Biofuel Residue Removal Study for Greenhouse gas Reduction through Agricultural Carbon Enhancement network and Resilient Economic Agricultural Practices in Morris, Minnesota

The Biofuel Residue Removal experiment was established at Swan Lake Research farm near Morris MN in 2005. It consists of 3 separate experimental sites, one for each of three tillages—Chisel Plow, No Tillage established in 1995 and No Tillage established in 2005. Four residue removal treatments with 4 replicates were established in a corn/soybean rotation where each phase of the rotation was present each year. Each replicate has 8 plots, 4 removal treatments times 2 crops. Residue removal treatments are no removal, half removal, complete removal, and 75 % removal which was changed to cob removal in 2008. The 3 experiments have a total of 96 plots—3 tillages x 4 removal rates x 2 crops x 4 replicates. Greenhouse gas fluxes were measured from spring of 2008 through planting in 2011 in the no and complete removal plots. Root and above ground samples were taken at 75% silk (corn) or R6 (soybean) for plots where greenhouse gasses were measured. Soil samples to 1 meter were taken in 2005 and 2010. Veronica Acosta-Martinez from Lubbock TX measured enzymes and FAME from samples taken in 2008. POM was measured in 2005 and 2009. Erosivity was measured using a rotary sieve in 2011, 2012, and 2013. Corn biomass was sampled at physiological maturity and divided into above ear shank, below ear shank, and cob. It was analyzed for C and N and microwave digested for ICP analysis.