Project Number: 6420-12610-003-03
Project Type: Specific Cooperative Agreement

Start Date: Sep 23, 2002
End Date: Mar 01, 2007

Objective:
(1) Develop vegetable cropping systems that increase soil organic C and improve efficiency of organic N applications; reduce soil compaction; and reduce nutrient and soil losses through runoff; (2) Network with limited-resource farmers to improve their access to agronomic information; and (3) provide technical and analytical supports to small-scale vegetable producers in the area of sustainable soil management.

Approach:
Two limited-resource vegetable growers will be selected from within the Black Belt or Prairie soil region of Alabama. Paired treatments will be imposed in replicated experiments conducted side by side in farmers' fields. The two sites will be selected to represent a diversity of soils and cultural practices. The study will run through twelve (12) multiple-cropping seasons (2002-2006), beginning in fall 2002 with planting of cover crops. The paired treatments, replicated four (4) times at each of two sites are: (1) Tuskegee University Rotation and Nutrient Management System vs. (2) Farmers'Rotation and Nutrient Management System (Control). This control will be standardized between the two sites. The Tuskegee University rotation (no-till) will use broiler litter, and the application rate will be based on P (200 kg P/ha) with supplemental mineral N (two weeks after planting as side dressing) and/or K based on soil tests. Farmers' rotations will use mineral fertilizers according to their cultural practices with conventional tillage. The minimum design will be a randomized complete block design of 2 management systems with each phase of the rotation in 4 replications, for a total of 16 plots per site. An optional expansion of the study would be strip split plot design with vertical plots being tillage (no-till and conventional), horizontal plots being management system (farmers and Tuskegee system), and subplots or intersection plots being nutrient source (broiler litter vs. mineral fertilizer). Both phases of the rotation would be present each year.