Morris, Minnesota
Phone: (320) 589-3411 ext. 141
Fax: (320) 589-3787
803 Iowa Ave.
Morris, MN 56267
Current Research

• Evaluate the impact of land management on soil physical, chemical, and biological properties that impact soil productivity and environmental quality
  
• Assess the impact of soil properties and land management practices on pesticide efficacy, degradation, and mobility.

Land Management Research:
Soil degradation by erosion costs the U.S. an estimated $37 billion in lost productivity annually. Tillage erosion—the net downslope movement of soil resulting from the action of mechanical implements—is a major erosive force causing soil degradation, particularly in hilly landscapes typical of the prairies of the northern Corn Belt. Dr. Papiernik is evaluating the impact of soil erosion, especially tillage erosion, on soil properties that affect soil productivity. Her research results are being used to develop integrative models of soil erosion and productivity that include tillage erosion, a major emphasis of the ARS’s National Program 202 (Soil Resource Management). Dr. Papiernik’s research indicates that crop yields vary strongly at the field scale in response to soil erosion. In a four-year experiment, crop yields in areas of soil accumulation were consistently twice that in areas of soil loss by erosion. Approaches to increase the productivity of eroded soils have been proposed, including the physical movement of soil from areas of net deposition to areas of net soil loss, termed landscape restoration. 

Dr. Papiernik is leading a research team in a five-year evaluation of the effectiveness of landscape restoration to improve soil productivity and farm profitability. On-farm research is being conducted at two sites, one in west central Minnesota and the other in eastern South Dakota, in eroded hilly landscapes typical of the northern Great Plains region. These experiments will determine changes in soil chemical and physical properties (as a function of depth and landscape position) and topography that occur as a result of landscape restoration; assess the productivity of restored and unrestored landscapes as a function of landscape position; provide an initial assessment of the economic costs and benefits of landscape restoration; evaluate pesticide sorption and transformation in soils (as a function of landscape position and depth) in restored and unrestored landscapes; examine the dynamics of soil biota before and after soil movement for landscape restoration; and predict the impact of landscape restoration and subsequent tillage on future soil erosion by tillage and water.

Pesticide Research:
Pesticide use is critical to the continued increase in agricultural production and profitability. Approximately 400 million pounds of herbicide and 140 million pounds of insecticide active ingredients were applied to agricultural fields in the U.S. in 2002. Good pesticide management is a key to sustainable agricultural systems and a goal of the ARS’s National Programs 201 (Water Resource Management) and 202 (Soil Resource Management). Dr. Papiernik’s research is providing critical information regarding the leaching, degradation, and volatilization of pesticides after their application to soil. These accurate assessments of pesticide retention by surface and subsurface soils will improve the accuracy of predictive models evaluating groundwater pollution potentials. This research will be useful in identifying critical areas requiring improved management practices to reduce water contamination by pesticides while maintaining pest control efficacy.