Daniel C. Brainard
A5064350786- Agronomic Practices and Intercropping Systems
- Weed Control and Herbicide Applications
- Soil Carbon and Nitrogen Dynamics
- Legume Nitrogen Fixing Symbiosis
- Insect-Plant Interactions and Control
- Plant and animal studies
- Nematode management and characterization studies
- Allelopathy and phytotoxic interactions
- Soil and Water Nutrient Dynamics
- Plant Parasitism and Resistance
- Rice Cultivation and Yield Improvement
- Irrigation Practices and Water Management
- Soil Management and Crop Yield
- Insect and Pesticide Research
- Soil and Unsaturated Flow
- Ecology and Vegetation Dynamics Studies
- Pesticide and Herbicide Environmental Studies
- Genetically Modified Organisms Research
- Insect Resistance and Genetics
- Agricultural pest management studies
- Plant nutrient uptake and metabolism
- Biological Control of Invasive Species
- Plant Physiology and Cultivation Studies
- Phytochemical Studies and Bioactivities
- Microbial Community Ecology and Physiology
Michigan State University
2015-2024
University of Kentucky
2016
Institut de Recherche en Horticulture et Semences
2008-2013
Advisory Board Company (United States)
2012
Cornell University
2004-2008
Rush University Medical Center
1849-1859
Soil organic carbon (SOC) is closely tied to soil health. However, additional biological indicators may also provide insight about C dynamics and microbial activity. We used SOC the other (potential mineralization, permanganate oxidizable C, water extractable β-glucosidase enzyme activity) from North American Project Evaluate Health Measurements examine continental-scale drivers of these indicators, relationships among effects health practices on indicator values. All had greater values at...
In the rice–wheat (RW) systems of Indo-Gangetic Plains South Asia, conservation tillage practices, including zero-tillage (ZT), are being promoted to address emerging problems such as (1) shortages labor and water, (2) declining factor productivity, (3) deterioration soil health, (4) climate change. Despite multiple benefits ZT, weed control remains a major challenge adoption, resulting in more dependence on herbicides for control. Alternative management strategies needed reduce minimize...
Aggregate stability is a commonly used indicator of soil health because improvements in aggregate are related to reduced erodibility and improved soil–water dynamics. During the past 80 90 years, numerous methods have been developed assess stability. Limited comparisons among resulted varied magnitudes response management practices influences inherent properties climate. It not clear whether selection specific method creates any advantage investigator. This study assessed four measuring...
Abstract Currently accepted pedotransfer functions show negligible effect of management‐induced changes to soil organic carbon (SOC) on plant available water holding capacity (θ AWHC ), while some studies the ability substantially increase θ through management. The Soil Health Institute's North America Project Evaluate Measurements measured content at field using intact cores across 124 long‐term research sites that contained increases in SOC as a result management treatments such reduced...
Cover crops are widely advocated for increasing soil organic carbon (SOC) levels, thereby benefiting health improvement and climate change mitigation. Few regional-scale studies have robustly explored SOC stocks under cover cropping, due to limited long-term experiments. We used the unique experimental data from North American Project Evaluate Soil Health Measurements conducted in 2019 address this issue. This study included 19 agricultural research sites with 36 pairs of cropping...
Winter annual weeds can interfere directly with crops and serve as alternative hosts for important pests, particularly in reduced tillage systems. Field experiments were conducted on loamy sand soils at two sites Holt, MI, between 2008 2011 to evaluate the relative effects of cereal rye, hairy vetch, rye–vetch mixture cover biomass density winter weed communities. All crop treatments significantly total compared a no-cover-crop control, suppression ranging from 71 91% vetch 95 98% rye. In...
Cereal–legume cover crop mixtures have the potential to combine unique strengths of component species while taking advantage interspecific synergies. However, relative proportion each in mixture is likely influence interactions and entail important tradeoffs performance. The objective this study was evaluate how proportions cereal rye ( Secale cereale L.) hairy vetch Vicia villosa Roth) sown influenced biomass production, winter annual weed suppression, survival, N 2 fixation as measured by...
Abstract Farmers, scientists, and other soil health stakeholders require interpretable indicators of hydraulic function. Determining which to use has been difficult because measurement disconformity, spatial temporal variability, recently established treatments, the effect site characteristics on management practice differences. The North American Project Evaluate Soil Health Measurements includes 124 sites uniformly sampled across a range practices in America 2019. We compare recommend...
Abstract Various soil health indicators that measure a chemically defined fraction of nitrogen (N) or process related to N cycling have been proposed quantify the potential supply crops, key function. We evaluated five (total N, autoclavable citrate extractable water‐extractable organic potentially mineralizable and ‐acetyl‐β‐ D ‐glucosaminidase activity) at 124 sites with long‐term experiments across North America evaluating variety managements. found 59%–81% variation in was among sites,...
Potential carbon mineralization (Cmin) is a commonly used indicator of soil health, with greater Cmin values interpreted as healthier soil. While are typically in agricultural soils managed minimal physical disturbance, the mechanisms driving increases remain poorly understood. This study assessed bacterial and archaeal community structure potential microbial drivers maintained under various degrees disturbance. mineralization, 16S rRNA sequences, characterization data were collected part...
