Department of Agronomy and Horticulture

Andrea Basche in a field of cover crop planted into corn stubble

Cover Crop Research Team Receives Nebraska Environmental Trust Grant

June 3, 2019
Three agronomy faculty have been awarded a grant to develop a decision-support tool for the successful incorporation of cover crops into Nebraska cropping systems.

Read more

Interns Share Research Results from Field Studies and Extension Experience

February 14, 2018
Seven Experiential Learning Fellows in a USDA-funded program at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln spent their summer 2017 working with scientists, reviewing and conducting research, and developing Extension education to convey research findings to growers for field application. This article describes the program and links to their articles on timely topics from cover crops to soil management.

Read more

High-C char residue after sugarbeet processing

Using High-Carbon Char as a Soil Amendment to Improve Soil Properties

February 13, 2018
Can a residue from sugarbeet processing in western Nebraska be used to increase soil carbon? Researchers share the first year of data examining the effects on soil carbon and soil physical properties from using high-C char.

Read more

Chart of tillage effects on CO2

Long-term Tillage and Soil CO2 Fluxes

February 13, 2018
How do different tillage systems affect CO2 and what factors contribute to fluxes? These were the questions addressed by students and agronomists studying long-term tillage and no-till plots in eastern Nebraska.

Read more

Rye cover crop
Rye cover crop

Rain-Fed Corn Growth and Development Following Cover Crops in 2017

February 13, 2018
Researchers in south central Nebraska examined potential effects of planting rye and a rye-mix cover crop following wheat and prior to corn in rain-fed conditions. Based on their findings, they offer two take-home messages for cover crop growers.

Read more

3 Online Mini-Courses on Plant Breeding and Genetics

February 8, 2018
This spring the university's Department of Agronomy and Horticulture is offering three advanced online mini-courses on plant breeding and genetics as part of its professional certificate program.

Read more

Chart showing tiller numbers of two varieties of indiangrass

Does Seeding Rate Affect Establishment-Year Growth and Long-term Forage Yield of Indiangrass?

February 5, 2018
Recent improvements in forage yield and nutritive value of indiangrass, along with its wide range of adaptation should increase its use in bioenergy and forage production, conservation practices, and reclamation projects in the central Great Plains. This study tested five seeding rates with two varieties — 'Oto' and 'NE 54' — and the effects on dry matter production

Read more

Sweet sorghum
Researchers have identified the sweet sorghum as a potential ethanol feedstock crop on non-irrigated farmland in western Nebraska. (Craig Chandler)

Researchers Explore Economic Potential for Sweet Sorghum in Dryland Production

January 25, 2018
One University team is exploring sweet sorghum ethanol as a future income source for dryland agriculture in western Nebraska, while another is looking at how to improve sorghum yields to make it a more sustainable source for biofuel production.

Read more