
Southern Research and Outreach Center
35838 120th Street
Waseca, MN 56093
United States
Ph.D.: Nebraska (1994)
Year Appointed: 1994
Rank: Associate Professor
Areas of Interest
Integrated weed management (Southern ROC, Waseca). Cropping Systems
Biography
I specialize in annual and perennial cropping systems with a focus on maximizing productivity, efficiency, and ecosystem services. My work emphasizes applied production strategies that are designed around multi-value outcomes.
Research
Long-term cropping systems
Cover Crops
Annual and perennial crops
Select Publications
https://sroc.cfans.umn.edu/people/gregg-johnson
Cubins, J.A., S. Wells, R.W. Gesch, G.A. Johnson, W. Maninder, R. Chopra, M.D. Marks, R.
Swenson, K. Frels. 2023. Harvest aids did not advance maturity of non-shatter pennycress.
Submitted. Crop Sci. published online
Rabin, K.C., G.A. Johnson, J.S. Strock, N. Jordon, A. Garcia y Garcia. 2023. Influence of tillage
and cover crop mixtures interseeded in maize and soybean. Agron. J. 115(3): 1188-1201.
Role: Graduate Student Co-Advisor
Black, K.L., S. Wells, G.A. Johnson, W.F. Lazarus, and A. Kraus. 2023. Interseeding wide-row
corn with cover crops: investigating system potential for expanded Economic Opportunities in
corn production systems. Agronomy 2023, 13, 307. https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy13020307
Black, K.L., G.A. Johnson, S. Wells, A. Garcia y Garcia, J.M. Jungers, and J.S. Strock. 2023.
Effects of landscape position on perennial biomass and food crop performance in buffer areas.
Ecosphere. Submitted.
Liptzin, D., et al. 2022. An evaluation of soil indicators of soil health in long-term agricultural
experiments. Soil Biol. Biochem. 172:108708.
Bagnall, D.K. et al. 2022. Selecting soil hydraulic properties as indicators of soil health:
measurement response to management and site characteristics. Soil Sci. Soc. Am. 86(5):1206-
1226
Rieke, E.L. et al. Linking soil microbial community structure to potential carbon mineralization:
a continental scale assessment of reduced tillage. Soil Biol. Biochem. 168:108618.
Rieke, E.L. et al. Evaluation of aggregate stability methods for soil health. 2022. Geoderma.
428:116156
Cubins, J.A., S. Wells, G.A. Johnson, M.K. Walia, T. McKay, R. Swenson, J. M.F. Johnson, and
R.W. Gesch. 2022. Camelina impact on soil nutrients, carbon dioxide efflux, and soil carbon
within the corn-soybean rotation. About to be submitted
Bagnall, D.K. et al. 2021. Predicting effects of soil organic carbon on plant available water. Soil
Sci Soc Am. Submitted
Rabin, KC, G. Johnson, J. Strock, N. Jordon, J. Strock, and A. Garcia y Garcia. 2022. Influence
of tillage and cover crop mixtures interseeded in maize and soybean. Agron. J. Submitted
Cubins, J.A., Samantha S. Wells, Maninder K. Walia, Russ W. Gesch, Roger Becker,
Frank Forcella, Robert D. Gardner, Gregg A. Johnson, Donald L. Wyse. 2021. Harvest attributes
and seed quality predict physiological maturity of pennycress. Crops and Products. Ind. Crops
and Prod. 176:114355
Gamble, J., G. A. Johnson, D. L. Wyse, D. A. Current, D. S. Zamora, and C. C. Sheaffer. 2020.
Alley cropping impacts perennial bioenergy crop root biomass distribution, carbon and nutrient
stocks. Agron. J. 112:3718-3732.
Rusch, Hannah L.; Jeffrey A. Coulter, Julie M. Grossman; Gregg A. Johnson, Paul M. Porter,
and Axel Garcia y Garcia. 2020. Towards sustainable maize production in the U.S. upper Midwest with interseeded cover crop. PLoS ONE 15(4): e0231032.
