Magruder Plots

Last updated
Magruder Plots
Magruder-Plot-Plague.jpg
Magruder Plot Plaque
USA Oklahoma location map.svg
Red pog.svg
LocationPayne County, Oklahoma
Nearest city Stillwater, Oklahoma
Coordinates 36°7′1″N97°5′15″W / 36.11694°N 97.08750°W / 36.11694; -97.08750 Coordinates: 36°7′1″N97°5′15″W / 36.11694°N 97.08750°W / 36.11694; -97.08750
Built1892
NRHP reference # 79002018 [1]
Added to NRHPAugust 29, 1979

The Magruder Plots are experimental winter wheat field plots at Oklahoma State University established in 1892. They are the third longest running such field trial in the United States, following the Morrow Plots established in 1876 at the University of Illinois (on corn), and the Sanborn Field established in 1888 at the University of Missouri (on grain crops and forage). They are examples of long-term experiments.

Wheat Cereal grain

Wheat is a grass widely cultivated for its seed, a cereal grain which is a worldwide staple food. The many species of wheat together make up the genus Triticum; the most widely grown is common wheat.

Morrow Plots historic agricultural research fields at the University of Illinois, USA

The Morrow Plots is an experimental agricultural field at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Named for Professor George E. Morrow, it is the oldest such field in the United States and the second oldest in the world. It was established in 1876 as the first experimental corn field at an American college and continues to be used today, although with three plots of much reduced size, instead of the original ten half-acre lots. The site was designated a National Historic Landmark on May 23, 1968. The fields are managed by the College of Agricultural, Consumer, and Environmental Sciences.

University of Missouri American public state university

The University of Missouri is a public, land-grant research university in Columbia, Missouri. It was founded in 1839 as the first public institution of higher education west of the Mississippi River. The state's largest university, it enrolled 30,870 students in 2017 and offered over 300 degree programs in 21 academic divisions. It is the flagship campus of the University of Missouri System, which also has campuses in Kansas City, Rolla, and St. Louis. There are more than 300,000 MU alumni living worldwide with over one half residing in Missouri.

Boundaries of Plots indicated by pink posts. Note unfertilized "check" area in center of photo denoted by lack of stubble Magruder Plot 3.jpg
Boundaries of Plots indicated by pink posts. Note unfertilized "check" area in center of photo denoted by lack of stubble
Photo taken April 2, 2015. Note unfertilized plot to right, clearly showing yellowed wheat growth compared to fertilized on left Magruder plot.jpg
Photo taken April 2, 2015. Note unfertilized plot to right, clearly showing yellowed wheat growth compared to fertilized on left

Originally planted in the fall of 1892 by A. C. Magruder, first professor of agriculture at Oklahoma A & M (now Oklahoma State University), these plots were established to obtain information on the ability of the soil to continue to produce good yields of wheat without fertilization. [1] [2]

Researchers have conducted hundreds of experiments comparing various fertilizer treatments with manure applications and without such treatments. The plots became the center for wheat soil research in the region and provided constant data which helped farmers get maximum yield from their arid climates and naturally dry soils. [1] [2]

Changes over time

For the past 122 years there have been several changes in the Magruder Plots.

1. Between 1893 and 1898 the field was not fertilized and the yield data were taken from the 1.25 acre plot as a unit.

2. The plots were divided in the summer of 1899, and yields were taken separately from the north and south halves to allow measurement of soil variability. Between 1899 and 1929, the south half was fertilized with barnyard manure and north half left unfertilized. No commercial fertilizer was used.

3.) From 1930 to 1947 ten treatments were evaluated. Six of the ten treatments have been continued to the present. From 1930 to 1937 the check plot continued to produce near maximum yield; that was not the case from 1938 to 1947.

4.) In 1947 university officials decided that the area where the soil plots were located had to be used for space for a new dormitory. That year the soils were moved to the present location. Before the construction of the dormitory, university officials dispatched workers to carefully move the surface and immediate subsurface soils from six of the ten main plots to a location about one mile west on the OSU agronomy farm. The reddish clay subsoil under the new location was similar to the subsoil under the original plot. Dr. Horace J. Harper, agronomist in charge of the plots for 1926 to 1951, described the task of moving the soil as follows: "The top eight inches of soil was removed with a bulldozer from an area of 100 feet in length near the center of each plot and was piled on each end of that plot. The subsurface soil from 8 to 16 inches was excavated and transferred to prepared trenches dug in a east-west direction on the agronomy farm." Studies conducted on the site after the move, when compared to similar studies conducted before the soil was tampered with, have shown that moving the plots of soil did not cause significant change in their relative crop-producing capacities. No evidence has indicated that the move disturbed the soil or hindered the research value of the area, which continues to be used for its original purpose. [1] [2]

Six of the ten treatments (check since 1892, manure since 1899, P, NP, NPK, and NPKL since 1929) were moved to their present location. The response to N over P remained small over this time.

