Area of Focus

Soil Fertility and Precision Agriculture

Research Interests

• Site-specific crop management
• Landscape position impacts on nitrogen and water use efficiency
• Use of crop canopy sensors for in-season evaluation of crop stress - particularly for nitrogen and water
• Management practices to minimize nitrogen loss to the environment
• Enhanced-efficiency fertilizers and their impact on nutrient use efficiency
• Impacts of biomass removal on long-term soil productivity

Extension Interests

• Project SENSE
• Central Platte Nitrogen and Irrigation Management Demonstration Project - conducted in partnership with the Central Platte Natural Resources District
• Nebraska Agricultural Technologies Association

Teaching

• Site-Specific Crop Management - AGRO/MSYM/AGEN 431 - fall semesters (Syllabus)
• Spatial Variability in Soils - AGRO 831 - distance course, spring semesters, even-numbered years (Syllabus)

Recent Research

• Kitchen, N.R., J.F. Shanahan, C.J. Ransom, C.J. Bandura, G.M. Bean, J.J. Camberato, P.R. Carter, J.D. Clark, R.B. Ferguson, F.G. Fernández, D.W. Franzen, C.A.M. Laboski,  E.D. Nafziger, Z. Qing, J.E. Sawyer, and M. Shafer. 2017. A public-industry partnership for enhancing corn nitrogen research and datasets: project description, methodology, and outcomes. Agron. J. (accepted June 12, 2017)
• Abunyewa, Akwasi A., Richard B. Ferguson, Charles. S. Wortmann, and Stephen C. Mason. 2016. Grain sorghum leaf reflectance and nitrogen status. African J. Ag. Research. 11:825-836.
• Davidson, Eric. A., Rachel. L. Nifong, Richard B. Ferguson, Cheryl Palm, Deanna L. Osmond, Jill S. Baron. 2016. Nutrients in the Nexus. J. Environ. Stud. Sci. 6:25-38.
• Rudnick, D.R., S. Irmak, R. Ferguson, T. Shaver, K. Djamman, G. Slater, A. Bereuter, N. Ward, D. Francis, M. Schmer, B. Wienhold, S. VanDonk. 2016. Economic return vs. crop water productivity of maize for various nitrogen rates under full irrigation, limited irrigation, and rainfed settings in south central Nebraska. J. Irrigation and Drainage Engineering 142 (6):04016017.
• Maharjan, B. and R.B. Ferguson. 2016. Polymer-coated urea improved corn response compared to urea ammonium nitrate when applied on a coarse-textured soil. Agronomy Journal 108:509-518.
• Thompson, L.J., R.B. Ferguson, N. Kitchen, D.W. Franzen, M. Mamo, H. Yang, and J.S. Schepers. 2015. Model and Sensor-Based Recommendation Approaches for In-Season Nitrogen Management in Corn. Agronomy Journal. 107:2020-2030.
• Peng, X., B. Maharjan, C. Yu, A. Su, R. Ferguson. 2015. A Laboratory Evaluation of Ammonia Volatilization and Nitrate Leaching Following Nitrogen Fertilizer Application on a Coarse-Textured Soil. Agronomy Journal 107:871-879.
• Ferguson, Richard B. 2015. Groundwater quality and nitrogen use efficiency in Nebraska’s Central Platte River Valley. Journal of Environmental Quality 44:449-459.
• Pan, L., Adamchuk, V.I., Ferguson, R.B., Dutilleul, P.R.L. and Prasher, S.O. 2014. Analysis of Water Stress Prediction Quality as Influenced by the Number and Placement of Temporal Soil-Water Monitoring Sites. Journal of Water Resource and Protection, 6:961-971.
• Blanco, H., Ferguson, R., Jin, V., Schmer, M., Wienhold, B., Tatarko, J. 2014. Can cover crop and manure maintain soil properties after stover removal from irrigated no-till corn? Soil Science Society of America, 78:1368-1377.
• Blanco, H., Shapiro, C., Wortmann, C., Drijber, R., Mamo, M., Shaver, T., Ferguson, R. 2013. Soil organic carbon: The value to soil properties. Journal of Soil and Water Conservation, 68(5): 129A-134A.
• Pan, L., V.L. Adamchuk, D.L. Martin, M.A. Schroeder, R.B. Ferguson. 2013. Analysis of soil water availability by integrating spatial and temporal sensor-based data. J. Precision Agriculture 14:414-433.
• Schlemmer, M., A. Gitelson, J. Schepers, R. Ferguson, Y. Peng, J. Shanahan, D. Rundquist. 2013. Remote estimation of nitrogen and chlorophyll contents in maize at leaf and canopy levels. Int. J. Applied Earth Observation and Geoinformation 25:47-54.