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0231032
Joshi, V.R., K.R. Thorp, J.A. Coulter, G.A. Johnson, P.M. Porter, J.S. Strock, and A. Garcia y
Garcia. 2020. Improving site-specific maize yield estimation by integrating satellite
multispectral data into a crop model. Agron. J. 9(11):
[719]. https://doi.org/10.3390/agronomy9110719
Cubins, J. A., M. Scott Wells, Matthew A Ott, Katherine Frels, Frank Forcella, Gregg Johnson,
Maninder K Walia, Roger L Becker, and Russ W. Gesch. 2019. Management of pennycress as a
winter annual cash cover crop. A review. Agron. Sustain Dev. 39:46
Xie, C., C. Yang, A. Hummel Jr., G.A. Johnson, and F. T. Izuno. 2018. Spectral reflectance
response to nitrogen fertilization in field grown corn. Int. J. Agric. Biol. Eng. 11:118-126.
Cubins, J., M. Scott Wells, Maninder Walia, Russell Gesch, Roger Becker, Frank Forcella,
Robert Gardner, Gregg Johnson, and Donald Wyse. 2018. Pennycress Seed Yield and Oil
Content and Quality as Characterized by Harvest Timing. Annals of Botany. Submitted.
Karp, D.S. et al. 2018. Crop pests and predators exhibit inconsistent responses to surrounding
landscape composition. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences Aug
2018, 201800042; DOI:10.1073/pnas.1800042115
Johnson, G.A., T.A. Volk,, K. Hallen, S. Shi, M. Bickell, and J. Heavey. 2018. Shrub willow
biomass production ranking across three harvests in New York and Minnesota. BioEnergy Res.
11(2):305-315.
Eckberg, J.O., G.A. Johnson, L.L. Seefeldt, A.J. Felton, M.D. Casler, and R. Shaw. 2018.
Competitive effects of cultivar and wild switchgrass on other native grasses. Biol. Invasions.
20(9):2439-2449
Volk, T.A., B. Berguson, C. Daly, M. Halbleib,, R. Miller, T. Rials, L. Abrahamson, D. buchman,
M. Cunningham, M. Eisenbies, E.S. Fabio, K. Hallen, J. Heavey, G. Johnson, Y. Kuzovkina, B.
Liu, B. McMahon, R. Rousseau, S. Shi, R. Shuren, L.B.. Smart, G. Stanosz, B. Stanton, B.
Stokes, and J. Wright. 2018. Poplar and shrub willow energy crops in the United States: Field
trial results from the multiyear regional feedstock partnership and yield potential maps based on
the PRISM-ELM model. GCB Bioenergy 10(10): 735-751.
Ogdahl, E., D. Zamora, G. Johnson, and G. Wyatt. 2018. Comparison of woody species for use
in living snow fences in the Midwestern United States. 2017. Journal of Soil and Water
Conservation. 73(3):321-328.
Johnson, G., Wells, M.S., Anderson, K., Gesch, R. Forcella, F., Wyse, D.
2017. Yield tradeoffs between pennycress, camelina, and soybean in relay and
double-crop systems. Agron. J. 109:2128-2135.
Goplen, J.J., C.C. Sheaffer, R.L. Becker, J.A. Coulter, F.R. Breitenbach, L.M. Behnken, G.A.
Johnson, and J.L. Gunsolus. 2017. Seed Bank Depletion and Emergence Patters of Giant
Ragweed in Minnesota Cropping Systems. Weed Sci. 65:52-60
Gamble*, J.D., G. Johnson, D.A. Current, D.L. Wyse, and C.C. Sheaffer. 2016. Species pairing
and edge effects on biomass yield and nutrient uptake in perennial alley cropping systems.
Agron. J. 108(3): 1 – 10.
Ogdahl*, E.J., D.S. Zamora, G.A. Johnson, G. Wyatt, D. Current, and D. Gullickson. 2016.
Establishment and potential snow storage capacity of willow living snow fences in South-
Central Minnesota, USA. Agroforestry Systems. Agroforest. Syst. 90: 797-809.
Fabio, Eric, T. Volk, R. Miller. M. Serapiglia, H. Gauch, K. Van Rees, R. Hangs, B. Amichev, Y.
Kuzovkina, M. Labrecque, G. Johnson, R. Ewy, G. Kling, L. Smart. 2016. Genotype by
environment interactions analysis of North American shrub willow yield trials confirms superior
performance of triploid hybrids. GCB Bioenergy. doi: 10.1111/gcbb.12344.