5.) From 1958-1967 wheat grain yield increased substantially as a result of applying N in addition to P.

6.) In 1968 N rates were doubled in all the treatments except the unfertilized check as a result of increased yield potential of newer varieties.

7.) From 1978-1987 this was the last period where moderate increases in grain yield were observed as a result of applying on P versus the check.

8.) From 1988 to 1994 wheat grain yield increases were first detected as a result of applying K.

After 122 years of continuous winter wheat production under conventional tillage, the check plot that has never received any fertilization continues to produce yields greater than 1 Mg/ha. Despite the decline in soil organic matter from 4 to 1% grain yields in the check continue to show slight increases, probably due to improved genetics. [1] [2] [3]

Soil organic matter (SOM) is the organic matter component of soil, consisting of plant and animal residues at various stages of decomposition, cells and tissues of soil organisms, and substances synthesized by soil organisms. SOM exerts numerous positive effects on soil physical and chemical properties, as well as the soil's capacity to provide regulatory ecosystem services. Particularly, the presence of SOM is regarded as being critical for soil functions and soil quality.

Related Research Articles

Fertilizer Substance added to soils to supply plant nutrients for a better growth

A fertilizer or fertiliser is any material of natural or synthetic origin that is applied to soils or to plant tissues to supply one or more plant nutrients essential to the growth of plants. Many sources of fertilizer exist, both natural and industrially produced.

Agricultural productivity

Agricultural productivity is measured as the ratio of agricultural outputs to agricultural inputs. While individual products are usually measured by weight, their varying densities make measuring overall agricultural output difficult. Therefore, output is usually measured as the market value of final output, which excludes intermediate products such as corn feed used in the meat industry. This output value may be compared to many different types of inputs such as labour and land (yield). These are called partial measures of productivity.

Agronomy science and technology of producing and using plants for food, fuel, fiber, and reclamation

Agronomy is the science and technology of producing and using plants for food, fuel, fiber, and land reclamation. Agronomy has come to encompass work in the areas of plant genetics, plant physiology, meteorology, and soil science. It is the application of a combination of sciences like biology, chemistry, economics, ecology, earth science, and genetics. Agronomists of today are involved with many issues, including producing food, creating healthier food, managing the environmental impact of agriculture, and extracting energy from plants. Agronomists often specialise in areas such as crop rotation, irrigation and drainage, plant breeding, plant physiology, soil classification, soil fertility, weed control, and insect and pest control.

In agriculture, green manure is created by leaving uprooted or sown crop parts to wither on a field so that they serve as a mulch and soil amendment. The plants used for green manure are often cover crops grown primarily for this purpose. Typically, they are ploughed under and incorporated into the soil while green or shortly after flowering. Green manure is commonly associated with organic farming and can play an important role in sustainable annual cropping systems.

Feedlot An array of pens for feeding livestock for human consumption

A feedlot or feed yard is a type of animal feeding operation (AFO) which is used in intensive animal farming for finishing livestock, notably beef cattle, but also swine, horses, sheep, turkeys, chickens or ducks, prior to slaughter. Large beef feedlots are called concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFO) in the United States and intensive livestock operations (ILOs) or confined feeding operations (CFO) in Canada. They may contain thousands of animals in an array of pens.

Nutrient management

Nutrient management is the science and practice directed to link soil, crop, weather, and hydrologic factors with cultural, irrigation, and soil and water conservation practices to achieve optimal nutrient use efficiency, crop yields, crop quality, and economic returns, while reducing off-site transport of nutrients (fertilizer) that may impact the environment. It involves matching a specific field soil, climate, and crop management conditions to rate, source, timing, and place of nutrient application.

In agriculture, crop yield refers to both the measure of the yield of a crop per unit area of land cultivation, and the seed generation of the plant itself. That figure, 1:3, is considered by agronomists as the minimum required to sustain human life.

A long-term experiment is an experimental procedure that runs through a long period of time, in order to test a hypothesis or observe a phenomenon that takes place at an extremely slow rate.

Cullars Rotation

The Cullars Rotation is a soil fertility experiment on the Auburn University campus in Auburn, Alabama and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The Cullars Rotation experiment, which started in 1911, is the oldest ongoing cotton fertility experiment in the United States, the oldest soil fertility experiment in the Southern United States, and the second oldest continuous cotton experiment in the world.

