Recipient Organization
TEXAS A&M UNIVERSITY
750 AGRONOMY RD STE 2701
COLLEGE STATION,TX 77843-0001
Performing Department
Chillicothe-vernon TAMU Ag Res Cntr
Non Technical Summary
Problem: Agriculture in the rolling plains of Texas faces problems with scarce water resources, reduced soil health, and lack of diversified crops. Purpose: Improve crop production, disease and water management through cropping systems, conservation tillage, and subsurface drip irrigation.
Animal Health Component
(N/A)
Research Effort Categories
Basic
(N/A)
Applied
(N/A)
Developmental
(N/A)
Goals / Objectives
1. Investigate subsurface drip irrigation to develop profitable and efficient crop production systems 2. Investigate the effects of tillage and cropping sequence on soil properties and processes 3. Evaluate alternative crops for production in the rolling plains of Northwest Texas.
Project Methods
Objective 1 (Subsurface Drip Irrigation): These studies will be conducted at the Chillicothe Research Station by Gregory Church in cooperation with John Sij and other TAES scientists. Research conducted under this objective will include experiments designed to test the hypotheses that water requirements of crop production under SDI can be reduced through cover crops, crop rotation and conservation tillage systems. Cotton is the primary crop, however, additional crops including wheat, canola, mung bean, corn, sorghum, sesame, soybean, and variety of forages will be evaluated with SDI. The amount of irrigation will be 0, 33, 66, 100, 133% of the evapotranspiration (ET) for each crop. In order to test the hypothesis that ET overestimates subsurface drip irrigation a Campbell Scientific weather station, EnviroSMART sensors, and Apogee infrared red thermocouples will measure evapotranspiration, soil moisture, and plant stress, respectively. Experimental results will be
evaluated statistically as appropriate for the particular variable and experimental design. The primary focus of this research program is to develop best management practices with SDI while improving water and soil conservation. Objective 2 (Cropping System): Cropping systems research will be conducted under subsurface drip irrigation and non-irrigated conditions. Experiments will be conducted to test the hypothesis that reducing or eliminating tillage operations will improve soil health and reduce the incidence of soil borne disease. Cover crops, crop rotation, double cropping, and water management will be evaluated under a variety of conservation and conventional tillage systems to determine how these conditions affect soil health. Data on soil properties will be collected to evaluate the relative status of soil health for a given treatment. Data on soil properties will include chemical, physical, and biological parameters. Nematological data will be collected, processed, and
analyzed as an indicator of the microbial soil community. More in-depth investigations of the microbial community will be performed through genetic analysis of soil DNA with the availability of funding and cooperators. Objective 3 (Alternative Crops): Research on alternative crops will focus on evaluating varieties and breeding material under irrigated and non-irrigated conditions. Studies will be conducted to evaluate production practices of alternative crops, such as planting and stand establishment, fertility, irrigation, and harvest requirements, under local environmental conditions. The rotation with alternative crops will be tested to determine if there is a beneficial or detrimental effect on the main crop. The effects of conventional and conservation tillage practices will be investigated to determine optimal production practices for a variety of alternative crops including canola, mung bean, corn, sorghum, sesame, soybean, and variety of forages. Participation in the Great
Plains and National Canola Variety Trials and Management program will continue as an aspect of this objective.