Grant E. Cardon

Utah State University | USU · Department of Plants, Soils and Climate

Technologically advanced management of plants growing in soils can be greatly benefited by properly performed soil, water, and plant tissue analysis. But how accurate and precise does this data need to be? And, how well are our laboratories performing for each of the various tests that are performed? This article provides an assessment of soil anal...

The carpenter’s adage of “measure twice and cut once” is an important one in most things we do. But how precise is the tape measure capable of providing that information? In plant tissue analysis, we need to have an understanding of what is realistic with regard to the precision provided by laboratories and not attempt to interpret the results to a...

Small grains are commonly grown in rotation following alfalfa (Medicago sativa) in Utah and the Intermountain West, especially during drought years as they require less irrigation than corn (Zea mays). Several studies have shown that corn following alfalfa rarely needs N fertilizer, yet few have evaluated the N needs of small grains. Objectives of...

Tillage type/timing and herbicide application date may change the amount and timing of N mineralization, altering fertilizer N needs for first‐year corn (Zea mays L.) following glyphosate (N‐(phosphonomethyl)glycine)‐resistant (GR) alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.). Studies were conducted in 2012 and 2013 in Utah. Yield, quality, and economic return of...

Soil security is a multifaceted framework that considers soil as an integral part of addressing societal concerns towards global environmental challenges. Soil health assessments are tools that can be used to integrate knowledge about and social interest in soil resource sustainability. Appropriate interpretation of soil health assessments require...

The relative contributions to N leaching in turfgrass systems from over irrigation, over fertilization, N form, and soil texture, require characterization. In this study, water transport parameters were calibrated using an inverse simulation with a Kentucky bluegrass landscape. Subsequently those parameters were applied to simulate water use by tal...

Small grain forages are commonly grown following alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) in Utah and the Intermountain West, especially during drought years as small grains require less irrigation than corn (Zea mays L.). Several studies have shown that corn following alfalfa rarely needs N fertilizer, yet few have evaluated N needs of small grains grown for...

Application of glyphosate (N‐(phosphonomethyl) glycine)‐containing herbicides and tillage, alone or in combination, has been the standard for removing declining alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) stands. With glyphosate no longer an option to control glyphosate‐resistant alfalfa, different termination strategies are needed. Field studies across four site...

This paper is an Extension Fact Sheet covering the topic of things to consider when rotating from alfalfa to corn including tillage, herbicide applications, and nitrogen fertilizer rate.

Standard commercial soil tests typically quantify nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, pH, and salinity. These factors alone are not sufficient to predict the long-term effects of management on soil health. The goal of this study was to assess the effectiveness and use of simple physical, biological, and chemical soil health indicator tests that can be...

Including drought-tolerant crops, such as quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa Willd.), in rotation could benefit growers facing increased water shortages in the western United States. Yet, there are limited varieties available and varietal response to irrigation rate has not been described. To address this, a line-source irrigation trial was conducted with...

Native American tribes have been cultivating peaches [Prunus persica (L.) Batsch] since their introduction to North America in the 1600s. In the American Southwest, peach orchards derived from centuries of seed selections have been maintained in relative isolation from commercial cultivars. These Native American peach selections may be better adapt...

We investigated if salt tolerance can be inferred from observable cues based on a woody species’ native habitat and leaf traits. Such inferences could improve species selection for urban landscapes constrained by soils irrigated with reclaimed water. We studied the C3 tree species Acer grandidentatum Nutt. (canyon maple; xeric-non-saline habitat) t...

Soil salinization is of great concern in the irrigated arid and semi-arid western U.S. due to its threat to sustainable agricultural productivity and thus is closely monitored. The measurement of electrical conductivity in saturated paste extracts (ECe) is the standard to which other salinity estimation methods are referenced. Since this method is...

Federal Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) 319 Program funds were obtained to educate landowners on how to make improvements on their farms that would help keep manure and P-laden sediments out of the Beaver River Watershed in Utah.The primary objective of this study was to employ an integrative evaluative tool (long-term monitoring of soil P...

Glyphosate containing herbicides are a common and highly effective method to terminate alfalfa stands. With the development of glyphosate resistant alfalfa, this tool is no longer an option. The purpose of this research was to determine the best combination of termination methods to rotate from glyphosate resistant alfalfa into silage corn. Studies...

