Soil Fertility

Miscanthus x giganteus (miscanthus) is an emerging bioenergy crop with growing interest in Maryland as an alternative poultry bedding material. This extension bulletin outlines the development of soil fertility recommendations based on the review of current literature for miscanthus production in Maryland. Author's: Brian Kalmbach, Gurpal Toor, and David Ruppert. Title: Soil Fertility Recommendations-Nitrogen, Phosphorus, and Potassium Requirements of Miscanthus (EB-443).

Precision agriculture allows modern producers to manage within fields rather than managing the whole field.¹‚² By integrating global positioning systems (GPS), variable rate (VR) application equipment, and geographic information systems (GIS), farmers are allowed increased efficiency. However, prior to using VR equipment, accurate maps of yield-limiting factors must be created.³,⁴,⁵5 Nutrients in any field vary due to topography, soil properties and past management (manure application patterns, crop history, etc.). To account for this variability, farmers will need more than one soil sample in each field (Figure 1a). A more intensive sampling scheme must be performed, through either grid or zone sampling. Looking to the future, on-the-go sensors, whether attached to tractors or unmanned aerial vehicles, may also increase accuracy and decrease the cost of soil sampling. Authors: Jarrod O. Miller and Craig W. Yohn; Title: Precision Soil Sampling Helps Farmers Target Nutrient Application (FS-1046)