Producers and landowners in Illinois, we need your help tracking down sites to resample soils that were originally sampled as far back as 1899. Resampling would provide us with up to a 120+ year time series to provide insights to soil change. Map here:

Accounting for water-extractable organic P (Po) in anion-exchange resin membrane extraction (AEM) of soils: AEM extracts Po, and using bicarbonate instead of H2SO4 or HCl as the eluent increases Po recovery (less hydrolysis) → less Po underestimation https://t.co/1twhWu2wIR

How long of soil test P drawdown do we have in soils globally? About 10 years on average, 1.5-2x longer in Midwest. New piece led by Rich McDowell, with data from the Morrow Plots @ACESIllinois @UofIllinois https://t.co/jFfZ3AnLEW

New study: does particle size influence the lower N and P leaching from struvite (5-28-0; 3% soluble) relative to MAP (12-52-0; 95% soluble)? Yes, and N loss reductions are lesser than for P. Granular forms more effective at reducing losses: https://t.co/lyyS2XZtNq @IllinoisNrec

Growing potatoes in Illinois: University of Illinois guidance from 95 years ago holds well today.

Evidence for soil "metabolism": differences in protein vs chitin degradation pathways for organic N compounds and mixtures between soils with contrasting 145 year management histories https://t.co/TaxeYt2Lcc

Pretty clear differences in corn in year 149 of the Morrow Plots as a function of (i) inputs within a rotation (NPK showing up as green squares relative to yellow squares of unfertilized), and (ii) crop rotation effects, across input treatments @UofIllinois @ACESIllinois

"Legacy P in the US Midwest": a synthesis on knowns and unknowns of P enrichment across the soil-water continuum, in Advances in Agronomy. https://t.co/FF9L19jus6

New in A&EL: ☕ What limits robusta #coffee yields in the Ecuadorian Amazon? @ajmargenot, @jordon_wade & team used LASSO regression to compare soil and leaf nutrients across management systems to find the best yield predictors. 🔗 https://t.co/v0IUIDRciG

Paper now out in @ScienceAdvances “Soil carbon formation is promoted by saturation deficit and existing mineral-associated carbon, not by microbial carbon- use efficiency” with @NoahSokol https://t.co/XtmcgD5der

What does this mean? We may be underestimating fertilizer PUE even when the difference method yields positive values.

Does how we measure P use efficiency (PUE) matter? Yes; by *a lot*. PUE estimated indirectly by difference (crop P uptake with vs without P fertilizer) gives lower, and sometimes negative, PUE values than when determined directly by radioisotope labeling. https://t.co/ZGMeyZPt4z

A little over two months later

The study takes place at the #MorrowPlots, the oldest experimental ag field in the U.S. 📷 Historical photos included below offer a rare glimpse into the legacy of this iconic site. @ajmargenot @IllinoisCropSci

New in Geoderma: "Lithology and bioclimate impacts on soil organic phosphorus speciation and the relationship between phosphatase and organic phosphorus in California temperate forest" by Suwei Xu, Chunhao Gu [...] Andrew J Margenot. https://t.co/gB6dMoec4V @UofIllinois @CalPoly

PERSPECTIVE Does the C:N:P 1:1:1 Ratio Hold? Examining Log‐Transformation Bias in Enzyme Stoichiometry 📄 https://t.co/ERfjWjSQdz

Long-term (>100 yr) experiments offer valuable insights to soil change under ag practices, but were designed before modern stats. How to navigate experimental design issues? Here we showcase an approach using the Morrow Plots in year 145 for SOC stocks: https://t.co/0nra42JKDU

Research scientist position in our group now available. Experience in P biogeochemistry is preferred, but not essential. Large focus will be on stable and radioactive isotopes for evaluating soil-water-crop C, N, P and S transfers. https://t.co/JXcYlWSywm @sustainILLINOIS

Earthworm burrows and middens

60 cm depth cross section

Oats in year 149 of the Morrow Plots.