Author
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Williams, John |
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Submitted to: American Water Resources Association Conference Proceedings
Publication Type: Abstract Only Publication Acceptance Date: 1/15/2003 Publication Date: 5/12/2003 Citation: Williams, J.D. 2003. A paired-drainage, four-year no-till system project in north-central Oregon. IN: Proceedings American Water Resources Association Spring Specialty Conference Proceedings - Agricultural Hydrology and Water Quality. Kansas City, MO, May 12-14, 2003. (Published on CD_ROM, No Page Number Assignment). Interpretive Summary: Technical Abstract: Conventional tillage in winter wheat, fallow systems is not biologically or economically sustainable, leading to soil organic matter loss and leaving fields vulnerable to erosion by wind and water. Runoff from these fields is lost for crop use and degrades stream water quality and habitat. Reduced tillage and increased cropping intensity help reduce erosion and run-off, but because of poor economic performance they are not widely accepted. Field quantification of runoff, erosion, and production from new systems are needed for farmers and policy makers to make environmentally and economically sound decisions. We will use two drainages of fifteen and twenty-five acres to apply a paired watershed experimental design for a field scale evaluation. Two farming systems, notill and conventional, will be used to calibrate the drainages including data collected on soil physical and biological characteristics, weed control, small plot hydrology and erosion, and crop productivity. The conventional treatment is a traditional winter wheat, summer fallow system using inversion tillage followed by multiple passes with secondary tillage equipment. A four year, notill system in the second drainage will consist of four blocks; over a period of four years each block will be, in turn, cropped to winter wheat, garbanzo beans, winter wheat, and fallowed. We will evaluate the net farm income from each system. This analysis will be critical in deciding which of the two drainage's management will be changed following calibration in order to make valid conclusions regarding the relative performance of the two cropping systems. |
