Transcript Targeting Perennial/Biomass Crops to Sensitive Areas (PPTX)

TARGETING
PERENNIAL/BIOMASS CROPS
TO SENSITIVE AREAS
Claire Baffaut
USDA-ARS Cropping Systems and Water Quality Research Unit
Columbia, MO
Translating Missouri USDA-ARS Research and Technology into Practice
A training session provided by USDA-ARS-CSWQRU, 10-11 October 2012, Columbia, MO
Rills from 4/2012 storm after planting
Following a 3” rain, the
soil from the planted rows
is gone, at least 2”
Planted and germinated
corn is now exposed
Rills in the Centralia plots 4/21/2010
Top soil depth along Plot 18
Close to 8”
Less than 2.5”
Translating Missouri USDA-ARS Research and Technology into Practice
A training session provided by USDA-ARS-CSWQRU, 10-11 October 2012, Columbia, MO
Top soil depth along Plot 11
Close to 8”
Less than 2.5”
Translating Missouri USDA-ARS Research and Technology into Practice
A training session provided by USDA-ARS-CSWQRU, 10-11 October 2012, Columbia, MO
Top soil depth along Plot 9
Close to 7”
Less than 2”
Translating Missouri USDA-ARS Research and Technology into Practice
A training session provided by USDA-ARS-CSWQRU, 10-11 October 2012, Columbia, MO
Average measured soybean yields
CS1 – Mulch till
Soybean yields (bu/a)
70
60
50
Summit:
31 bu/ac
Backslope: 26 bu/ac
Footslope: 34 bu/ac
40
30
20
10
Backslope soybean yields significantly lower than summit or footslope yields.
0
1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005
Translating Missouri USDA-ARS Research and Technology into Practice
A training session provided by USDA-ARS-CSWQRU, 10-11 October 2012, Columbia, MO
Average measured soybean yields
CS2 – No-till
Soybean yields (bu/a)
70
60
50
1997. Dry year but footslope has
enough moisture.
Summit:
32 bu/ac
Backslope: 31 bu/ac
Footslope: 35 bu/ac
40
30
20
10
Backslope soybean yields significantly lower than footslope yields.
0
1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005
Translating Missouri USDA-ARS Research and Technology into Practice
A training session provided by USDA-ARS-CSWQRU, 10-11 October 2012, Columbia, MO
Average measured corn yields
CS1 – Mulch till
Backslope corn yields significantly lower than footslope yields, but no
200
difference with summit yields.
Corn yields (bu/a)
180
160
140
120
100
80
60
40
20
0
Summit:
95 bu/ac
Backslope: 86 bu/ac
Footslope: 101 bu/ac
1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005
Translating Missouri USDA-ARS Research and Technology into Practice
A training session provided by USDA-ARS-CSWQRU, 10-11 October 2012, Columbia, MO
Average measured corn yields
CS2 – No-till
200
No significant difference between any position!
Corn yields (bu/a)
180
160
140
120
100
80
60
40
20
0
Summit: 90 bu/ac
Backslope: 92 bu/ac
Footslope: 99 bu/ac
1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005
Translating Missouri USDA-ARS Research and Technology into Practice
A training session provided by USDA-ARS-CSWQRU, 10-11 October 2012, Columbia, MO
Runoff quantity and quality
Two indices were good predictors of areas generating
the highest loadings of runoff, sediment, and atrazine:


CCI= Ksat * depth_to_clay/ Slope
CPI= depth_to_clay / Slope
Runoff
Atrazine
Sediment
A progressive phenomenon: 100 years
Depth to clay in Field 1
Erosion ranges
Topsoil loss (in)
-20 -10
Translating Missouri USDA-ARS Research and Technology into Practice
A training session provided by USDA-ARS-CSWQRU, 10-11 October 2012, Columbia, MO
0
10
20
Perennial Crops on degraded slopes?
Switchgrass buffer
Advantages



Does not displace food
producing acres.
Does well because
roots go through the
claypan
May help remediate
the degradation
Translating Missouri USDA-ARS Research and Technology into Practice
A training session provided by USDA-ARS-CSWQRU, 10-11 October 2012, Columbia, MO
Simulated water quality effects of midslope buffers in Field 1
Scenario
Best Management Practices
Percent change (%)
Runoff
Sediment
Yield
Dissolved
Atrazine in
Surface Runoff
Baseline
No BMPs applied, mulch till corn-soybean
-
-
-
1
Switchgrass in all sensitive areas (66% of
field), rest of field under mulch till cornsoybean.
-14
-40
-70
2
2 acre area immediately before the field
outlet managed as filter strip in fescue, rest
of field under mulch till corn-soybean
-37
-63
-35
4
Switchgrass in area around main channel
rest of the field under mulch till cornsoybean
-38
-64
-48
Translating Missouri USDA-ARS Research and Technology into Practice
A training session provided by USDA-ARS-CSWQRU, 10-11 October 2012, Columbia, MO
Testing the hypothesis of water quality
improvements

Cropping systems for
targeted buffers:
 Mulch
till corn – NT
soybean
 NT corn – soybean


Variables
Q, Sediment
 Dissolved and total nutrients
 Herbicides

Water Quality
monitored also for:
 All
in switchgrass
 All in willow
 Corn-Soybean-Wheat
Translating Missouri USDA-ARS Research and Technology into Practice
A training session provided by USDA-ARS-CSWQRU, 10-11 October 2012, Columbia, MO
Targeting to the sensitive area


Two croping systems were
targeted:
 Corn MT – Soybean NT
 NT Corn-soybean
Buffers were designed:
 150 feet
 Placed on the most
sensitive part, according to
CPI, a function of slope
and depth to clay
Translating Missouri USDA-ARS Research and Technology into Practice
A training session provided by USDA-ARS-CSWQRU, 10-11 October 2012, Columbia, MO
What will we learn?





Experience in establishing switchgrass on claypan soils
Productivity of the system on a larger scale than at the SPARC
plots
Interactions between the switchgrass and row crop management

Impact of row crop production upstream of the switchgrass.

Impact of switchgrass production on the tow slope row crop
productivity.
Water quantity impact of switchgrass production on the sensitive
area.
Water quality impact of switchgrass production on the sensitive
area.

Will switchgrass propagate and fill-in the existing rills?

Impact of switchgrass production on soil quality.
Translating Missouri USDA-ARS Research and Technology into Practice
A training session provided by USDA-ARS-CSWQRU, 10-11 October 2012, Columbia, MO