Report on a review of the Pesticide Bureau of the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship for the period July 1, 2007 through June 30, 2010

Report on a review of the Pesticide Bureau of the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship for the period July 1, 2007 through June 30, 2010

Report on a review of selected application controls over the University of Northern Iowa General Ledger System for the period of June 22, 2011 through August 4, 2011

Report on a review of selected application controls over the University of Northern Iowa General Ledger System for the period of June 22, 2011 through August 4, 2011

Effects of traffic control on the soil physical quality and the cultivation of sugarcane

The cultivation of sugarcane with intensive use of machinery, especially for harvest, induces soil compaction, affecting the crop development. The control of agricultural traffic is an alternative of management in the sector, with a view to preserve the soil physical quality, resulting in increased sugarcane root growth, productivity and technological quality. The objective of this study was to evaluate the physical quality of an Oxisol with and without control traffic and the resulting effects on sugarcane root development, productivity and technological quality. The following managements were tested: no traffic control (NTC), traffic control consisting of an adjustment of the track width of the tractor and sugarcane trailer (TC1) and traffic control consisting of an adjustment of the track width of the tractor and trailer and use of an autopilot (TC2). Soil samples were collected (layers 0.00-0.10; 0.10-0.20 and 0.20-0.30 m) in the plant rows, inter-row center and seedbed region, 0.30 m away from the plant row. The productivity was measured with a specific weighing scale. The technological variables of sugarcane were measured in each plot. Soil cores were collected to analyze the root system. In TC2, the soil bulk density and compaction degree were lowest and total porosity and macroporosity highest in the plant row. Soil penetration resistance in the plant row, was less than 2 MPa in TC1 and TC2. Soil aggregation and total organic carbon did not differ between the management systems. The root surface and volume were increased in TC1 and TC2, with higher productivity and sugar yield than under NTC. The sugarcane variables did not differ between the managements. The soil physical quality in the plant row was preserved under management TC1 and TC2, with an improved root development and increases of 18.72 and 20.29 % in productivity and sugar yield, respectively.

Report on a special investigation of the City of Dexter for the period July 1, 2004 through August 31, 2010

Report on a special investigation of the City of Dexter for the period July 1, 2004 through August 31, 2010

Soil uses during the sugarcane fallow period: influence on soil chemical and physical properties and on sugarcane productivity

The planting of diversified crops during the sugarcane fallow period can improve the chemical and physical properties and increase the production potential of the soil for the next sugarcane cycle. The primary purpose of this study was to assess the influence of various soil uses during the sugarcane fallow period on soil chemical and physical properties and productivity after the first sugarcane harvest. The experiment was conducted in two areas located in Jaboticabal, São Paulo State, Brazil (21º 14' 05'' S, 48º 17' 09'' W) with two different soil types, namely: an eutroferric Red Latosol (RLe) with high-clay texture (clay content = 680 g kg-1) and an acric Red Latosol (RLa) with clayey texture (clay content = 440 g kg-1). A randomized block design with five replications and four treatments (crop sequences) was used. The crop sequences during the sugarcane fallow period were soybean/millet/soybean, soybean/sunn hemp/soybean, soybean/fallow/soybean, and soybean. Soil use was found not to affect chemical properties and sugarcane productivity of RLe or RLa. The soybean/millet/soybean sequence improved aggregation in the acric Latosol.

Reaudit report on the Iowa Association of School Boards, in Des Moines, Iowa for the period July 1, 2008 through June 30, 2009

Reaudit report on the Iowa Association of School Boards, in Des Moines, Iowa for the period July 1, 2008 through June 30, 2009

Report on a special investigation of the Burlington Community School District and the Parent Teacher Organization at Grimes Elementary School for the period August 1, 2009 through June 30, 2011

Report on a special investigation of the Burlington Community School District and the Parent Teacher Organization at Grimes Elementary School for the period August 1, 2009 through June 30, 2011

Report on a special investigation of the Department of Natural Resources’ Honey Creek Resort for the period October 1, 2010 through October 20, 2011

Report on a special investigation of the Department of Natural Resources’ Honey Creek Resort for the period October 1, 2010 through October 20, 2011

Water infiltration in an ultisol after cultivation of common bean

Water infiltration in the soil is an important hydrological process that occurs at the interface of the soil-atmosphere system; thus, the soil management practice used has a strong influence on this process. The aim of this study was to evaluate water infiltration in the soil and compare equations for estimating the water infiltration rate in an Ultisol after harvesting common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) under simulated rainfall. Field tests with a rainfall simulator were carried out in three soil management systems: minimum tillage (MT), conventional tillage (CT), and no tillage (NT). In NT, four levels of plant residue on the soil surface were evaluated: 0, 3, 6, and 9 t ha-1. The models of Kostiakov-Lewis, Horton, and Philip were used to estimate the infiltration rate. In the MT system, the final infiltration rate was 54 mm h-1, whereas in the CT and NT systems with up to 3 t ha-1 of plant residue on the soil surface, the rate was near 17 mm h-1. In addition, the results indicated that in the NT system the infiltration rate increased with plant residue coverage greater than 6 t ha-1, i.e., there was a positive correlation between plant cover and the water infiltration rate. The Horton model was the most suitable in representing the water infiltration process in the soil. Therefore, this model can be recommended for estimation of this variable regardless of the soil tillage system used.

