Phillip R. Owens Assistant Professor Area:  Soil Geomorphology/Pedology Mailing Address: Department of Agronomy Lilly Hall of Life Sciences 915 W. State Street Purdue University West Lafayette, Indiana 47907-2054 < Faculty Listing             < Faculty by Expertise

Contact Information:

Research Areas:
Conduct research that relates soils to landforms and landscape scale processes
Conduct research that address complex environmentally important issues including surface and ground water quality, land resource management, global climate change and the identification, preservation and creation of wetlands
Evaluate the soil forming processes that contribute to landscape stability and land use

Most Significant Publications:

Book Chapters:

Schulze, D.G., R. R. Struthers, P.R. Owens and George E. Van Scoyoc. 2007. Teaching Soil-Landscape Interactions Using Rugged Tablet PCs in the Field. In D.A. Berque, J. C. Prey, R. H. Reed,  (eds.) The Impact of Tablet PCs and Pen-Based Technology on Education: Beyond the Tipping Point. Pp. 119-127. Purdue University Press. ISBN: 1557534616

Owens, P.R. and E.M. Rutledge. 2003. Soil morphology. In Encyclopedia of Soil Science. Elsevier Publishing Oxford England. pp. 511-520

Rutledge, E.M., P.R. Owens, R.L. Goff, M.A. Gross, T. Brumbelow, and D.C. Wolf. 1997. Performance of septic systems designed for soil morphology. In Site Characterization and Design of On-Site Septic Systems. ASTM STP 1324. M.S. Bedinger, A.I. Johnson, and J.S. Fleming, (eds.). ASTM. West Conshohocken, PA.

Owens, P.R., E.M. Rutledge, C.A. Roark, M.A. Gross, D.C. Wolf, and R.W. McNew. 1997. Long-term effluent absorption rates of a serially loaded septic tank filter field. In Site Characterization and Design of On-Site Septic Systems. ASTM STP 1324. M.S. Bedinger, A.I. Johnson, and J.S. Fleming, (eds.). ASTM. West Conshohocken, PA.

 Refereed Journals:

Winzeler, H.E., P.R. Owens, B.C. Joern, J.J. Camberato, B.D. Lee, D.E. Anderson and D.R. Smith. 2008. Potassium fertility and terrain attributes in a Fragiudalf drainage catena. Soil Sci. Soc. Am. J. In Press

Owens, P.R., L.P. Wilding, W.M. Miller and R.W. Griffin. 2008. Using Iron Metal Rods to Infer Oxygen Status In Seasonally Saturated Soils. Catena 73:2 In press

Lin, H.S., J. Bouma, P.R. Owens, and M. Vepraskas. 2008. Hydropedology: Fundamental Issues and Practical Applications. Catena 73:2 In press

Dozier, W.A., M.T. Kidd, A. Corzo, P.R. Owens and S.L. Branton. 2008. Live performance and environmental impact of broiler chickens fed diets varying in amino acids and phytase. Animal Feed Science and Technology Journal. 141: 92-103.

 Hart, K.S., B. D. Lee, P. S. Schoeneberger, D. P. Franzmeier, P. R. Owens and D.R. Smith. 2008. Comparison of Field Saturated Hydraulic Conductivity Measurements to Estimated Morphological Loading Rates in Northeastern Indiana. Journal of Hydrologic Engineering.  In Press

 Porter, T., P.R. Owens, B.D. Lee and G. Van Scoyoc. 2007. How Soil and Landform Characteristics Relate to Landslide Activity - A Review. Soil Survey Horizons. Submitted

Miles, D. M., D.E. Rowe and P.R. Owens.  2007. Winter Broiler Litter Gases and Nitrogen Compounds: Temporal and Spatial Trends. Atmospheric Environment (accepted 28 Nov 2006, Available online 15 February 2007) doi:10.1016/j.atmosenv.2006.11.056

Armstrong, S.D., D.R. Smith, and P.R. Owens.  2007.  Strategies to reduce nutrient losses from land applied animal manure.  Water Practice.  1:4. Available On-Line at: http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/wef/wp (5/21/2007).

 Smith, D.R., P.R. Owens, A.B. Leytem and E.A. Warnemuende. 2007. Nutrient losses from manure and fertilizer applications as impacted by time to first runoff event.  Environmental Pollution. 147:131-137

 Iqbal, J., P.R. Owens and I. Ali. 2006. Application of remote sensing data to asses weed infestation in cotton. Agriculture Journal 1:186-191.

 Adeli, A. Bala, F.M. Rowe, D.E. Owens, P.R. Effects of drying intervals and repeated rain events on runoff nutrient dynamics from soil treated with broiler litter.  Journal of Sustainable Agriculture. 2006. 28:67-83.

