Project Number: 6420-12610-004-12
Project Type: Specific Cooperative Agreement

Start Date: May 01, 2010
End Date: Apr 30, 2015

Objective:
Developing improved soil management and agronomic practices which are economically and environmentally sustainable. Modify existing farming systems and develop new production systems that, through use of conservation tillage and intensive cropping practices, improve profitability and reduce economic risks by enhancing carbon storage, plant available water, and soil productivity and quality.

Approach:
A series of cooperative projects will be established between Auburn University and National Soil Dynamics Laboratory (NSDL) scientist directly related to the inhouse research project entitled "Conservation Systems Research for Improving Environmental Quality and Producer Profitability". The project will primarily support graduate student research programs. Field plots research will be established to determine the relationships between soil management practices and production management systems to improvements in soil quality such as water infiltration, aggregate stability, bulk density, soil strength, nutrient cycling, and biological activity. Improvements in these indicators will be correlated to crop yields, in order to evaluate their economic impacts as well as environmental impacts.