Throughout the years Russell Ranch researchers and faculty affiliates have produced a number of publications on a diverse set of research topics. We produce an annual report, outlining the recent experiments and results from our facility.
Click here to view the 2018 Russell Ranch Report
Search Russell Ranch publications and explore past and present research at our Russell Ranch Publications page.
Explore past research from the Sustainable Agriculture and Farming Systems site in Campbell Track at the SAFS Publications page.
Highlights from recent publications
Agricultural management and plant selection interactively affect rhizosphere microbial community structure and nitrogen cycling
Soil microbial and fungal communities differ among management types (conventional vs. organic), and between bulk soil and rhizosphere. Fungal communities are especially responsive to management. The results have consequences for our research paradigms and methods regarding soil ecology and agriculture.
Deep soil inventories reveal that impacts of cover crops and compost on soil carbon sequestration differ in surface and subsurface soils
The organic tomato-corn plots with winter cover crops and compost application acted as a carbon sink, with over 20 T/ha sequestered down to a depth of 2 meters. However, cover crops without compost led to a loss of carbon stock in the deep soil, despite increases in the topsoil.
Production-scale testing of Tomato fertigation with biodigestate shows promise
Biodigestate, a by-product of organic waste treatment, was used to replace mineral N fertilizer in a subsoil drip tomato system. The digestate plots produced equal or higher tomato yields, signifying a possible benefit for this waste recycling program.
Long-term agricultural experiments inform the development of climate-smart agricultural practices
Overview of The Century Experiment at Russell Ranch's ability to contribute to climate-smart agriculture research and initiatives into the future
The century experiment: the first twenty years of UC Davis' Mediterranean agroecological experiment
Russell Ranch's The Century Experiment data set up to 2014, with crop yields, management inputs, and some soil properties, was published in the journal Ecology, with csv's available for public download.
Short-lived effects of walnut shell biochar on soils and crop yields in a long-term field experiment
Biochar has been a product touted for its climate-smart ag credentials, as it is a sustainable means to process organic wastes and potentially, a way to increase soil carbon storage, when applied to agricultural soils. Researchers at Russell Ranch applied walnut shell biochar to soils in a tomato-maize production system to evaluate its effects on crop yields and nutrient cycling. The biochar increased maize yields by 8% two years after biochar application.