In the arid and semiarid western United States, accurate measurement of soil salinity by electrolytic conductivity can be a challenge due to the formation of ion pairs in the high ionic strength soil solutions that affect estimates of the total quantity of ions in solution. Continued underestimation of total dissolved solids (TDS) threatens the lon...

In arid and semiarid regions, calibrating bulk soil salinity sensing technologies such as electromagnetic induction (EMI) relies on the assumption of uniformity of all soil factors influencing the reading, except soil salinity, to create a calibration model. When potentially perturbing factors are non-homogeneous or interact in a non-systematic way...

A recent water quality report recognized concentrations of salts and selenium above total maximum daily loads (TMDLs) in the Pariette Wetlands located in the Uintah Basin, Utah. Since the wetlands are located in the Pacific Migratory Flyway and frequented by numerous water fowl, the elevated levels of total dissolved solids and Se are of concern. T...

Recent work with apples has shown that supplemental phosphorus (P) and potassium (K) improve fruit quality under high crop load conditions when conventional soil tests would indicate sufficiency. Fruit producers in Utah are interested in whether or not a similar positive response could be obtained for tart cherries (Prunus cerasus ‘Montmorency’). D...

Manure management and increased soil phosphorus levels are issues faced by many dairy farmers. A method to reduce the phosphorus content of dairy lagoon effluent is needed to allow continued effluent application for nitrogen and irrigation water without exceeding the phosphorus needs of the crop. This study examined the feasibility of using electri...

Manure management and increased soil phosphorus levels are issues faced by many dairy farmers. A method to reduce the phosphorus content of dairy lagoon effluent is needed to allow continued effluent application for nitrogen and irrigation water without exceeding the phosphorus needs of the crop. This study examined the feasibility of using electri...

Land application of biosolids has been shown to benefit degraded rangeland; however, soil metal accumulation has been a concern. To date, nine heavy metals found in land applied biosolids are regulated by the United States Environmental Protection Agency. Concern increases when application rates exceed the agronomic rate. The objective of this stud...

Strawberries (Fragaria × ananassa Duch.) are a high value crop well suited to local small-acreage production for direct sales. However, low tolerance to alkaline and saline conditions often limits where they can be grown. A rapid method for tolerance screening would be useful for identifying cultivars suited to the marginal soil conditions found in...

Application of irrigation water, especially through flood or furrow methods can have profound impacts on soil morphological, chemical, and physical properties. Using a variety of field and laboratory techniques, we examined the impact of both acidic and alkaline irrigation water on a host of soil properties in the San Luis Valley of southern Colora...

Electrical conductivity (EC) methods were tested using combinations of surrogate irrigation (SI) waters, soil salinity levels, and soils ground or retaining aggregates. The EC varied in low-salinity soils saturated with SI; the sum of the baseline ECe and SI EC were not equal to the measured EC. The baseline ECe and the SI EC sum in the high‐salini...

A model is introduced that utilizes geographic information systems (GIS) to predict relative reductions in crop yield due to salinity and waterlogging at a field-scale by incorporating spatially and temporally variable crop, climatic, and irrigation data to simulate crop yields. This model utilizes soil and water data commonly collected in field-sc...

Electromagnetic instruments are increasingly being used for in situ analysis and mapping of soil salinity in irrigated soils. This study develops calibration models for salinity assessment over regional scales on the order of tens of thousands of hectares. These models relate apparent soil electrical conductivity measured with the EM-38 electromagn...

Public subsidies for promoting the adoption of water-conserving on-farm irrigation technologies are frequently cited as means for making additional water available for higher-valued uses in the water-scarce western United States. On the basis of an agroeconomic model reflecting conditions in northeastern Colorado, hypothetical conservation subsidy...

The potential for wind erosion in South Central Colorado is greatest in the spring, especially after harvesting of crops such as potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) that leave small amounts of crop residue in the surface after harvest. Therefore it is important to implement best management practices that reduce potential wind erosion and that we understa...

A water-crop simulation/mathematical programming model of irrigation water demand in northeastern Colorado is formulated to develop an original concept of derived demand for consumptive use of water. Conventional demand functions for water deliveries are also developed, and the effect of hypothetical price increases on both consumption and delivery...

