Research Project: Integrated Agricultural Systems for a Resilient Circular Bioeconomy in the Central Plains

Location: Agroecosystem Management Research

Publications (Clicking on the reprint icon will take you to the publication reprint.)

Soil-dependent short-term transfer of fertilizer nitrogen into microbial biomass and mineral associated organic matter - (Peer Reviewed Journal)
Rekhi, M., Daly, A.B., Gardner, B.B., Frey, S., Hildebrand, L., Schmer, M.R., Grandy, S.A. 2026. Soil-dependent short-term transfer of fertilizer nitrogen into microbial biomass and mineral associated organic matter. Geoderma. 473. Article 117959. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geoderma.2026.117959.

Warming-Induced shifts in relative humidity reshape global soil organic carbon storage - (Peer Reviewed Journal)
Li, L., Awada, T., Stone, M.C., Jin, V.L., Schmer, M.R. 2026. Warming-Induced shifts in relative humidity reshape global soil organic carbon storage. Online Publication. 1(3). Article e70038. https://doi.org/10.1002/gcb4.70038.

Prior year legumes, but not history of crop rotational diversity, increase microbial carbon use efficiency across a soil-climate gradient - (Peer Reviewed Journal)
Bowles, T., Mooshammer, M., Grandy, A., Geyer, K., Calderon, F., Culman, S., Deen, B., Dunfield, K., Jin, V.L., Lehman, R.M., Osborne, S.L., Schmer, M.R. 2026. Prior year legumes, but not history of crop rotational diversity, increase microbial carbon use efficiency across a soil-climate gradient. Soil Biology and Biochemistry. 221. Article 110230. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.soilbio.2026.110230.

Improving outcome-based conservation assessment through farm-scale modeling of nitrogen losses in continuous corn systems - (Abstract Only)

Data from: Corn and switchgrass derived sustainable aviation fuel carbon intensity - (Database / Dataset)
Ramirez Ii, S., Schmer, M.R., Jin, V.L., Mitchell, R., Stewart, C.E., Redfearn, D., Quinn, J., Maroua, A. 2026. Data from: Corn and switchgrass derived sustainable aviation fuel carbon intensity. Ag Data Commons. https://doi.org/10.15482/USDA.ADC/32034939.

Corn and switchgrass derive sustainable aviation fuel carbon intensity - (Peer Reviewed Journal)
Ramirez II, S., Schmer, M.R., Jin, V.L., Mitchell, R., Stewart, C.E., Redfearn, D., Quinn, J., Afi, M. 2026. Corn and switchgrass derive sustainable aviation fuel carbon intensity. Global Change Biology Bioenergy. 18(6). Article e70121. https://doi.org/10.1111/gcbb.70121.

Mapping the world: an open textbook on GIS and remote sensing - (Other)
Wang, R., Li, X., Husa, A. 2026. Mapping the world: an open textbook on GIS and remote sensing. Book / Chapter / eBook. https://open-spatial-science.github.io/intro-gis-rs/.

Soil microbial responses to cover crops and fertilization amendments in an organic vegetable agroecosystem - (Abstract Only)

Techno-economic analysis comparing corn and switchgrass for biofuel production on marginal land - (Abstract Only)

Soil Nitrogen Dynamics and Crop Yield Responses to Diverse Cover Crop Mixtures in a Rainfed Corn–Soybean System in Nebraska - (Peer Reviewed Journal)
Adhikari, M., Iqbal, J., Birru, G.A., Luck, J.D., Jin, V.L., Schmer, M.R., Freidenreich, A.S. 2026. Soil Nitrogen Dynamics and Crop Yield Responses to Diverse Cover Crop Mixtures in a Rainfed Corn–Soybean System in Nebraska. Agronomy Journal. 90(1). Article e70193. https://doi.org/10.1002/saj2.70193.

