Crop, Soil Nutrient, and Soil Health Responses within Integrated Crop and Livestock Systems

Authors

Alyssa K. Hall, University of Nebraska-LincolnFollow

First Advisor

Daren D. Redfearn

Committee Members

Marty Schmer, Meghan Sindelar, Nathan Conner

Date of this Version

8-2025

Document Type

Dissertation

Citation

A dissertation presented to the faculty of the Graduate College at the University of Nebraska in partial fulfillment of requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy

Major: Agronomy and Horticulture

Under the supervision of Professor Daren D. Redfearn

Lincoln, Nebraska, August 2025

Comments

Copyright 2025, Alyssa K. Hall. Used by permission

Abstract

We evaluated the influences of grazing livestock on crop production, soil nutrients, and soil health indicators of integrated crop livestock systems using three experiments during a seven-yr. period. Objectives were to (1) determine livestock grazing and cropping system effects on crop yield and soil properties across six yr. in corn-soybean (C-S) and wheat-corn-soybean (W-C-S) systems with and without periodic composted manure application, (2) explore seasonal variation in soil nutrient patterns over two yr., and (3) measure residual responses for corn grain yield plus soil health indicators in yr. seven following a six-yr. study. In experiment 1, neither livestock grazing (p ≥ 0.1261) nor cropping system (p ≥ 0.1640) affected corn, soybean or wheat grain yield or soil properties after six yr. During the final yr. of the experiment, soil biology biomass was greater in the three-crop system compared with the two-crop systems (p < 0.0001). For experiment 2, all soil properties varied seasonally across two yr. (p < 0.0001), except soil organic matter (SOM) (mean 4.18%, p = 0.1975). However, seasonal differences were not attributed to livestock grazing (p ≥ 0.1489) or cropping system (p ≥ 0.1884). Most soil nutrients decreased over the two-yr. experiment, with greater variability for soil nitrogen and soil pH. In experiment 3, corn grain yield was 2.2 Mg ha-1 greater for the W-C-S rotation with manure than either the W-C-S rotation without manure or the C-S rotation (p < 0.0001). The W-C-S rotation with manure had greater soil aggregate stability, SOM, and active carbon with soil phosphorus and potassium concentrations also greater (P ≤ 0.0947). Soils for these three experiments had silty clay loam textures with comparatively high SOM (mean 3.61%) over the seven years of study. This likely buffered changes in crop production, and many soil properties due to livestock grazing and cropping system in the short term (< 6 yr.). Consequently, soils with SOM like our experiments may respond more slowly than low SOM soils.

Advisor: Daren D. Redfearn