Location: Crops Pathology and Genetics Research
Project Number: 2032-21220-007-003-S
Project Type: Non-Assistance Cooperative Agreement
Start Date: Sep 30, 2016
End Date: Sep 30, 2019
Objective:
This scope of work represents the second year of this ongoing project. The first objective is to partner with University of California at Davis, USDA Agricultural Research Service, California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA), Colorado State University (CSU), and the USDA Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) to locate and summarize previous and ongoing specialty crop research datasets on plant growth, yield, soil carbon and greenhouse gas emissions. This work will support CSU’s effort to leverage those existing data for the following crops for use in parameterization of DayCent model that supports the COMET-Farm tool: Almonds, Strawberries, Walnuts, Pistachios, Processing tomatoes, Grapes, Lettuce, Cole crops (broccoli, cauliflower, related crops), Citrus, Cotton, Alfalfa, and Corn. The second objective is to focus on literature compilation and the improvement of GHG quantification methodologies for Specialty Crops grown in California for the ‘Methods Report’ (Quantifying Greenhouse Gas Fluxes in Agriculture and Forestry: Methods for Entity-Scale Inventory, Eve et al. 2014). The expansion of this proposed work includes documenting the changes in parameters related to 1) soil characteristics, 2) crop characteristics and factors that control root or shoot death, 3) tillage intensity as it relates to soil C storage, and 4) soil water availability and other factors that highly influence nitrous oxide production. Key products that are anticipated from this work include peer-reviewed publications documenting the parameterization, calibration and validation process for specialty crops. These products from this proposed scope of work build upon the outputs from the first year’s scope of work.
Approach:
This effort is intended to leverage all existing and ongoing research efforts to complete scoping work of available data published in the scientific literature, parameterize the DayCent model for the crops listed above, and perform model verification. No new field-based research is required in this project. Availability of trace gas emissions datasets and other related data for these specialty crops will drive CSU's ability to implement in COMET-Farm the soil nitrous oxide method from the USDA Methods document. Other means of gathering information could include interviews producers, extension specialists, university and ARS researchers, and NRCS conservationists. Compiled content on Specialty Crops gathered for the COMET-Farm tool will be used in a written synthesis of existing research, knowledge gaps, and voluntary conservation-based GHG mitigation and carbon sequestration opportunities for these cropping systems and included as a new chapter in the ‘Methods Report’. If possible, model output from DayCent will be included in this document. The document developed will be reviewed by scientific experts. This effort will focus solely on mitigation, and inclusion of climate adaptation measures is not compulsory. The outreach on this tool to producers is not required within the scope or approach outlined here, although outreach that occurs as a byproduct of activities is permissible.