Effects of nitrogen fertilization and dried distillers grains plus solubles supplementation on long-term performance of growing beef steers grazing smooth bromegrass - (Peer Reviewed Journal)
Hodges, M., Mcdermott, R.L., Watson, A.K., Heil, H.A., Hanford, K., Macdonald, J.C., Erickson, G.E. 2026. Effects of nitrogen fertilization and dried distillers grains plus solubles supplementation on long-term performance of growing beef steers grazing smooth bromegrass. Applied Animal Science. 42:99-108. https://doi.org/10.15232/aas.2025-02720.

Advancing Crop Monitoring and Nutrient Estimation through Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) and Satellite Remote Sensing Data Fusion - (Abstract Only)

Dual vs single inhibitors: which strategy best mitigates nitrogen losses in coarse-textured soils? A laboratory evaluation - (Peer Reviewed Journal)
Giri, D., Jin, V.L., Luck, J., Maharjan, B., Iqbal, J. 2026. Dual vs single inhibitors: which strategy best mitigates nitrogen losses in coarse-textured soils? A laboratory evaluation. Soil Science Society of America Journal. 90. Article e70187. https://doi.org/10.1002/saj2.70187.

How cover crop mixtures of different diversity and fertilization approaches affect organic vegetable production in Florida – Part 1: Cover crop biomass production and in-season vegetable growth - (Peer Reviewed Journal)
Freidenreich, A.S., Xu, N., Vincent, I., Barro-Netto Ferreira, J., Zhao, X., Maltais-Landry, G. 2025. How cover crop mixtures of different diversity and fertilization approaches affect organic vegetable production in Florida – Part 1: Cover crop biomass production and in-season vegetable growth. HortScience. 61(1):118-119. https://doi.org/10.21273/HORTSCI19023-25.

Bromus inermis forage production and quality under long-term rotational grazing and nutrient enrichment in eastern Nebraska, U.S. - (Peer Reviewed Journal)
Shehab, H., Khorchani, M., Mazis, A., Hiller, J., Erickson, G.E., Schmer, M.R., Wardlow, B., Suyker, A., Sun, X., Freidenreich, A.S., Birru, G.A., Jin, V.L., Awada, T. 2025. Bromus inermis forage production and quality under long-term rotational grazing and nutrient enrichment in eastern Nebraska, U.S.. Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment. 400. Article 110216. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agee.2026.110216.

Manure application ameliorates soil organic carbon loss from stover removal in a 10-year no-till continuous corn system - (Peer Reviewed Journal)
Li, L., Schmer, M.R., Ramirez Ii, S., Cordova, C.S., Freidenreich, A.S., Birru, G.A., Jin, V.L., Awada, T., Ferguson, R.B., Wienhold, B.J. 2025. Manure application ameliorates soil organic carbon loss from stover removal in a 10-year no-till continuous corn system. Agronomy Journal. 117. Article e70179. https://doi.org/10.1002/agj2.70179.

Assessment of soil organic carbon in different ecosystems by using field, lab, and modeling methods - (Other)
Xu, S., Hu, J., Mahal, N., Jin, V.L. 2025. Assessment of soil organic carbon in different ecosystems by using field, lab, and modeling methods. Environments. 2025 (12):298. https://doi.org/10.3390/environments12090298.

Geographical variation in cover crop management and outcomes in continuous corn farming system in Nebraska - (Peer Reviewed Journal)
Shiferaw, A., Birru, G.A., Tadesse, T., Jin, V.L., Schmer, M.R., Awada, T., Wardlow, B., Freidenreich, A.S., Iqbal, J. 2025. Geographical variation in cover crop management and outcomes in continuous corn farming system in Nebraska. Online Publication. 15(16). Article 1776. https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture15161776.

Fall planted legume-cereal mix impacted soil properties but fall short of weed suppression in tilled and no-tilled chickpea production systems - (Peer Reviewed Journal)
Mersha, Z., Ibarra-Bautista, M., Birru, G.A., Bucciarelli, J., Githinji, L., Shiferaw, A.S., Ren, S., Rutto, L. 2025. Fall planted legume-cereal mix impacted soil properties but fall short of weed suppression in tilled and no-tilled chickpea production systems. Agronomy Journal. 15(8). Article 1893. https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy15081893.