Cross-linked polyacrylamide (CLP) has a number of well-established industrial and household uses due to its high water absorbency. Industry has promoted the usage of CLP as a soil water conservation amendment and as a reservoir for plant available water that is helpful in alleviating plant stress during periods of drought. The purpose of this resea...

Manganese solubility has become a primary concern in the soils and water supplies in the Alamosa River basin, Colorado due to both crop toxicity problems and concentrations that exceed water quality standards. Some of the land in this region has received inputs of acid and trace metals as a result of irrigation with water affected by acid mine drai...

Of water withdrawn for agricultural crop irrigation, a portion is consumed and the remainder comes back to the hydrologic system as return flows. Previous models of irrigation water demand have mostly focused on the change in withdrawals in response to price changes, even though knowledge of the response of consumptive use is often more significant...

Tension infiltrometers are widely used to measure soil hydraulic properties at soil potentials near saturation in the field. Current methods of hydraulic property analysis using tension infiltrometers rely on secondary measurements of soil water content and/or use of a specific hydraulic conductivity (K(h)) form. In this paper, design criteria and...

Air-pocket tensiometers with pressure transducer sensors are used widely in routine monitoring of soil water potential and in studies of soil water movement. Air temperature fluctuations in the exposed head space of the tensiometer can cause large air pressure changes leading to misinterpretation of the soil water potential. Treating the tensiomete...

Estimates of the effects of alternative discrete irrigation water scheduling options on consumptive use or evapotranspiration and on crop yield are developed for a northeastern Colorado case study. The analysis proceeds from the premise that farmers, rather than considering irrigation water as a continuously variable input, tend to treat irrigation...

High concentrations of B and Se found in some arid environments are detrimental to sustainable agriculture. Vegetation management may be a remediation strategy designed to reduce soil B and Se concentrations to nontoxic levels. Two separate field experiments were conducted to study B and Se uptake in four different plant species grown in soil conta...

The heat dissipation soil matric potential sensor (SMPS) has many desirable features for the simultaneous measurement of soil matric potential and temperature. The physical equipment and data processing methodology for the calibration of the SMPS are described which quantify and control the sources of calibration error. Equipment is described for t...

High concentrations of boron (B) and selenium (Se) naturally found in the environment are detrimental to sustainable agriculture in the western USA. Greenhouse pot experiments were conducted to study B and Se uptake in three different plant species; Brassica juncea (L.) Czern (wild brown mustard), Festuca arundinacea Schreb. L. (tall fescue), and B...

A greenhouse study was designed to obtain detailed temporal salt and water distribution data under fluctuating shallow saline water table conditions, and compared simulated and observed data. The model's calculations for water content and salinity agreed well with the observed distributions. Willmott's d index (a statistical index of agreement betw...

Dry ashing and wet acid digestion of selected plant tissues were conducted and evaluated for their effectiveness in the spectrophotometric determination of boron (B) using the Azomethine‐H method. In dry ashing, two parameters were varied: ashing aids and length of oxidation period. In wet acid digestion, two different mineral acids were used and t...

The advantages of the new model are: 1) the treatment of temporal variation in potential transpiration (TP) and rooting depth and distribution, 2) the adjustment of TP based on feedback from simulated crop water uptake, 3) the provision for treating growth-stage-specific crop tolerance to salinity and water stress, and 4) the provision for multisea...

The two root water uptake terms tested were: 1) a mechanistic equation based on Darcy's law (type I), and 2) an empirical equation relating soil water potential to relative water uptake (Type II). The Type I term was insensitive to salinity where no reduction in transpiration was shown for increasing irrigation water salinity from 0.0 to 6.0 dS/m a...

High concentration of boron (B) and selenium (Se) found in the environment may be detrimental to the sustainability of agriculture in regions of the western USA. Boron and Se uptake by wild mustard ( Brassica juncea (L Czern & Coss.) and tall fescue ( Festuca arundinacea Schreb. L. ) was investigated under greenhouse conditions in thermic typic tor...

Many irrigated lands in semi-arid regions of the world are underlain with saline high water tables. Water management is critical to maintain crop productivity under these conditions. A multi-seasonal, transient state model was used to simulate cotton and alfalfa production under various irrigation management regimes. The variables included in-seaso...