Kurt Spokas

Adjunct Assistant Professor, USDA-ARS

S531 Soils Building
1529 Gortner Ave.
St. Paul, MN 55108
kurt.spokas@ars.usda.gov
+1 612 626 2834

Website(s)

http://www.ars.usda.gov/

Education

B.S. 1992 Lewis University Chemistry and Physics
M.S. 1998 Northern Illinois University Geochemistry
Ph.D. 2005 University of Minnesota Soil Physics

Affiliated Graduate Programs

Land and Atmospheric Science
Soil Science
photo of Kurt Spokas

People

Introduction

My major areas of research within the USDA-ARS are highlighted below:

The impact of management practices (particularly herbicides, fungicides and biochar additions) on the cycling of carbon, nitrogen, and other greenhouse gases in agricultural systems.  This includes the study of the transport and surface exchange of greenhouse gases (nitrous oxide, carbon dioxide, methane) and the impacts of seasonal cycling on their transport.

I am also examining ways that farming practices can improve water quality with a particular emphasis on the transport and fate of the new strobilurin fungicides in the soil system.

Research Area(s)

Biogeochemistry
Contaminant Hydrology and Water Quality
Soil Physics

Select Publications

  • Spokas, K., King,  J., Wang, D., and Papiernik, S. 2007.  Effects of soil fumigants on methanotrophic activity. Atmospheric Environment 41, 8150–8162.
  • McGiffen, M., Spokas, K., Forcella, F., Archer, D., Poppe, S., and  Figueroa, R. 2007. Emergence Prediction of Common Groundsel (Senecio vulgaris). Weed Science. 56:58-65.
  • Schutte, B.J., Regnier, E.E. Harrison, S.K., Spokas, K., and Forcella, F. 2007.  A Hydrothermal Seedling Emergence Model for Giant Ragweed (Ambrosia trifida). Weed Science 56, 555-560.
  • La Scala Jr., N., Afonso, L., Spokas ,K.,  Denizart, B., Archer, D.W., and Reicosky, D.C. 2007. Short-term temporal changes of soil carbon losses after tillage described by a first-order decay model. Soil & Tillage Research. 99:108-118.
  • Martinson, K., Durgan, D., Forcella, F.,  Wiersma, J., Spokas, K., and Archer,D. 2007. An Emergence Model for Wild Oat (Avena fatua). Weed Science 55, 584 – 591.
  • Spokas, K., Forcella, F., Archer, D., and Reicosky, D. 2007. SeedChaser: Vertical soil tillage distribution model. Computers and Electronics in Agriculture 57: 62–73.
  • Weyers, S.L., Schomberg, H.H., Hendrix, P.F., Spokas, K., and Endale, D.M. 2007. Construction of an electrical device for sampling earthworm populations in the field. Applied Engineering in Agriculture. 24(3):391-397.
  • Sakaliene, O., Papiernik, S.K., Koskinen, W.C., and Spokas, K.A. 2007. Sorption and predicted mobility of herbicides in Baltic soils. Journal of Environmental Science and Health part B. 42: 641-647.
  • Forcella, F., Spokas, K., Gesch, R., Isbell, T., and Archer, D. 2007. Swathing and windrowing as harvest aids for cuphea. Agronomy Journal 99: 415-418.