Final Report: Identifying Best Agricultural Management Practices for Maintaining Soil Health and Sustainability Under Changing Climate Conditions
Dates
Publication Date
2017
Citation
Zak J., 2017, Initiating the Development of Regional Demonstration Fields for Implementing Soil Practices That Maximize Soil Health and Drought Resilience: Understanding Microbial-Temperature Dynamics.
Summary
While we collect and monitor soil temperatures within natural and managed ecosystems across the Southern High Plains (SHP), we do not have a clear understanding of how soil temperature parameters are linked to ecosystem services, soil health and sustainability under increasing climate variability and increasing drought severity. Understanding how management decisions will either create positive or negative feedback loops with respect to soil temperature dynamics may be critical for developing sound conservation and soil management practices. As much of the SHP is privately owned and is managed either under intensive row cropping systems, any drought mitigation efforts and practices that influence and promote soil health and carbon [...]
Summary
While we collect and monitor soil temperatures within natural and managed ecosystems across the Southern High Plains (SHP), we do not have a clear understanding of how soil temperature parameters are linked to ecosystem services, soil health and sustainability under increasing climate variability and increasing drought severity. Understanding how management decisions will either create positive or negative feedback loops with respect to soil temperature dynamics may be critical for developing sound conservation and soil management practices. As much of the SHP is privately owned and is managed either under intensive row cropping systems, any drought mitigation efforts and practices that influence and promote soil health and carbon storage have large regional implications must directly address land use needs. Funds provided for this project were used in conjunction with on-going support from Cotton Inc. to facilitate the development and implementation of demonstration fields to address these concerns. Mr. R.N. Hopper of Petersburg, TX provided three production fields that are part of a rotation and no-till system as the sites for the demonstration fields. The three fields are center-pivot irrigated depending upon available rainfall and have been under no-till for 10 years. The fields are rotated among, cotton, corn, winter wheat and summer cover. Within each system we have employed soil moisture and temperatures sensors at the surface and at 15 cm depth and monitor microbial and nutrient dynamics across the year. Fields were instrumented in March2017 and will be monitored continuously except for harvesting and planting periods. In addition, these fields are part of a “Citizen Science Producer Network” funded by Cotton Inc to link other producers across the region to better address climate impacts and develop approaches for increasing soil health and increased water infiltration under increasing precipitation variability. Field will be monitored for the next three years to access changes due to precipitation variability and soil temperature dynamics related to climate variability.
