Soil carbon and nitrogen cycling
The effects of cover cropping on labile nitrogen and carbon pools in soil
Continuous corn silage cropping systems in Wisconsin lead to overall removal of N from the system unless manure is applied. This cropping system allows for the planting of a winter silage crop, post harvest, which may lead to increases in soil N over time. Cover crops are valuable in these corn-silage based rotations as they also provide ground cover after harvest and can reduce N leaching after fall manure application. The objective of this study was to determine the effect of cover cropping on potentially mineralizable nitrogen (PMN) over a growing season using a short-term anaerobic incubation, a long-term aerobic incubation and N uptake in a continuous corn silage system.
Evaluating the effect of Wisconsin Integrated Cropping Systems Trial (WICST) cropping systems on active soil carbon and nitrogen pools
Grant: CIAS Mini Grant, Center for Integrated Agricultural Systems, UW Madison
The CIAS Mini Grant program is a competitive aid program that offers $2000 to graduate students for summer research in projects relating to sustainable agriculture and food systems. I was awarded the grant for a research project to look at the seasonal dynamics of carbon and nitrogen cycling in six different cropping systems in the long-term Wisconsin Integrated Cropping Systems Trial (WICST).
Publications
Diederich, K. M., M. D. Ruark, K. Krishnan, F. J. Arriaga, and E. M. Silva. 2019. Increasing Labile Soil Carbon and Nitrogen Fractions Require a Change in System, Rather Than Practice. Soil Sci. Soc. Am. J. 83:1733-1745. doi:10.2136/sssaj2018.11.0458
Presentations
Krishnan, Kavya, Jaimie R. West, and Matthew D. Ruark. “Short-Term Benefits of Cover Crops on Labile Carbon and Nitrogen Pools in Soil.” ASA, CSSA and SSSA International Annual Meetings. ASA-CSSA-SSSA, 2017. Tampa, FL.
Krishnan, Kavya, Jaimie R. West, and Matthew D. Ruark. “Examining the effect of cover crop treatments on potentially mineralizable nitrogen.” Soil Health Conference. Iowa State University, 2017. Ames, IA.
Krishnan, Kavya, Jaimie R. West, and Matthew D. Ruark. “Examining the effect of cover crop treatments on potentially mineralizable nitrogen.” ASA, CSSA and SSSA International Annual Meetings. ASA-CSSA-SSSA, 2016. Phoenix, AZ.
Krishnan, Kavya, Jaimie R. West, and Matthew D. Ruark. 2016. “Examining the effect of cover crop treatments on potentially mineralizable nitrogen.” Arlington Field Day.Arlington Agricultural Research Station, Madison, WI.
Krishnan, Kavya, Jaimie R. West, and Matthew D. Ruark. “Examining the effect of cover crop treatments on potentially mineralizable nitrogen.” Midwest Cover Crop Council Conference. MCCC, 2016. Madison, WI.
Kavya Krishnan 