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ARS Home » Southeast Area » Florence, South Carolina » Coastal Plain Soil, Water and Plant Conservation Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #131339

Title: AGROECOLOGY RESEARCH AT CLEMSON'S PEE DEE RESEARCH CENTER IN FLORENCE, SOUTH CAROLINA

Author
item BUSSCHER, WARREN
item FREDERICK, J - CLEMSON UNIV
item BAUER, PHILIP
item HAYES, J - CLEMSON UNIV
item NOVAK, JEFFREY
item WALLACE, S - CLEMSON UNIV
item ROBINSON, S - CLEMSON UNIV

Submitted to: Soil and Water Conservation Society Proceedings
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 6/10/2001
Publication Date: 7/10/2001
Citation: Busscher, W.J., Frederick, J., Bauer, P.J., Hayes, J., Novak, J.M., Wallace, S., Robinson, S. 2001. Agroecology research at Clemson's Pee Dee Research Center in Florence, South Carolina [abstract]. Soil and Water Conservation Society Annual International Conference Poster Presentations. p. 20. Available: http://www.swcs.org/en/conferences/past_conferences/2005_annual_conference/general_information/poster_presentations/

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: A collaborative project was initiated in 1997 by Clemson University and the USDA-ARS to enhance the economic and environmental sustainability of agronomic cropping systems in South Carolina and other coastal plain regions. Specific objectives of the program are to 1) develop new cropping systems that increase grower profitability 2) reduce the risk of ground and surface water contamination through reduced erosion and reduced leaching and runoff of agrichemicals and 3) maximize the benefits of new biological and precision-farming technologies. Crops being studied include corn, wheat, soybean, and cotton. Management practices being tested include conservation tillage, narrow row widths, broadcast deep tillage, yield mapping, precision seeding and pesticide application and fertilizer application, cover crops, crop rotation, and varieties adapted specifically to new production systems. Aspects that are being compared for current and innovative management systems include soil fertility levels; insect populations; soil compaction; weed and nematode populations; water, nutrient, sediment, and pesticide runoff and leaching; yield and crop quality; grower profitability; soil organic matter levels; and soil microorganism populations. Agroecology field experiments will be among the featured stops during the scientific tour to the Florence Area.