2004 Annual Report 1.What major problem or issue is being resolved and how are you resolving it (summarize project aims and objectives)? How serious is the problem? What does it matter? The Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002 replaced a supply management policy that had been in place for over 60 years. The new marketing loan program for peanuts is designed to stabilize farm incomes in periods of low and high market prices and improve the domestic and international competitiveness of U.S. peanuts. Producers must approach decision making in the context of the new farm policy which operates differently from previous legislation. Farm managers in U.S. peanut producing regions are also facing changes related to conservation. Next to land, abundant water for irrigation is arguably the most important natural resource in production agriculture. However, persistent drought, urban expansion, and interstate litigation are collectively threatening irrigation water supplies in U.S. peanut-producing regions. Unless new strategies are developed for production management, producer income and rural economic stability will face increased risk Irrigation of peanut can increase pod yield and grade and may decrease the risk of preharvest aflatoxin contamination compared with nonirrigated production. Conservation tillage can decrease input costs but does not always increase yield and subsequent revenue. Current knowledge is lacking on surface and subsurface drip irrigation scheduling techniques and management practices in peanut. Yield response of peanut to strip tillage, peanut variety, and fungicide application/timing is unknown with subsurface drip irrigation systems. In addition, little is known about the use of surface drip irrigation on peanut including drip tube lateral installation, lateral retrieval, lateral spacing, and variations in land topography. This project is within Component 1 (Integrated production systems) of NP305 with major focus on sustainable cropping systems (Component 1C). The project also includes items associated with NP-201 Component II (Irrigation and Drainage) concerning economical crop production, water conservation management, and irrigation and drainage in humid areas. Projects have been initiated to accomplish the following objectives: 1: Determine the yield and quality of peanut following the double cropping system of vegetable and cotton crops in an alternate year rotation when irrigated with SDI. 2: Determine crop management strategies for strip tillage of peanut and cotton under SDI. 3: Develop surface drip irrigation system technologies for peanut production cropping systems. 2.List the milestones (indicators of progress) from your Project Plan. Objective 1: Double cropping vegetables with cotton and peanut CY2004 Plant and harvest vegetables and cotton. CY2005 Plant and harvest peanut crop. Analyze collected data. CY2006 Plant and harvest vegetables and cotton. Analyze collected data. CY2007 Plant and harvest peanut crop. Analyze collected data CY2008 Final analysis and information transfer. Objective 2: Strip tillage/fungicide study CY2004 Plant and harvest first year peanut crop. CY2005 Plant and harvest cotton crop. Analyze collected data CY2006 Plant and harvest peanut crop. Analyze collected data CY2007 Plant and harvest Analyze collected data e. CY2008: Final analysis information transfer. Objective 3: Surface drip with crop rotation CY2004 Plant and harvest field crops. CY2005 Plant and harvest field crops. Analyze collected data. CY2006 Plant and harvest field crops. Analyze collected data. CY2007 Plant and harvest field crops. Analyze collected data. CY2008 Final analysis and information transfer. 3.Milestones: A. Milestones that were scheduled in 2004, objective 1a, 2a, 3a, were implemented as planned. B. Milestones for 2005, 2006 and 2007 for the three objectives are on or ahead of schedule. Due to changes in land partitioning at two research sites, Objective 1 and 2 are ahead of schedule by one year. Year 2005: Conservation strip tillage work will continue with fall cereal crops and subsurface drip irrigated crop rotations. Continue multiple year tests of the effect of reduced tillage with SDI on peanut and other crop rotations to promote increased farm profitability. Surface drip rotations will continue as scheduled. Continue nonirrigated research projects for crop yield and economic input relationships. Year 2006: Continue crop rotational studies. Continue work on crop rotation with SDI and surface drip systems. Year 2007: Continue crop rotational studies. Continue work on crop rotation with SDI and surface drip systems. 