Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Productivity of Great Plains Soils: Past, Present, and Future

  • Chapter
Conservation of Great Plains Ecosystems: Current Science, Future Options

Part of the book series: Ecology, Economy & Environment ((ECEE,volume 5))

Abstract

Soils are products of the interaction of climate, organisms, time, topography, parent material, and human intervention in management. Soil properties of the Great Plains have been predominantly shaped by the climate variable. However, cultivation and grazing pressures in the region have been significant factors in the most recent 150 years. Soil management, as it interacted with climate and soils, has affected the region’s productivity; the effects of those management practices will continue to affect soil productivity in the future.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 169.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 219.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 219.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Preview

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

References

  • Aandahl, A. R. 1982. Soils of the Great Plains. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Anderson, F. N., and G. A. Peterson. 1973. Effects of continuous corn (Zea mays L.), manuring, and nitrogen fertilization on yield and protein content of the grain and on the soil nitrogen content. Agronomy Journal 65:697–700.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Blevins, R. L., M. S. Smith, and G. W. Thomas. 1984. Changes in soil properties under no-tillage. In No-tillage agriculture, ed. R. E. Phillips and S. H. Phillips. New York: Van Nostrand-Reinhold.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cole, C. V., I. C. Burke, W. J. Parton, D. S. Schimel, D. S. Ojima, and J. W. B. Stewart. 1988. Analysis of historical changes in soil fertility and organic matter levels of the North American Great Plains. In Challenges in dryland agriculture, proceedings of the International Conference on Dryland Farming, Aug. 15–19, Amarillo, Texas.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cole, C. V., J. W. B. Stewart, D. S. Ojima, W. J. Parton, and D. S. Schimel. 1989. Modelling land use effects of soil organic matter dynamics in the North American Plains. In Ecology of arable land, ed. M. Clarholm and L. Bergstrom. Netherlands: Kluwer Academic Publishers.

    Google Scholar 

  • Duley, F. L., and J. C. Russel. 1939. The use of crop residues for soil and moisture conservation. Agronomy Journal31:703–709.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Greb, B. W. 1979. Reducing drought effects on croplands in the west-central Great Plains. USDA-ARS Information Bulletin 420. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service.

    Google Scholar 

  • Haas, H. J., C. E. Evans, and E. F. Miles. 1957. Nitrogen and carbon changes in Great Plains soils as influenced by cropping and soil treatments. USDA Technical Bulletin 1164. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hanway, D. G. 1976. Cultural advances in integrated dryland production systems. In Conservation tillage: Proceedings of Conservation Tillage Workshop, Ft. Collins, Colorado, Aug. 10–12. Great Plains Agricultural Council Bulletin 77. Fort Collins, Colorado.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hobbs, J. A., and C. A. Thompson. 1971. Effect of cultivation on the nitrogen and carbon contents of a Kansas Argiustoll. Agronomy Journal 63:66–68.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jenny, H. 1941. Factors of soil formation. New York: McGraw-Hill Book Co.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lamb, J. A., G. A. Peterson, and C. R. Fenster. 1985. Wheat fallow tillage systems’ effect on a newly cultivated grassland soils’ nitrogen budget. Soil Science Society of America Journal 49:352–356.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Lueking, M. A., and J. S. Schepers. 1985. Changes in soil carbon and nitrogen due to irrigation development in Nebraska’s Sandhill soils. Soil Science Society of America Journal 49:626–630.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • McGee, E. A. 1992. Water use and storage efficiency in no-till dryland agroecosystems. M.S. thesis, Colorado State University, Ft. Collins, Colorado.

    Google Scholar 

  • Melsted, S. W. 1954. New concepts of management of Corn Belt soils. Advances in Agronomy 6:121–142.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Metherell, A. K. 1992. Simulation of soil organic matter dynamics and nutrient cycling in agroecosystems. Ph.D. dissertation, Colorado State University, Ft. Collins, Colorado.

