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Farmers will get more accurate fertilizer recommendations and cut
nitrogen fertilizer costs by $10 to $30 per acre by using a new computer
program developed by ARS for soil testing laboratories. More accurate
rates help reduce the environmental threat of excess nitrogen seeping into
water supplies. ARS scientists used computers to predict more accurately
how temperature influences the speed at which soil-borne microorganisms
break down crop residue to release nitrogen. The new method cuts in half
the error between measured and predicted amounts of nitrogen release from
straw and stalks. Farmers in the East and Midwest will benefit most.
That's because these soils contain more native organic matter than soils
in drier areas in the West.
Central Great Plains Research Station, Akron, CO
Merle F. Vigil, (970) 345-2259
There are bugs on the Internet. Information on more than 100,000
North American insects specimens will be available on the Internet by ARS
scientists to run on the Internet an expert system called Biosystematic
Information on Terrestrial Arthropods (BIOTA). When completed in late
1996, BIOTA will give users electronic access to the combined knowledge of
22 ARS scientists and numerous cooperators, who are world experts on
classifying and identifying insects and mites. BIOTA addresses two key
questions: "What is the correct name of this organism and what is its
geographic distribution?" Providing answers now can take scientists many
hours and requires access to the world's taxonomic literature. Yet, the
correct response is critical for inspectors with USDA's Animal and Plant
Health Inspection Service and others at ports of entry who are on the
lookout for incoming insect pests.
Systematic
Entomology Laboratory, Washington, DC
Thomas J. Henry/Manya B. Stoetzel, (202) 382-1780/(301) 504-5183
Farmers will soon have a new computerized way to select profitable
crops and other farming practices that minimize damage to the
environment. Called a decision support system, it will help farmers
use a computer to design and run "what if" scenarios. This will help them
select farming options that maximize profit while reducing potential for
erosion and water pollution. For example, a farmer who grows corn every
year could use the computer to compare how alternating corn with soybeans
might decrease the use of nitrogen fertilizer and generate more income.
Now, in its final pilot testing, the new tool is called the "USDA Water
Quality MODeST" (short for "multiple objective decision support tool").
Similar systems could be developed for farmers and ranchers worldwide.
MODeST marks the first coupling of decision-making models with complex
models that simulate natural processes--like crop growth and chemical
movement--and project farm income.
Southwest Watershed Research
Center, Tucson, AZ
Diana S. Yakowitz/Jeff Stone, (520) 670-6481
Last updated: October 28, 1996
Return to: Quarterly Report
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