• Djamman, K., S. Irmak, D. Martin, R. Ferguson, M. Bernards. 2013. Plant nutrient uptake and soil nutrient dynamics under full and limited irrigation and rainfed maize production. Agron. J. 105:527-538.
• Torrion, J., J. Specht, T. Setiyano, K. Cassman, R. Ferguson and S. Irmak. 2012. Soybean root development relative to vegetative and reproductive phenology. Agron. J. 104:1702-1709.
• Wortmann, C.S., C.A. Shapiro, R. Ferguson and M. Mainz. 2012. Irrigated soybean has a small response to nitrogen applied during early reproductive growth. Crop Management doi:10.1094/CM-2012-0126-01-RS.
• Roberts, D.F., R.B. Ferguson, N.R. Kitchen, V.I. Adamchuk, and J.F. Shanahan. 2012. Relationships between soil-based management zones and canopy sensing for corn nitrogen management. Agron. J. 104:119-129.
• Adamchuk, V.I., A.S. Mat Su, R.A. Eigenberg, and R.B. Ferguson. 2011. Development of an angular scanning system for sensing vertical profiles of soil electrical conductivity. Trans. of the ASABE 54(3):1-11.
• Shiratsuchi, L., R. Ferguson, J. Shanahan, V. Adamchuk, D. Rundquist, D. Marx and G. Slater. 2011. Water and nitrogen effects on active canopy sensor vegetation indices. Agron. J. 103:1815-1826.
• Abunyewa, Akwasi. A., Richard B. Ferguson, Charles S. Wortmann, Drew J. Lyon, Stephen C. Mason, Suat Irmak and Robert N. Klein. 2011. Grain sorghum water use with skip-row configuration in the Central Great Plains of the USA. African J. Agric. Research 6(23):5328-5338.
• Setiyono, T.D., H. Yang, D.T. Walters, A. Dobermann, R.B. Ferguson, D.R. Roberts, D.J. Lyon, D.E. Clay, K.G. Cassman. 2011. Maize-N: A decision tool for nitrogen management in maize. Agron. J. 103:1276-1283.
• Roberts, D.F., V.I. Adamchuk, J.F. Shanahan, R.B. Ferguson, J.S. Schepers. 2011. Estimation of surface soil organic matter using a ground-based active sensor and aerial imagery. J. Precision Agriculture 12:82-102.
• Wortmann, C.S., D.D. Tarkalson, C.A. Shapiro, A.R. Dobermann, R.B. Ferguson, G.W. Hergert, and D. Walters. 2010. Cropping system effect on nitrogen use efficiency of irrigated corn in Nebraska. Agron. J. 103:76-84.
• Dobermann, A., C.S. Wortmann, R.B. Ferguson, G.W. Hergert, C.A. Shapiro, D.D. Tarkalson, D. Walters. 2010. Nitrogen response and economics for irrigated corn in Nebraska. Agron. J. 103:67-75.
• Solari, F., J. Shanahan, R. Ferguson, V. Adamchuk. 2010. An active sensor algorithm for corn N recommendations based on a chlorophyll meter algorithm. Agron. J. 102:1090-1098.
• Wortmann, C.S., A.J. Liska, R.B. Ferguson, R.N. Klein, D.J. Lyon, I. Dweikat. 2010. Dryland performance of sweet sorghum and grain crops for biofuel in Nebraska. Agron. J. 102:319-326.
• Abunyewa, A.A.., R.B. Ferguson, C.S. Wortmann, D.J. Lyon, S.C. Mason, R.N. Klein. 2010. Skip-row and plant population effects on sorghum grain yield. Agron. J. 102:296-302.

Recent Extension Publications

• Shapiro, C., D. Francis, R. Ferguson, G. Hergert, T. Shaver, C. Wortmann. 2013. Using a chlorophyll meter to improve N management. NebGuide G1632. University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
• Wortmann, C., C. Shapiro, A. Dobermann, R. Ferguson, G. Hergert, D. Walters, and D. Tarkalson. 2011. High yield corn production can result in high nitrogen use efficiency. Better Crops 4:14-15.
• Wortmann, C., R. Ferguson, R. Klein, D. Lyon, S. Melvin. 2009. Skip-row planting of grain sorghum for improved drought tolerance. NebGuide G1976. University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
• Ferguson, R.B. and G.W. Hergert. 2009. Soil Sampling for Precision Agriculture (revision). EC-154. University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
• Shapiro, C.A., R.B. Ferguson, G.W. Hergert, C.S. Wortmann, and D.T. Walters. 2009. Fertilizer Suggestions for Corn. EC 117. University of Nebraska-Lincoln.