth for grazed and ungrazed CCs, respectively. Bulk density measured at 2- to 6-inch depth was not different between grazed and ungrazed CC in either study. At Alexander, penetration resistance was 0.52 and 0.52 MPa with grazed and ungrazed CCs, respectively. Penetration resistance was 0.36 and 0.34 MPa with grazed and ungrazed CCs, respectively, at Marquette 1. Results showed that grazing CCs never increased soil bulk density or penetration resistance compared to ungrazed CCs. Based on these findings, grazing CCs on NT fields can be a strategy for producers to balance profitability and soil health.

Increasing Winter Wheat Grain Yield by Replicating the Management Adopted in High-Yielding Commercial Fields

Large winter wheat yield gaps between farmer yields and yield potential in the southern Great Plains indicate the need to improve recommendations of best management strategies to profitably bridge this gap. Many studies have been completed on individual management factors pre-determined by the individual researcher, but we are not aware of studies comparing combination of practices that producers are currently using, which would be more relevant for real-world scenarios. Our objective was to determine the yield gains resulting from management intensification using combination of practices currently adopted in commercial wheat fields. Four management intensities (i.e., Low, Average, High, and Top) were derived from a survey of 656 commercial fields, and replicated in trials conducted in four and six locations in western and central Kansas. Management intensities were tested factorially on two adapted varieties. Grain yield in central Kansas ranged from 45.5 bu/a in the Low management intensity to 69.3 bu/a in the High and Top intensities, with the Average management increasing yields by 30% as compared to the Low intensity, and the High management increasing yields 18% from the Average. The variety WB4269 outyielded Zenda (63.2 and 58.7 bu/a) across central environments. In western Kansas, there was a significant variety by management interaction, where wheat yield increased from the Low and Average intensities to the High and Top intensities (72.8–78.9 to 90.7–96.0 bu/a). The WB-Grainfield and KS Dallas varieties produced similar yields in the western environments. Using similar management practices as the producers with high-yield results in central and western Kansas narrowed the yield gap, and further increases in management intensification were not warranted. Variety selection played an important role either by increasing attained yields or by interacting with management practices.

2021 Fertilizer Weather Station Report

This report includes the annual summary of precipitation from 2021 at the research locations represented in the 2022 field report and further details about the Kansas River Valley locations and the east central Kansas locations.

Abstracts for the 40th emergencies in medicine conference

Abstracts for the 40^th emergencies in medicine conference

Field Station Weather Reports

This report includes the annual summary of precipitation from 2021 at the research locations represented in the 2022 field report and further details about the Kansas River Valley locations and the east central Kansas locations.