Forage biomass estimation using UAV-based remote sensing and machine learning: A tool for assessing management practices - (Peer Reviewed Journal)
Zhao, B., Hiller, J., Awada, T., Wardlow, B., Erickson, G., Shi, Y. 2025. Forage biomass estimation using UAV-based remote sensing and machine learning: A tool for assessing management practices. Ecological Informatics. 90(2025). Article 103361. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecoinf.2025.103361.

Precision nutrient management using multi-spatial and multi-spectral images from unmanned aerial vehicle - (Abstract Only)

Remote sensing of soil organic carbon in varied tillage-crop systems - (Peer Reviewed Journal)
Zoller, A.L., Birru, G.A., Kharel, T.P., Jin, V.L., Schmer, M.R., Freidenreich, A.S., Wardlow, B., Kettler, T.A., Gala, T. 2025. Remote sensing of soil organic carbon in varied tillage-crop systems. Journal of Environmental Quality. 54:1535-1547. https://doi.org/10.1002/jeq2.70060.

UAV-based remote sensing to support long-term agricultural research - (Abstract Only)

The role of spatially varying descriptive norm nudges on public valuation of ecosystem services associated with improved soil health - (Peer Reviewed Journal)
Mavroutsikos, C., Schoengold, K., Yiannaka, A., Banerjee, S., Giannakas, K., Awada, T. 2025. The role of spatially varying descriptive norm nudges on public valuation of ecosystem services associated with improved soil health. Journal of Agricultural and Resource Economics. 04:1-27. https://doi.org/10.22004/ag.econ.356159.

Agricultural management determines the carbon intensity of SAF derived from corn or switchgrass managed on marginally productive cropland - (Abstract Only)

Intra- and inter-annual variability in the effects of nitrogen and irrigation rates on nitrate leaching and maize yield in the Bazile Groundwater Management Area of Nebraska - (Peer Reviewed Journal)
Singh, A., Rudnick, D., Snow, D., Misar, C., Birru, G.A., Proctor, C., Puntel, L., Iqbal, J. 2025. Intra- and inter-annual variability in the effects of nitrogen and irrigation rates on nitrate leaching and maize yield in the Bazile Groundwater Management Area of Nebraska. Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment. 381. Article 109463. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agee.2024.109463.

Global greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture: pathways to sustainable reductions - (Peer Reviewed Journal)
Li, L., Awada, T., Shi, Y., Jin, V.L., Kaiser, M. 2024. Global greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture: pathways to sustainable reductions. Global Change Biology. 31(1). Article e70015. https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.70015.

Ecosystem services fueled by bioenergy feedstocks - (Abstract Only)

Stacking of climate-smart conservation practices in irrigated corn: soil organic carbon stock changes - (Abstract Only)

Does grazing affect soil health in integrated crop-livestock systems - (Abstract Only)

Impact of fertilizer strategy on nitrogen (15N) transformation through crop, microbial, and mineral pools - (Abstract Only)

Impact of climate on corn production in western US corn belt using machine learning - (Abstract Only)

Crop sequence impacts horseweed (Conyza canadensis) density and productivity in oats - (Peer Reviewed Journal)
Schmer, M.R., Varvel, G.E., Swanson, S., Fann, B.T. 2024. Crop sequence impacts horseweed (Conyza canadensis) density and productivity in oats. Crop, Forage & Turfgrass Management. 10(2): Article e70014. https://doi.org/10.1002/cft2.70014.

The LTAR common experiment at platte river/high plains aquifer: cropland - (Peer Reviewed Journal)
Freidenreich, A.S., Schmer, M.R., Khorchani, M., Birru, G.A., Jin, V.L., Awada, T., Drijber, R.A., Suyker, A., Cordova, C.S., Smith, T., Kettler, T.A., Christofferson, S. 2024. The LTAR common experiment at platte river/high plains aquifer: cropland. Environmental Quality. 2024(53):939-947. https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1365-2486.2002.00498.x.