Report on the Iowa Lottery Authority for the period July 1, 2002 through June 30, 2010

Report on the Iowa Lottery Authority for the period July 1, 2002 through June 30, 2010

Physical-hydraulic properties of a sandy loam typic paleudalf soil under organic cultivation of 'montenegrina' mandarin (Citrus deliciosa Tenore)¹

Citrus plants are the most important fruit species in the world, with emphasis to oranges, mandarins and lemons. In Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, most fruit production is found on small properties under organic cultivation. Soil compaction is one of the factors limiting production and due to the fixed row placement of this crop, compaction can arise in various manners in the interrows of the orchard. The aim of this study was to evaluate soil physical properties and water infiltration capacity in response to interrow management in an orchard of mandarin (Citrus deliciosa Tenore 'Montenegrina') under organic cultivation. Interrow management was performed through harrowing, logs in em "V", mowing, and cutting/knocking down plants with a knife roller. Soil physical properties were evaluated in the wheel tracks of the tractor (WT), between the wheel tracks (BWT), and in the area under the line projection of the canopy (CLP), with undisturbed soil samples collected in the 0.00-0.15, 0.15-0.30, 0.30-0.45, and 0.45-0.60 m layers, with four replicates. The soil water infiltration test was performed using the concentric cylinder method, with a maximum time of 90 min for each test. In general, soil analysis showed a variation in the physical-hydraulic properties of the Argissolo Vermelho-Amarelo distrófico arênico (sandy loam Typic Paleudalf) in the three sampling sites in all layers, regardless of the management procedure in the interrows. Machinery traffic leads to heterogeneity in the soil physical-hydraulic properties in the interrows of the orchard. Soil porosity and bulk density are affected especially in the wheel tracks of the tractor (WT), which causes a reduction in the constant rate of infiltration and in the accumulated infiltration of water in this sampling site. The use of the disk harrow and mower leads to greater harmful effects on the soil, which can interfere with mandarin production.

Soil water erosion under different cultivation systems and different fertilization rates and forms over 10 years

The action of rain and surface runoff together are the active agents of water erosion, and further influences are the soil type, terrain, soil cover, soil management, and conservation practices. Soil water erosion is low in the no-tillage management system, being influenced by the amount and form of lime and fertilizer application to the soil, among other factors. The aim was to evaluate the effect of the form of liming, the quantity and management of fertilizer application on the soil and water losses by erosion under natural rainfall. The study was carried out between 2003 and 2013 on a Humic Dystrupept soil, with the following treatments: T1 - cultivation with liming and corrective fertilizer incorporated into the soil in the first year, and with 100 % annual maintenance fertilization of P and K; T2 - surface liming and corrective fertilization distributed over five years, and with 75 % annual maintenance fertilization of P and K; T3 - surface liming and corrective fertilization distributed over three years, and with 50 % annual maintenance fertilization of P and K; T4 - surface liming and corrective fertilization distributed over two years, and with 25 % annual maintenance fertilization of P and K; T5 - fallow soil, without liming or fertilization. In the rotation the crops black oat (Avena strigosa ), soybean (Glycine max ), common vetch (Vicia sativa ), maize (Zea mays ), fodder radish (Raphanus sativus ), and black beans (Phaseolus vulgaris ). The split application of lime and mineral fertilizer to the soil surface in a no-tillage system over three and five years, results in better control of soil losses than when split in two years. The increase in the amount of fertilizer applied to the soil surface under no-tillage cultivation increases phytomass production and reduces soil loss by water erosion. Water losses in treatments under no-tillage cultivation were low in all crop cycles, with a similar behavior as soil losses.

Agreed upon procedures report on the Iowa Sheep and Wool Promotion Board for the period July 1, 2009 through June 30, 2011

Agreed upon procedures report on the Iowa Sheep and Wool Promotion Board for the period July 1, 2009 through June 30, 2011

Report on a review of selected application controls over the Iowa Department of Transportation’s Driver’s License System for the period May 2, 2011 through May 27, 2011

Report on a review of selected application controls over the Iowa Department of Transportation’s Driver’s License System for the period May 2, 2011 through May 27, 2011

Report on a special investigation of the Sunrise Sunset Daycare of the Southeast Warren Community School District for the period September 1, 2010 through September 26, 2011

Report on a special investigation of the Sunrise Sunset Daycare of the Southeast Warren Community School District for the period September 1, 2010 through September 26, 2011