Priority Area: Stewarding land and water resources
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Lab to land: testing the efficacy of plant essential oils for the management of aphanomyces root rot of alfalfa in the field
Alfalfa is a vital crop for Wisconsin’s dairy farms, providing high-quality feed for cows in the form of hay and silage. However, a soilborne disease called Aphanomyces root rot poses…
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Understanding groundwater contamination and mitigation strategies in Wisconsin agriculture
Groundwater contamination is a serious issue in Wisconsin, affecting both private wells and larger aquifers that supply drinking water to the majority of residents. Some contaminants occur naturally, while others…
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Obtaining a fraction collector for water sampling from soil leachate and flow-through reactors.
Groundwater is the primary source of drinking water in Wisconsin, making it essential to understand how contaminants, such as agrichemicals, phosphates, and nitrates, travel through soil and impact water quality.…
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Vertical tillage tool for Mann Valley Farm, research and teaching
Mann Valley Farm (MVF) currently relies on conventional tillage to prepare fields for planting, but this method can lead to soil erosion, higher fuel and labor costs, and long-term damage…
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Building water monitoring infrastructure at Mann Valley Farm
Mann Valley Farm is taking an important step toward protecting water quality by installing specialized monitoring equipment to study runoff and groundwater contamination. This project is expected to establish 12…
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Instrumentation updates for monitoring water quality and soil health from basins 5, 10, and 11 at Pioneer Farm.
This project will enable equipment upgrades for monitoring water quality and soil health in hydrologic basins 5, 10, and 11. These upgrades will support paired basin research focused on determining…
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Precision manure nutrient application using a real-time near-infrared reflectance spectroscopy (NIRS) nutrient sensing technology
Manure is a vital resource in dairy systems, as it contains organic matter and essential nutrients that can be returned to crop production systems. However from a nutrient management perspective,…
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Real-time PCR based quantification of alfalfa root rot pathogen
Root rot of Alfalfa caused by Aphanomyces euteiches, an Oomycete pathogen, poses significant threat to alfalfa production in Wisconsin and many parts of the world. The pathogen infects both young…
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Ecological intensification for productivity, profitability, soil health, and carbon sequestration in the dairy-forage and cash-grain agroecosystems of the North Central US
Several farming practices (e.g., cover crops, no-till) are promoted to improve soil health, sequester carbon (SOC), and enhance crop yields and economic returns. However, the efficacy of such practices is…
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Bioconversion of whey permeate to 2,3-butanediol at bioreactor scale
Bioconversion of whey permeate (WP) to value-added compounds and materials is a key prerequisite to eliminating the burden of this waste stream on the dairy industry, and in turn, safeguarding…