Nitrogen source regulates soil nitrification and nitrogen losses more than nitrification inhibitor and herbicide in a loamy sand soil - (Peer Reviewed Journal)
Neels, W., Jhala, A., Jin, V.L., Patel, S., Maharjan, B., Iqbal, J. 2024. Nitrogen source regulates soil nitrification and nitrogen losses more than nitrification inhibitor and herbicide in a loamy sand soil. Soil Science Society of America Journal. 88:2090-2103. https://doi.org/10.1002/saj2.20774.

Comparing soil health and fertility indicators in established long-term organic and conventional cropping systems in Eastern Nebraska - (Abstract Only)
Freidenreich, A.S., Schmer, M.R., Birru, G.A., Durso, L.M., Jin, V.L. 2024. Comparing soil health and fertility indicators in established long-term organic and conventional cropping systems in Eastern Nebraska. ASA-CSSA-SSSA Annual Meeting Abstracts.

The LTAR grazing land common experiment at Platte River High Plains Aquifer - (Peer Reviewed Journal)
Khorchani, M., Schmer, M.R., Freidenreich, A.S., Awada, T., Birru, G.A., Christofferson, S., Drijber, R., Erickson, G., Jin, V.L., McDermott, R., Suyker, A., Watson, A., Woodbury, B.L. 2024. The LTAR grazing land common experiment at Platte River High Plains Aquifer. Environmental Quality. 53:948-956. https://doi.org/10.1002/jeq2.20629.

Long-term tillage and residue removal effects on soil carbon, nitrogen, and grain yield in irrigated corn - (Peer Reviewed Journal)
Schmer, M.R., Ramirez Ii, S., Jin, V.L., Weinhold, B., Varvel, G.E., Wilhelm, W. 2024. Long-term tillage and residue removal effects on soil carbon, nitrogen, and grain yield in irrigated corn. Agronomy Journal. 116(6):2850-2861. https://doi.org/10.1002/agj2.21674.

A LCA of corn and switchgrass bioenergy feedstocks using data from a long-term study - (Abstract Only)

Impact of long-term conservation practices on ecosystem sustainability and food security in a changing climate - (Abstract Only)

A global atlas of soil viruses reveals unexplored biodiversity and potential biogeochemical impacts - (Peer Reviewed Journal)
Graham, E., Carmargo, A., Wu, R., Neches, R., Nolan, M., Paez-Espino, D., Kyrpides, N., Jansson, J., McDermott, J., Hofmockel, K., Liu, X., Rodrigues, J., Freedman, Z., Baldrian, P., Stursova, M., Deangelis, K., Lee, S., Godoy-Vitorino, F., Yeoh, Y., Cadillo-Quiroz, H., Tringe, S., Chauhan, A., Cowan, D., Van Goethem, M., Woyke, T., Dove, N., Konstantinidis, K., Juenger, T., Hart, S., Myrold, D., Onstott, T., Bohannan, B., Schmer, M.R., Palmer, N.A., Nusslein, K., Makhalanyane, T., Dynarski, K., Tas, N., Nicol, G., Hazard, C., Scully, E.D., Jain, K., Madamwar, D., Bissett, A., Constant, P., Oliveria, R., Tekacs-Vesbach, C., Cregger, M., Carrell, A., Klingeman, D., Pietrasiak, N. 2024. A global atlas of soil viruses reveals unexplored biodiversity and potential biogeochemical impacts. Nature Microbiology. 9:1873-1883. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41564-024-01686-x.

Corn or switchgrass? Land optimization for bioenergy and feedstock production in Nebraska - (Abstract Only)

Evapotranspiration of rain-fed mixed perennial grass production systems in Western Nebraska - (Abstract Only)