4.What were the most significant accomplishments this past year? A project was initiated to determine yield, grade and stem rot disease incidence of peanut that was planted in single, twin-, and multi-row plant orientations with two plant populations and irrigated with subsurface drip irrigation. Twin-row had the highest yield at 4812 lbs/ac compared with the other row orientations. Market grade was higher for the twin- and multi-row compared with single row orientation. Pod yield was 8.5% greater for the higher plant population. Twin- and multi-row plant orientations have lower stem rot disease compared with the single row. Overall, twin-row orientation tended to have the best yield and grade, and lower disease incidence compared with the single row orientation. Surface drip irrigation can be an alternative solution for growers to irrigate leased or small irregular shaped acreage without large input costs. Surface drip irrigation was installed on undulating and level land (Shellman, GA) on three crops to determine potential yield. Viruguard averaged 4496 lbs/ac and GA green averaged 4563 lbs/ac. The twin-row orientation averaged 4541 lbs/ac and the single-row orientation averaged 4164 lbs/ac. The irrigated plots averaged 4447 lbs/ac and the non-irrigated plots averaged 3623 lbs/ac. Long term data are needed to determine the economic impacts; however, if yields are consistently high, surface drip may be an economically feasible practice for irregular shaped field areas and/or for small land owners. 4C. None. 4D. None. 5.Describe the major accomplishments over the life of the project, including their predicted or actual impact. Analyzed yield data show that subsurface drip irrigation (SDI) can significantly increase pod yield and kernel size when compared with nonirrigated control. The increase in pod yield and kernel distribution will result in a higher grade rating for land owners. Higher grade rating directly relates to a higher economic return allowing the land owner to be more profitable. Long term yield data (>5 years) show that continuous peanut has yields of about 3000 lbs/ac. Alternate year cropping patterns with cotton and corn show a 900 to 1200 lbs/ac increase of peanuts compared with continuous peanut. Longer rotations (greater than two years between peanut) show an increase of pod yield over 2000 lbs/ac compared with continuous peanut. Surface drip irrigation showed peanut yield in excess of 4500 lbs/ac and corn grain yields over 130 bu/ac. Strip tillage in cotton and peanut has the advantage of less economic input but yields have not always been consistent. Strip tillage projects have been initiated on peanut and cotton using SDI to determine the yield potential and possible management practices for this tillage system. Drip irrigation and strip tillage could decrease input cost without reducing crop yields and could therefore be a viable management solution for irrigated crop land. 6.What science and/or technologies have been transferred and to whom? When is the science and/or technology likely to become available to the end-user (industry, farmer, other scientists)? What are the constraints, if known, to the adoption and durability of the technology products? Georgia SDI systems have been visited by various university officials, state agency personnel, manufacturers' from irrigation companies, local manufacturer's/processors, and local farmers. Visitors have been from Georgia, Alabama, Texas, and foreign countries. Field tours are held annually at the NM and Texas research farms. Interest in surface drip systems has been high with visits from farmer groups and manufacturers¿. Adoption of SDI and surface by end users is dependent on yield and quality of peanut (and rotational crops) and associated economics to install and maintain the system compared to overhead sprinkler systems. Economic, tillage practices, and management techniques are the major constraints for adapting drip irrigation. 7.List your most important publications in the popular press and presentations to organizations and articles written about your work. "Subsurface drip irrigation". Southern Peanut Growers Conference 21. July 03, 2004. "Water management using subsurface drip irrigation". CCA/CEU Agronomic seminar, Montgomery, AL, January 05, 2004. Kathy Coatney: 2004. Subsurface vs. sprinkler. Irrigation extra (Industry publication in 18 states, reaching 168,405 irrigators, 45,229,670 acres or 72% of the US irrigated acres). Review Publications Zhu, H., Lamb, M.C., Butts, C.L., Blankenship, P.D. 2004. Improving peanut yield and grade with surface drip irrigation in undulating topographic fields. Transactions of the ASAE. Paper 032098. Lamb, M.C., Rowland, D., Sorensen, R.B., Zhu, H., Blankenship, P.D., Butts, C.L. 2004. Research at the nprl shellman irrigation research farm. American Peanut Research and Education Society Abstracts. Vol. 35. www.apres.okstate.edu. Sorensen, R.B., Butts, C.L., Rowland, D. 2004. Five years of subsurface drip irrigation on peanut: what have we learned?. American Peanut Research and Education Society Abstracts. Rowland, D., Sher, A.A., Marshall, D.L. 2004. Inter- and intra-population variation in seedling performance of rio grande cottonwood under low and high salinity. Canadian Journal of Forest Research. 34:1458-1466.