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.)

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):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., Ren, S., Rutto, L., Githinji, 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):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.

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. 1-13. https://doi.org/10.1002/jeq2.70060.

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)

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)

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)