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Title: INTEGRATED CROP - LIVESTOCK SYSTEMS IN HUMID-SUBTROPICAL AND WARM-TEMPERATURE ENVIRONMENTS

Author
item Franzluebbers, Alan
item WRIGHT, D - MISC.
item Stuedemann, John
item Reeves, Donald

Submitted to: ASA-CSSA-SSSA Annual Meeting Abstracts
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 11/6/2005
Publication Date: 11/6/2005
Citation: Franzluebbers, A.J., Wright, D.L., Stuedemann, J.A., Reeves, D.W. 2005. Integrated crop - livestock systems in humid-subtropical and warm-temperature environments [abstract]. American Society of Agronomy-Crop Science Society of America-Soil Science Society of America Annual Meeting, November 6-10, 2005, Salt Lake City, Utah. CD-ROM.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Integration of crops and livestock in the southeastern USA has potential to increase productivity, reduce negative impacts of agriculture on the environment, and strengthen agricultural communities. Sod-based rotations can foster soil organic matter accumulation, relieve weed, disease, and insect pressures, and create a diversity of options available to producers for increasing profit and environmental stewardship. Corn, cotton, soybean, and peanut are typical crops in the warm, humid southeastern USA that can benefit from sod-based rotations. Improvement in soil organic matter with integrated crop-livestock production often results in a cascade of improvements in agroecosystem functioning, e.g. greater water infiltration and crop water-use efficiency, better root growth and distribution in soil, and higher annualized productivity. Several constraints to the wider adoption of integrated crop-livestock production in the region exist and will be discussed. Based on the balance of information available, we recommend greater adoption of integrated crop-livestock production for sustainability of agriculture in the southeastern USA.