Location: Soil Dynamics Research
Project Number: 6010-11120-008-009-S
Project Type: Non-Assistance Cooperative Agreement
Start Date: Aug 1, 2014
End Date: Jul 31, 2019
Objective:
1. To assess changes in soil characteristics following the production of winter canola.
2. To evaluate the performance of sequential crops following winter canola.
3. To determine relationship to changes in soil characteristics and crop performance.
4. To determine factors in winter canola residue attributing to outcomes in both soil and crops that follow winter canola.
Approach:
The approach is to evaluate soil improvement benefits of implementing canola into a rotational system and its impact on sequential crops. Results from this project will be beneficial to all growers in the southeast who are interested in including winter canola in their rotation and this research will provide new scientific evidence on specific factors which are associated with the residue of Brassica species and how these factors contribute to subsequent crops and soil characteristics. This study will be evaluated under both a conventional- and no-tillage system. Treatments include: 1. Continuous winter wheat; 2. continuous soybean; 3. winter wheat – soybean rotation; 4. canola followed by continuous soybeans for two years; 5. canola followed by continuous wheat for two years; 6.canola followed by soybean-winter wheat rotation for two years and; 7. canola followed by pinto beans winter wheat two years. Among the subsequent crops to be evaluated, short season dry-beans are of great interest to growers in the southeast as a new crop which can add value and increase the choices of summer crops for double cropping. A graduate student will also be trained on this project to help fill the void of experts working to evaluate the crop benefits of incorporating canola into cropping systems within the southeastern United States. Background soil measurements will be taken prior to initiation of the experiment. Plant yield will be determined on each crop. Soil nutrients will be determined at the end of the study. Soil infiltration measurements will be taken after the canola crop and at the end of the study to determine the impact canola and rotational system has on the movement of water through the soil profile.
