Project Number: 5445-12000-002-00
Project Type: Appropriated

Start Date: Jul 01, 2001
End Date: Jun 30, 2006

Objective:
1) Develop long-term, diverse cropping systems using alternative and conventional crops, tillage practices, crop sequences, crop rotations, residue management, and soil fertility, that improve crop production, soil quality, precipitation use, weed, and disease control, and reduce pesticide use, and 2) determine the effects of crops, cropping systems, tillage practices, residue, soil fertility, and pest management on soil water use and storage and indicators of soil quality.

Approach:
Diverse cropping systems will be developed using minimum-till and no-till operations. Management practices for alternative crop production will be developed and evaluated to reduce dependence on agricultural chemicals. The effect of management practices on plant diseases, weed populations, and weed-crop interactions will be evaluated. Standard economic procedures and risk assessment algorithms will be developed to assess the sustainability of alternative management strategies. Soil quality indicators will be evaluated to determine the ability of cropping systems to influence soil quality. Comparative soil hydrology of crops, including the timing and distribution of soil water use, will be evaluated to determine how different crop species make use of precipitation resources. Cropping systems will be evaluated for risks to soil quality. Models will be used to evaluate the potential impact of management practices on soil and water factors which influence soil and water conservation.

Project Team

Krupinsky, Joseph - Joe Hendrickson, John Nichols, Kristine Liebig, Mark Merrill, Stephen Tanaka, Donald - Don Hanson, Jonathan - Jon Kronberg, Scott

Project Annual Reports

FY 2003   FY 2002   FY 2001