 Miles, D.M., P.R. Owens, and D.E. Rowe. 2006. Spatial variability of litter gaseous flux within a commercial broiler house: ammonia, nitrous oxide, carbon dioxide, and methane.  Poultry Science Journal. 85:167-172.

Owens, P.R., L.P. Wilding, L. M. Lee, B.E. Herbert. 2005. Evaluation of platinum electrodes and three Eh standards to determine electrode quality.  Soil Sci. Soc. Am. J. 69:1541-1550.

Manuscripts in Review or Progress:

Cohen, R.A, P.R. Owens, S.A. Armstrong and J.J. Read. Spatial distribution of soil phosphorus and copper following long-term broiler litter applications. J. Environ. Qual. In Preparation.  

Owens, P.R. and W.M. Miller. Evaluation of long-term water table monitoring of wet Vertisols. Soil Sci. Soc. Am. J. In Preparation.

Owens, P.R., E. M. Rutledge, J. Iqbal and J.V. Brahana. Annual fluctuations in water tables and implications for time dependent potential for liquefaction of sands in the New Madrid Seismic Zone. Vadose Zone. In Preparation.

Winzeler, H.E, P.R. Owens, B.D. Lee, K. Hart. Influence of landscape position on carbonate weathering rates and soil development on the Wabash Moraine in NE Indiana. In Preparation.

Winzeler, H.E., P.R. Owens, B.C. Joern, J.J. Camberato, B.D. Lee, D.E. Anderson and D.R. Smith. Using terrain attributes and pedochemical tracers to understand pedogenesis in a Fragiudalf drainage catena. Soil Sci. Soc. Am. J. In Preparation.

Franzmeier, D.P. and P.R. Owens. Quantitative evaluation of students' estimate of soil texture. J. Natural Resource and Life Science Education. In Preparation.

Hart, K.S., B.D. Lee, P.S. Schoeneberger, D.P. Franzmeier, P.R. Owens and D.R. Smith. Soil hydraulic conductivity across an Epiaqualf-Argiaquoll toposequence: Wabash Moraine, northeast Indiana. Soil Sci. Soc. Am. J. In review.

Krenz, J.L., B.D. Lee, S.K. Sears, D.G. Schulze, P.R. Owens and H. Vali. Secondary minerals in the illitic soils of the Bluffton till plain: Northeastern Indiana. Soil Sci. Soc. Am. J. In preparation.

Farley, A.L., P.R. Owens, B. Wu, S.A. Archer, and L.P. Wilding. Using GIS as a tool to explore the interaction of Vertic soils and surface hydrology in south Texas playa-wetland systems. SSSAJ. In Preparation. 

Teaching: 
AGRY 655 Soil Genesis Classification
AGRY 655 Field Trip 2006 photos

Post doctoral Research Associate:
Javed  Iqbal

Education:
Bachelor of Science, Soil Science, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR, 1993
Master of Science, Pedology, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR, 1997
Doctor of Philosophy, Pedology, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 2001

Professional Experience:
Assistant Professor, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, Jan. 2005-present
Research Soil Scientist, USDA-ARS Waste Management Unit, Mississippi State, MS, Jan. 2003-Dec. 2004
Tri-Society Congressional Science Fellow, Office of U.S. Senator Blanche Lincoln, Washington DC, Jan. 2002-Dec. 2002
Pedology Research Assistant, Texas A&M University, Soil and Crop Sciences Department, College Station, TX, Aug. 1997-Dec. 2002
Lecturer, Texas A&M University, Soil and Crop Sciences Department, College Station, TX, Jan. 2001-May 2001 and Aug. 1999-Dec. 1999
Research Specialist and Lecturer, University of Arkansas, Crop, Soil and Environmental Sciences Department, Fayetteville, AR, May 1993-Aug. 1997
Soil Scientist Trainee, USDA-NRCS, Nacogdoches, TX, May 1991-Aug. 1991 and May 1992-Aug. 1992
Laboratory Assistant, University of Arkansas, Crop, Soil and Environmental Sciences Department, Fayetteville, AR, Mar. 1989-May1993

Awards and Honors:
ASA/AAAS Congressional Science Fellow, 2001
First Place ASA S-9 Poster Competition 1999
Outstanding Agronomy Masters Student, 1996
Eighth Place Individual, National Collegiate Soils Contest, 1993
Outstanding Agronomy Senior, American Society of Agronomy, 1992
First Place Individual, Region IV Soils Contest 1992
Second Place Individual, Region IV Soils Contest, 1990
First Place Individual, Region IV Soils Contest, 1989

Date joined staff:  January 2005

Last updated:  April, 2008