Field and greenhouse experiments were conducted in 1996 and 1997 to evaluate the effects of integrating conservation tillage and cover cropping on broccoli production as well as agroecological parameters. A field experiment was conducted during 1996-97 at the Oregon State University Horticulture Research farm near Corvallis, OR. The specific objectives...
Legume cover crops can serve as important sources of nitrogen (N) in sustainable agriculture and can be economically beneficial when fertilizer inputs are reduced without a yield reduction. Synchronizing N mineralization from organic materials with the needs of the subsequent crop is a challenge for organic growers.
Predicting plant available...
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John M. Luna
Legume cover crops can serve as important sources of nitrogen (N) in
Five field experiments were conducted to evaluate the relative attractiveness of potential beneficial insectary plants to aphidophagous hover flies and parasitic Hymenoptera and the effectiveness of interplanting selected flowering plants in a broccoli field to enhance biocontrol of the cabbage aphid and green peach aphid. In 1996 we established a...
In the canyon grasslands of Garden Creek Ranch Preserve in Idaho, where the threatened plant Silene spaldingii occurs and invasion by the exotic species Centaurea solstitialis and Bromus tectorum is proceeding rapidly, I examined environmental and community patterns of site invasion, and evaluated the apparent influence of invasion on Silene...
The gravel aquifer of the Oregon side of Walla Walla River Basin has a strong hydrologic connection to surface water through a series of springs, unlined irrigation canals, the Walla Walla River, numerous wells and, since 2004, artificial recharge to the shallow aquifer using infiltration basins. The finite element Integrated...
Krascheninnikovia lanata (winterfat) is a valuable forage species with an
average of 10% crude protein during winter when there are few nutritious options for
livestock and wildlife. However, excessive grazing throughout the west has negatively
impacted survival of winterfat stands. We hypothesized that four years rest from
dormant season livestock...
Pergamasus quisquiliarum Canestini is a polyphagous predatory mite that has been shown to feed on the economically important arthropod, Scutigerella immaculata Newport (Symphyla: Scutigerellidae), Collembola, Diptera larvae, Enchytraeid worms, and miscellaneous other soil organisms. This study examined the feeding behavior of P. quisquiliarum, the effects of cover cropping and tillage...
This research is concerned with the current debate among Oregonians on how to improve the standard of living and accelerate economic development in Oregon. The main question is what economic activities make Oregon, and regions within Oregon grow? To find out where Oregon's economic strength and weaknesses lie, first we...
Many agricultural sustainability issues are related to biological processes which are central to the ecological function of soils. Soil physical properties are the architecture in which these processes are carried out. Cover crops hold promise as one of the techniques which can ameliorate poor soil structure and improve bulk density...