Old Rotation

The Old Rotation is a soil fertility experiment on the Auburn University campus in Auburn, Alabama. The Old Rotation experiment, which started in 1896, is the third-oldest ongoing field crop experiment in the United States and the oldest continuous cotton experiment in the world. It was the first experiment to show that a cotton/legume crop rotation would allow soil to support a cotton crop indefinitely. The Old Rotation is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Drill cuttings fragments of rock resulting from drilling

Drill cuttings are the broken bits of solid material removed from a borehole drilled by rotary, percussion, or auger methods and brought to the surface in the drilling mud. Boreholes drilled in this way include oil or gas wells, water wells, and holes drilled for geotechnical investigations or mineral exploration.

<i>Tithonia diversifolia</i> species of plant

Tithonia diversifolia is a species of flowering plant in the Asteraceae family that is commonly known as the tree marigold, Mexican tournesol, Mexican sunflower, Japanese sunflower or Nitobe chrysanthemum. It is native to Mexico and Central America but has a nearly pantropical distribution as an introduced species. Depending on the area they may be either annual or perennial. It has shown great potential in raising the soil fertility in soils depleted in nutrients. Originating in Mexico; research has shown its potential in benefiting poor African farmers. This plant is a weed that grows quickly and has become an option as an affordable alternative to expensive synthetic fertilizers. It has shown to increase plant yields and the soil nutrients of nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and potassium (K).

The Illinois Soil Nitrogen Test ("ISNT") is a method for measuring the amount of Nitrogen in soil that is available for use by plants as a nutrient. The test predicts whether the addition of nitrogen fertilizer to agricultural land will result in increased crop yields.

<i>Paspalum scrobiculatum</i> species of plant

Paspalum scrobiculatum, commonly called Kodo millet or Koda millet,, is an annual grain that is grown primarily in India, and also in the Philippines, Indonesia, Vietnam, Thailand, and in West Africa from where it originated. It is grown as a minor crop in most of these areas, with the exception of the Deccan plateau in India where it is grown as a major food source. It is a very hardy crop that is drought tolerant and can survive on marginal soils where other crops may not survive, and can supply 450–900 kg of grain per hectare Kodo millet has large potential to provide nourishing food to subsistence farmers in Africa and elsewhere.

Agricultural pollution

Agricultural pollution refers to biotic and abiotic byproducts of farming practices that result in contamination or degradation of the environment and surrounding ecosystems, and/or cause injury to humans and their economic interests. The pollution may come from a variety of sources, ranging from point source water pollution to more diffuse, landscape-level causes, also known as non-point source pollution. Management practices play a crucial role in the amount and impact of these pollutants. Management techniques range from animal management and housing to the spread of pesticides and fertilizers in global agricultural practices.

Phosphate rich organic manure is a type of fertilizer used as an alternative to diammonium phosphate and single super phosphate.

Manure Organic matter, mostly derived from animal feces, which can be used as fertilizer

Manure is organic matter, mostly derived from animal feces except in the case of green manure, which can be used as organic fertilizer in agriculture. Manures contribute to the fertility of the soil by adding organic matter and nutrients, such as nitrogen, that are utilised by bacteria, fungi and other organisms in the soil. Higher organisms then feed on the fungi and bacteria in a chain of life that comprises the soil food web.

Abdul Rashid, (Ph.D.), is a Pakistani agricultural scientist and Associate Professor of bioscience, who has served as Member of Biosciences of the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC) from 2008 to 2011.

CULTAN Fertilization, or Controlled Uptake Long Term Ammonium Nutrition, is a type of injection fertilization where the entire amount of nitrogen needed for a plant to grow is injected at one time. During CULTAN fertilization, nitrogen is applied at the first signs of nitrogen deficiency in plants. Fertilizer is more commonly spread on the surface of fields in either a liquid or powder form by spraying it.

Reuse of excreta Safe, beneficial use of animal or human excreta

Reuse of excreta refers to the safe, beneficial use of animal or human excreta, i.e. faeces and urine. Such beneficial use involves mainly the nutrient, organic matter and energy contained in excreta, rather than the water content. Reuse of excreta can involve using it as soil conditioner or fertilizer in agriculture, gardening, aquaculture or horticultural activities. Excreta can also be used as a fuel source or as a building material.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 National Park Service (2010-07-09). "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places . National Park Service.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Stout, Joe (September 1, 1978). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory - Nomination Form: Magruder Plots". National Park Service . Retrieved November 11, 2014. and one photo
  3. ↑ Girma, K., S. L. Holtz, D. B. Arnall, B. S. Tubana, and W. R. Raun. 2007. The Magruder Plots: Untangling the Puzzle. Agronomy Journal, Vol. 99:1191-1198
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.