Research Project:
INCREASING INLAND PACIFIC NORTHWEST WHEAT PRODUCTION PROFITABILITY
Location: Land Management and Water Conservation Research
Project Number: 5348-21610-001-00
Project Type:
Appropriated
Start Date: Nov 26, 2008
End Date: Nov 25, 2013
Objective:
The goal of this research project is to identify cultural practices and
technologies that improve economic viability and environmental sustainability of
inland PNW dryland wheat production systems. The specific objectives are fourfold
and include:
Objective 1: Develop cropping practices for improving crop water use in dryland
production systems and landscapes across PNW agroecological zones. (Pullman all of
Obj 1)
Sub-objective 1A: Optimize crop establishment practices and crop water use for
improving the performance of winter canola.
Sub-objective 1B: Improve stand establishment methods for spring canola to minimize
weed competition and increase crop water use.
Sub-objective 1C: Contrast fall-planted facultative wheat and spring-planted wheat
for abilities to suppress weeds and increase yield, profitability, and crop water
use.
Sub-objective 1D: Determine effects of Russian thistle on crop water use, and
production costs and quality of forage spring triticale.
Objective 2: Evaluate cropping system diversification strategies (forage and
biofuels) for increasing agronomic performance of agricultural landscapes across
PNW agroecological zones.
Sub-objective 2A: Determine productivity and profitability of integrating
alternative forage and biofuel crops into wheat-based production systems. (Pullman)
Sub-objective 2B: Determine production potential of perennial biofuel and forage
crops incorporated as riparian buffers in agricultural landscapes. (Pendleton)
Objective 3: Assess how new optical light reflectance spectrometers (advanced
technology) can be used to increase cropping system performance in agricultural
landscapes. (Pendleton ¿ all of Obj 3)
Sub-objective 3A: Apply information from on-combine yield monitors and optical
sensors into site-specific nitrogen (N) application thereby improving grain quality
and yield, and N use efficiency of cereal crops.
Sub-objective 3B: Assess the quantity and quality of wheat residue at site-specific
field locations across farm fields.
Sub-objective 3C: Measure and map determinants of grain quality value (i.e. test
weight, protein concentration, and foreign weed material), and apply this
information into grain segregation on a combine harvester.
Objective 4: Synthesize available crop and cropping systems research across PNW
agro-ecological zones to assess biophysical production factors influencing cropping
system performance and ecosystem services.
Sub-objective 4A: Compile and summarize existing databases of dryland crops and
cropping systems to calibrate and corroborate process-oriented models. (Pendleton)
Sub-objective 4B: Utilize existing datasets and process-oriented models to
spatially evaluate the suitability of past, present, and future cropping system
strategies. (Pullman)
NP216 Cross-location project associated with Pendleton, OR 5356-13210-003-00D
(Long).
Approach:
1A&B. Several multi-year field studies will be conducted in numerous locations in the low to intermediate rainfall zones to evaluate seeding date, rate, and methodologies for winter and spring canola in order to improve crop establishment. Data collected include seed-zone water, soil profile water storage, weed populations, crop yield, and oil and meal content.
1C. A multi-year study will be conducted in the high-rainfall zone to compare grain yield and wild oat suppressive ability of facultative wheat planted in late fall with that planted in April/May the following spring. Within each time of planting, wheat will be grown non-treated or treated with recommended or half the recommended rate of a wild oat herbicide. Wild oat population and seed production will be measured prior to grain harvest and crop yield and quality (dockage) will be determined. Consumptive water use will be determined with gravimetric soil profile samples before planting and after harvest.
1D. Spring forage triticale will be planted in a naturally infested field of Russian thistle in a 2 to 3-year study. Half the plots will be sprayed with a herbicide to control Russian thistle and the weed will be allowed to grow in the remaining plots. Forage quality of the triticale will be analyzed with and without the weed and the total weed and crop biomass will be weighed. Total systems production costs will be determined and crop water use will be calculated.
2A. Two long term field experiments will be conducted to compare diversified cropping systems to current wheat cropping systems employed by growers in the intermediate and high rainfall zones. In the high rainfall zone, the diversified 3-yr rotation of tall winter wheat, spring canola, and forage winter triticale will be compared to a rotation of winter wheat, spring barley and spring pea. In the intermediate rainfall zone, the diversified rotation of forage winter triticale, spring canola, and fallow will be compared to the current winter wheat, spring barley, and fallow rotation. Crop yield and economic inputs will be recorded and economic and risk analyses will be conducted. At each location, the crop rotations will be grown for at least two cycles.
4B. Specific themes will be defined that can be flexibly used to derive Agroecological Zones (AEZ) based on criteria that are relevant to the question asked. Three basic steps to design and develop relevant AEZ will be used: 1) Generate raster surfaces of biophysical and socio-economic variables through spatial interpolation of data; 2) Generate a spatial framework of AEZ by combining basic raster themes into more integrated variables; and 3) Characterize spatial units in terms of relevant themes such as zones separating commonly practiced cropping systems. After AEZ development, model calibration, and long-term field studies synthesis, what-if scenarios will be developed and current and future cropping systems will be evaluated. In collaboration with scientists directly involved with specific modeling we will apply calibrated models to long-term data sets to corroborate these models under a wide-range of regional conditions. Replacing 5348-22610-002-00D 09/11/08.
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