Project Number: 6612-61660-001-34
Project Type: Specific Cooperative Agreement

Start Date: Jul 10, 2008
End Date: Mar 01, 2009

Objective:
The objective of the research is to help corn growers in the Coastal Plain maximize yield and water use efficiency by adopting conservation tillage with cover crop managed to yield high residue. Specifically: 1) Develop and validate practical irrigation schedules for consistent high yields and quality in corn, 2) Determine minimum total water requirements for consistent growth and quality grain development under varied conditions, and 3) Measure in-season crop growth and soil water use to determine any periods of plant growth stress that result from the combination of soil, tillage, meteorological, and irrigation factors.

Approach:
The research will be conducted at the University of Georgia, C.M. Stripling Irrigation Research Park, Camilla, GA and Lang Farm, Tifton, GA. Corn will be grown in summer and rye in fall/winter. A 2 tillage (conventional, strip till) by 2 levels of residue amount (rye planted with 0 and 40 lb N per acre; low-high residue) treatments will be replicated 4 times on 30 by 70 ft plots. Soil water in the top 1-ft of soil will be measured continuously to track daily water use and water deficit at each field to be able to make correct irrigation amount needs and application decisions. Remotely sensed data (Low-altitude remote sensing, hand held digital images) will be used to determine crop residue cover, distribution, and amount. Agronomic soil samples will be collected twice a year for nutrient analysis. Crop biomass will be determined and tissue samples collected at VT stage of corn and at desiccation of rye. These data will help us quantify crop response under variable residue and tillage systems.