Location: Crop Production Systems Research
Project Number: 6066-30500-003-000-D
Project Type: In-House Appropriated
Start Date: Mar 18, 2025
End Date: Mar 17, 2030
Objective:
1:Conduct research to better understand impacts of crop management, agronomic practices, and field-level biotic and abiotic factors on crop yield, resilience, and profitability, and develop resilient and profitable row crop production systems for mid-southern USA.(NP 305, C1 PS 1A, PS1D).
1.A: Improve corn and soybean production by applying management zone approach.
1. B: Identify the suitability of alternative crops and cropping systems and develop management strategies.
1. C: Identify agronomic interventions need for climate-smart agriculture using remote sensed science data products.
1.D: Investigate the impact of micronutrients application on soybean and cotton yield and quality.
1. E: Poultry litter and cover crop effect on soil health, nitrogen use efficiency, yield, and quality in corn-soybean rotation.
1. F: Investigate the potentials of a no-tillage soil with full residue retention as a climate-smart cropping system management strategy on crop production, soil erosion, soil health, and greenhouse gas (GHG) emission mitigation in the Mississippi Delta.
1. G: Investigate the effects of cotton planting time under no-tillage vs. conventional tillage as a climate-smart production practice on production, soil erosion, carbon sequestration, and greenhouse gas mitigation in the Lower Mississippi Delta.
1. H: Assess management practices to improve carbon sequestration and reduce greenhouse gas emissions using cropping system model-based tools.
2: Conduct research to quantify effects of drought, flooding, elevated temperatures, CO2, UV-B radiation on crop phenology, physiological response, and yield (NP 305, C1 PS 1A, PS1D).
2. A: Investigate the effects of drought on soybean growth and development during vegetative and reproductive stages.
2. B: Investigate the effects of temperature and elevated carbon dioxide on soybean during juvenile and grain-filling stages.
2. C: Determine the degree of chilling tolerance and water logging on emergence, physiology, and root traits of agronomically superior corn hybrids.
2. D: Investigate the effects of elevated CO2 and air temperature and interactions in cotton crop production systems in the MS Delta.
Approach:
Over the next five years, we will conduct comprehensive studies to identify the best agronomic management practices for corn, soybean, cotton, alternate crops, and cover crops grown in the Mid-South region. Fields studies will be established to select the best cultivars, determine optimal planting windows, develop effective nutrients and water management strategy, and develop pest control strategy for early to late production system in the region. Using state-of-the-art technologies such as Big Data, remote sensing, and modeling, we will explore temporal and spatial variations within the region, including timing of planting, cultivar choices, yield response, and their relationship with climate variables. Management zones will be developed using historical yield data and remote sensed vegetation indices in field-scale studies to maximize resource use efficiency. Maximizing nutrient use efficiency is vital in developing cost-effective fertilizer management practices to improve farm profitability and environmental sustainability. Alternative crops that can be produced using existing equipment and fit into rotation systems will also be researched.
Potential climate change-induced weather extremes add another layer of complexity to agriculture because of its possible influence on the frequency and distribution of abiotic stressors (drought, flood, extreme heat, and cold weather) and resultant biotic stressor shift (weed, disease, insects). Through greenhouse and controlled environment study chamber facilities, we will analyze and document the responses of various crop species to climate stressors (chilling, water logging, drought, elevated CO2, high temperature).
