Soil and Water Science

Nebraska consists of approximately 50,000,000 acres of land covered with soil, half of which is in cultivated crops. About 8,000,000 acres are irrigated with water diverted from streams or pumped from wells. Some ground water supplies are being depleted and nearly 90% of all domestic water supplies are from wells. Thus our soil and water must be conserved and protected.

The mission of the Soil and Water Science peer group is to improve, through teaching, extension, and research, the understanding and wise use of soil and water resources so that the productivity of the soil and the quality of water supplies may be maintained or improved. To accomplish this mission about 25% of the group's effort is devoted to teaching, 50% to research, and 25% to extension activities. The peer group works in close collaboration with other soil and water scientists from the USDA-ARS Soil and Water Conservation Research Unit, the School of Natural Resource Sciences, and the Department of Biological Systems Engineering. The three components of the peer group's activities (teaching, research, and extension) are discussed below.

Teaching Component

The peer group conducts courses at the following levels:

• Undergraduate level courses provide a curriculum for Agronomy students with a major in soil or water sciences as well as course support for other university disciplines.
• Undergraduate/graduate level courses provide a basic foundation in soil physics, soil chemistry, and soil microbiology as well as applied courses in soil management, soil fertility, and water quality strategies.
• Graduate level courses are designed for students seeking more in depth information than offered at the undergraduate/graduate level courses.
• Distance education courses are offered for those who find it inconvenient to spend time in residence on the university campus.

Research Component

The research component is aimed at achieving the following goals:

• Maximize profits and yet avoid water contamination from fertilizers and inorganic soil amendments.
• Utilize and/or dispose of animal and municipal by-products (biosolids).
• Keep toxic materials (pesticides, chemicals, etc.) from food and water supplies.
• Conserve soil, water, and climatic (global warming) resources.
• Develop fundamental relationships (basic research).

Extension Component

The extension component involves the dissemination of information beyond the formal classroom to producers and governmental agencies by using circulars, fact sheets, workshops, radio and television broadcasts, and web sites. Some recent extension programs are given below:

• Nutrient management guidelines to improve fertilizer efficiency and protect ground water.
• Site-specific nutrient management (management based on specific soil characteristics of localized sites within a field).
• Sustainable management of nutrients from confined livestock operations.
• Remediation of contaminated water and soil.
• Management of land reverted from the conservation reserve program.