Kantar, M.B., C. Tyl, K. Dorn, X. Zhang, J. Jungers, J. Kaser, R. Schendel, J. Eckberg, B.
Runck, M. Bunzel, N. Jordan, R. Stupar, D. Marks, J. Anderson, G. Johnson, C. Sheaffer, T.
Schoenfuss, B. Ismail, G. Heimpel, and D. Wyse. 2016. Perennial grain and oilseed crops. Annu.
Rev. Plant boil. 67:703-729.
Jordon, N., K. Dorn, B. Runck, P. Ewing, A. Williams, K. Anderson, L. Felice, K. Anderson, J.
Goplen, K. Altendorf, A. Fernandez, W. Phippen, J. Sedbrook, M.D. Marks, K. Wolf, D. Wyse,
and G. Johnson. 2016. Sustainable commercialization of field pennycress: a strategy for
sustainable intensification of agriculture in central North America. Elementa: Science of the
Anthropocene. 4:000081, DOI 10.12952/ journal.elementa.000081.
Johnson, G.A., M.B. Kantar, K.J. Betts, D.L. Wyse. 2015. Field pennycress production and weed
control in a double crop system in Minnesota. Agron. J. 107:532-540. Johnson, G.A., M.B.
Kantar, K.J. Betts, D.L. Wyse. 2015. Field pennycress production and weed control in a double
crop system in Minnesota. Agron. J. 107:532-540.
Goplen, J.J., C.C. Sheaffer, R.L. Becker, J.A. Coulter, F. Breitenbach, L. Behnken, G.A.
Johnson, and J.L. Gunsolus. 2015. Giant ragweed seed production and retention in soybean and
field margins. Weed Techn. 30:246-253
Sleight, N.J., T.A. Volk, G.A. Johnson, M.H. Eisenbies, S. Shi, E.S. Fabio. 2015. Change in
yield between first and second rotations in willow biomass crops are strongly related to the level
of first rotation yield. Bioenergy Res. DOI 10.1007/s12155-015-9684-0
Eckberg*, J.O., G.A. Johnson, R.E. Pain, D.L. Wyse, and G.E. Heimpel. 2015. Spillover of tent
caterpillar herbivory onto willow bioenergy crops in an agricultural landscape. Ann Appl Biol.
167:178-185.
Eckberg*, J.O., M.D. Casler, G.A. Johnson, L.L. Seefeldt, K.E. Blaedow, and R.G. Shaw. 2015.
Switchgrass population and cold-moist stratification mediate germination. Crop Sci. 55:2746-
2752.
Eckberg*, J.O., J.A. Peterson, C.P. Borsh, J.M. Kaser, G.A. Johnson, J.C. Luhman, D.W. Wyse,
and G.E. Heimpel. 2015. Field abundance and performance of hoverflies (Diptera:Syrphidae) on
aphid prey: implication for biological control of soybean aphid. Ann. Entomol. Soc. Am. 108(1):
26–34
Gamble*, J.D., J.M. Jungers, D.L. Wyse, G.A. Johnson, J.A. Lamb, and C.C. Sheaffer. 2014.
Harvest date effects on biomass yield, moisture content, mineral concentration, and mineral
exports of switchgrass and native polycultures managed for bioenergy. Bioenergy Res. DOI:
10.1007/s12155-014-9555-0.
Gamble*, J.D., G. Johnson, C. Sheaffer, D. Current, and D. Wyse. 2013. Establishment and early
productivity of perennial biomass cropping systems in Minnesota, U.S.A. Agroforest Syst.
88(1):75-85.
Johnson, G.A., D.L. Wyse, C.C. Sheaffer. 2013. Yield of perennial herbaceous and woody
biomass crops over time across three locations. Biomass Bioenergy 58:267-274.
Volk, T.A., L.P. Abrahamson, K.D. Cameron, P. Castellano, T. Corbi, E. Fabio, G. Johnson, Y. Kuzovkina-Eishen, M. Labrecque, R. Miller, D. Sidderse, L.B. Smart, K. Staver, G.R. Stanosv, and K. Van Rees. 2011. Yields of biomass crops across a range of sites in North America. Aspects of Applied Biology 112: 67-74.