    Google Scholar 

  • Olson, R. A., J. H. Muir, R. W. Wesely, G. A. Peterson, and J. S. Boyce. 1974. Accumulation of inorganic nitrogen in soils and waters in relation to soil and crop management. In Effects of agricultural production on nitrates in food and water with particular reference to isotope studies. AEA-PL-539/3. Atomic Energy Agency, Vienna, Austria.

    Google Scholar 

  • Parton, W. J., B. McKeown, V. Kirchner, and D. Ojima. 1992. Users guide for the CENTURY model. Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado.

    Google Scholar 

  • Peterson, G. A., and D. J. Vetter. 1971. Soil nitrogen budget of the wheat-fallow area. Farm, Ranch, and Home Quarterly 17(Winter):23–25.

    Google Scholar 

  • Peterson, G. A., and D. G. Westfall. 1990. Sustainable dryland agroecosystems. In Conservation tillage: Proceedings, Great Plains Conservation Tillage Symposium. Great Plains Agricultural Council Publication 131. Bismark, North Dakota: Great Plains Agricultural Council.

    Google Scholar 

  • Peterson, G. A., D. G. Westfall, and A. D. Halvorson. 1992. Economics of dryland crop rotations for efficient water and nitrogen use. In Proceedings of the Great Plains Soil Fertilizer Conference, March 3–4, Denver, Colorado.

    Google Scholar 

  • Power, J. F., and R. J. K. Myers. 1989. The maintenance or improvement of farming systems in North America and Australia. In Soil quality in semiarid agriculture: Volume I, ed. J. W. B. Stewart, proceedings of an International Symposium on Soil Quality, June 11–16, Saskatoon, Canada.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sander, D. H., and G. A. Peterson. 1968. Western Nebraska wheat protein content dropping. Farm, Ranch, and Home Quarterly 15(2):10–11.

    Google Scholar 

  • Stewart, B. A. 1990. Limits, bounds, and future of conservation tillage in the Great Plains. In Conservation tillage: Proceedings, Great Plains Conservation Tillage Symposium. Great Plains Agricultural Council Publication 131. Bismark, North Dakota: Great Plains Agricultural Council.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tiessen, H., J. W. B. Stewart, and J. R. Bettany. 1982. Cultivation effects on the amounts and concentrations of carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus in grassland soil. Agronomy Journal 74:831–835.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Weakly, H. E. 1962. History of drought in Nebraska. Journal of Soil and Water Conservation 17:271–274.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wicks, G. A., and D. E. Smika. 1973. Chemical fallow in a winter wheat-fallow rotation. Journal of the Weed Science Society of America 21:97–102.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Wood, C. W., D. G. Westfall, G. A. Peterson, and I. C. Burke. 1990. Impacts of cropping intensity on carbon and nitrogen mineralization under no-till dryland agroecosystems. Agronomy Journal 82:1115–1120.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Wood, C. W., D. G. Westfall, and G. A. Peterson. 1991. Soil carbon and nitrogen changes on initiation of no-till cropping systems. Soil Science Society of America Journal 55:470–476.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Colorado State University, USA

    G. A. Peterson

  2. U.S. Department of Agriculture, USA

    C. V. Cole

Authors
  1. G. A. Peterson
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. C. V. Cole
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Center for Agricultural and Rural Development, Iowa State University, Ames, USA

    S. R. Johnson

  2. World Bank, Washington, DC, USA

    Aziz Bouzaher

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 1995 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Peterson, G.A., Cole, C.V. (1995). Productivity of Great Plains Soils: Past, Present, and Future. In: Johnson, S.R., Bouzaher, A. (eds) Conservation of Great Plains Ecosystems: Current Science, Future Options. Ecology, Economy & Environment, vol 5. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-011-0439-5_20

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-011-0439-5_20

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht

  • Print ISBN: 978-94-010-4196-6

  • Online ISBN: 978-94-011-0439-5

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation