Project Number: 5356-13210-001-00
Project Type: Appropriated

Start Date: Oct 01, 2003
End Date: Sep 30, 2008

Objective:
1. Quantify soil erosion, hydrology, and crop yield of two systems: a winter wheat/fallow inversion tillage system and a no-till four-year rotation, to evaluate the systems on a landscape basis and provide databases for soil erosion model validation and decision support tool development. 2. Determine the effects of quality of carbon on soil aggregate stability; that in turn influences surface soil hydrology, soil erosion, and crop production. 3. Improve the economic viability of conservation farming systems by developing and evaluating new, innovative technologies for harvesting that properly sizes crop residue for optimum no-till drill performance and adds value by segregating grain by quality; and for applying cropping inputs in accordance with spatial variability in soils and landscapes to improve grain yields and grain quality.

Approach:
A combination of plots and watershed-scale research will be used to test working hypotheses within each of the sub-objectives. Development and testing of a new crop rotation will be conducted using paired watersheds and small plots to examine the effectiveness of soil and water conservation, changes in the soil properties, and cropping system productivity. Soil aggregate stability influences infiltration and water retention. The influence of aggregate stability on infiltration and water retention will be determined within the watershed research site at specified landscape positions. Economic and efficiency improvements to conservation farming systems will be made through the development of new crop residue management and harvest technologies, and precision conservation practices that overcome the inherent constraints imposed by spatial variability in soil/crop productivity within farm fields. These improvements will be accomplished through the use of engineering procedures, plot research, and integration of geospatial information and analysis technologies. FY04 ProgramIncrease $100,653.