Summer leguminous cover crops can improve soil health and reduce the economic environmental costs associated with N fertilizers. However, adoption is often constrained by poor weed suppression compared to nonlegume crops. In field experiments conducted in organic vegetable cropping systems north-central New York, two primary hypotheses were tested: (1) mixtures of legume (cowpea soybean) grasses (sorghum–sudangrass Japanese millet) seed production increase crop productivity relative...
In northern U.S. vegetable cropping systems, attempts at no-till (NT) production have generally failed because of poor crop establishment and delayed maturity. Strip tillage (ST) minimizes these problems by targeting to the zone where crops are planted while maintaining untilled zones between rows, which foster improvements in soil quality. ST has been shown maintain yields reducing energy use protecting soils crops, including sweet corn, winter squash, snap bean, carrot, cole crops. Despite...
Short‐season cover cropping can be an important weed management tool. To optimize the use of mustard [ Sinapis alba L. and Brassica juncea (L.) Czern.] in Great Lakes region, we assessed planting time effects, biomass production, suppression during growth after incorporation. The study was conducted Illinois, Michigan, New York for spring fall from 2010 to 2012. Mustard sown every ∼10 d mid‐March early June plantings August mid‐September plantings. Spring biomass, density, community...
Natural enemies and pollinators require nutritional habitat resources that are often not found in conventional agricultural fields. The addition of flowering plants within agroecosystems may provide the necessary to support beneficial insects at local scale. We hypothesized insect pollinator natural enemy abundance would increase cucumber (Cucumis sativus) plots containing flower strips effect be greatest crop rows closest strips. Three treatments were tested: 1) buckwheat (Fagopyrum...
Core Ideas Mixtures provided BNF while maintaining non‐BNF services equivalent to cereal rye. Winter pea in mixture with a brassica the same N input as sole‐planted pea. Crimson clover fixed more than red overwintering cover crop period. Brassica mixtures matched or exceeded rye retention and weed suppression fall. Participants supported use of on diversified vegetable farms. Cover crops are central an ecological approach nutrient management that could reduce losses from agroecosystems....
Interseeded cover crops have the potential to maintain and improve soil quality, reduce incidence of insect pests, suppress weeds in vegetable production systems. However, successful use interseeded has been limited by their tendency either inadequately or both crop. We hypothesized that irrigated broccoli production, winter rye could annual through rapid emergence shading, without adversely affecting taller transplanted In field experiments conducted New York from 1999–2001, was cultivated...
Cover cropping is a common practice in U.S. Midwest carrot production for soil conservation, and may affect ecology plant-parasitic nematodes-to which carrots are very susceptible. This study assessed the impact of cover crops-oats (
The manufacturer's recommended rate for fomesafen in snap beans, dry and soybeans may cause carryover injury sweet corn. A field experiment, a survey, multiple greenhouse experiments were conducted to (1) estimate the residue concentrations soil that might result from use of lower than registered rates, (2) growers' fields evaluate grower practices their effects on potential, (3) investigate type corn variety potential Results dissipation study predicted average be approximately 0.019 mg...
Buckwheat residues can suppress both emergence and growth of weeds, but the mechanisms this suppression are not well understood. The main objectives research were to evaluate possible role (1) low initial nitrogen (N) availability (2) fungal pathogens in for three sensitive weed species: Powell amaranth, shepherd's-purse, corn chamomile. Growth chamber experiments conducted comparing bare soil or with freshly incorporated buckwheat residue at multiple rates N fertilization without fungicide...
Previous studies have demonstrated that emergence and growth of Powell amaranth is inhibited in soils where buckwheat has been grown incorporated. The primary objectives this research were to (1) evaluate the possible role allelopathy explaining suppression; (2) distinguish between suppression caused by incorporation fresh residues from changes soil during growth; (3) quantify relative importance root vs. shoot tissues suppression. When all plant parts removed which was grown, not...
The nonnative vine Vincetoxicum rossicum threatens several ecosystems in the Lower Great Lakes Basin of North America. One feature that may contribute to its invasiveness is production some seeds with multiple embryos (polyembryony), which be beneficial as a bet-hedging strategy variable environments. However, lower seed reserves per embryo polyembryonic entail costs low-light effect from three embryonic classes (1, 2, or 3 embryos/seed) on V. survival and growth was studied under two forest...
Hairy vetch ( Vicia villosa Roth) cover crops provide a wide array of ecosystem services including erosion protection, weed suppression, and N fixation. However, adoption has been hindered by risks overwinter mortality regrowth following mowing or crimping. Early‐flowering varieties mixed stands cereal rye Secale cereale L.) have the potential to reduce these risks, but little is known about their impact on In field trials in Central Michigan, two early‐flowering hairy (Purple Bounty Purple...
Cover crop mulch and weeds create habitat complexity in agricultural fields that may influence arthropods. Under strip-tillage systems, planting rows are tilled preestablished cover crops can remain between rows. In field experiments conducted Michigan 2010 2011, a oat (Avena sativa L.) was allowed to grow of strip-tilled cabbage killed at 0, 9-14, or 21-27 d after transplanting (DAT). The effects herbicide intensity kill date on arthropods, weeds, yield were examined. Two levels (low high)...