USDA scientists frequently collaborate with scientists from other countries around the globe on shared problems. Recently, Sidney Agricultural Research Service Soil Scientist Upendra Sainju traveled to China to collaborate on ways to optimize nitrogen fertilization rates and straw/plastic mulching to conserve soil water and sustain winter wheat yields in the Loess Plateau in central China.
He will discuss his visit and joint research in the latest BrownBagger presentation by the USDA-ARS Northern Plains Agricultural Research Laboratory (NPARL). The event is set for Friday, March 20, from noon – 1 pm, and is open to the public.
Dr. Sainju visited China as part of a cooperative research effort with Chinese scientist, Dr. Jun Wang, who had previously visited the Sidney laboratory in 2012 to study nitrogen carbon cycling.
According to Dr. Sainju, like here, nitrogen fertilizer is used widely to increase crop production in China, but excessive fertilization can degrade soil and environmental quality by increasing soil acidity, nitrogen leaching, and nitrous oxide emissions, a potent gas that contributes to global warming. Similarly, mulching is used to conserve soil water and enhance crop yields in dryland cropping systems in the Loess Plateau in central China. His talk will be focused on reducing N fertilization rates and the proper type of mulch to conserve dryland soil water while maintaining winter wheat yield.
In addition to his research discussion, Dr. Sainju will also share some of the sights and sounds of China he discovered during his trip.
Bring your lunch and join us for this informative scientific travelogue. We’ll provide the treats!
NPARL’s 2015 BrownBagger series is held in the lab’s Tech Transfer Room on Fridays, from noon to 1 p.m. The lab is located at 1500 N. Central Avenue in Sidney, MT.
Remaining speakers in the 2015 BrownBagger series include:
March 27 – Ashok Alva, NPARL Soil Scientist, “Nutrient and Irrigation Best Management Practices for Potato”
April 3 – Lance Vermiere, ARS Range Ecologist, Miles City, MT, TBA
For more information, contact Beth Redlin at 406-433-9427.
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