Author
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Kitchen, Newell |
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Submitted to: Meeting Proceedings
Publication Type: Abstract Only Publication Acceptance Date: 2/23/2011 Publication Date: N/A Citation: N/A Interpretive Summary: Technical Abstract: Failure to consider natural and anthropogenic soil variability within fields and across landscapes in the development and implementation of soil and crop management systems can limit crop production and degrade soil and water resources. Targeting of management systems based on soil variability is needed for improved resilience to climate variability, for sustainably increasing crop production, and for optimizing management choices - including the choice between annual grain and perennial bioenergy crops - across fields, farms, and landscapes. Two major investigations will be highlighted in this presentation to help explain how precision agriculture technologies have effectively helped address both crop production and environmental goal. In the first, low nitrogen use efficiency in corn production is being addressed through the use of crop canopy reflectance sensing. Over the past decade investigations in Missouri have shown how these sensors can effectively be used to help apply N to corn. The second investigation will describe how yield map data from farmers’ grain combines are being used to characterize soil productivity for U.S. Midwest claypan soils. We suggest soils only marginally productive for grain crops are prime candidate areas for perennial bioenergy cropping systems. |
