Field research showed that the interaction between surface exchange processes and atmospheric boundary layer development is minimal until all snow is gone, and that it remains inhibited until the thawing front has proceeded several centimeters below the surface. These data will improve performance of weather and climate models, which have historically performed poorly during late winter and early spring. Field research identified increases in stable aggregates under reduced tillage systems, including ridge-till, as contrasted to moldboard plowing. Aggregation, and the carbon accumulation associated with it, are key components of the sustained performance of a soil under production systems. Conservation tillage adoption away from the moldboard plow system on poorly drained soils in the Minnesota River Valley resulted in poor internal drainage of the plow layer when the depth of tillage is reduced to the top 15 cm.
Detailed measurements reject the practice of full width tillage with random traffic.
There is a need to control traffic and open a drainage zone under the seeded plant in strip till or ridge till systems. We established agronomic use conditions for triadimefon, a fungicide, that will reduce the risk potential for contamination of surface and ground water. For instance, by using low rates of application in soils with typical organic matter and clay contents, triadimefon would have a low potential to leach through soil due to sorption on both the soil organic matter and clay. We now have an easy and useful technique to obtain data that are needed in pesticide transport models to better predict potential offsite movement of pesticides to surface and ground water. Many soils are boron deficient for alfalfa growth.