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 Hydrology and Remote Sensing Laboratory: Beltsville, MD
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ARS Home Northeast Area Beltsville, Maryland (BARC) Beltsville Agricultural Research Center Hydrology and Remote Sensing Laboratory Research





- McCarty, Gregory
- Water Availability and Watershed Management (211)
- Sustainable Agricultural Systems Research (216)

Research Project: **Location:
                            Hydrology and Remote Sensing Laboratory** Project Number: 8042-13610-030-019-S
                        
                        Project Type: Non-Assistance Cooperative Agreement Start Date: Aug 1, 2020
                        
                        End Date: Aug 31, 2023 **Objective:**
                        
                        1. Evaluate the environmental benefit of switchgrass and Miscanthus buffers planted on marginal farmland and near-stream areas including reduction of soil P saturation and reduction of nutrient loss from farmland using field sampling and Soil Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) modeling.

2. Evaluate the expected improvement in whole-farm nutrient balance (P, N, C) and economic balance associated with on-farm production of poultry bedding material (switchgrass and Miscanthus) compared to the current practice of pine sawdust importation. **Approach:**
                        
                        The overall approach will involve strategic sampling and monitoring to assess impacts of switchgrass and Miscanthus production on farm scale nutrient dynamics and assessment of environmental impacts (phytomining of excess soil P, uptake of nitrate and phosphate in ground water) resulting from plantation on marginal cropland, edges of irrigated areas, and buffer areas adjacent to ditches and streams. The data collection is also designed to establish key parameters used in Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) modeling such that watershed scale assessment of miscanthus and switchgrass production on nutrient exports can be evaluated. The other key component of this work is to assess methods for controlling the potential spread of switchgrass and Miscanthus into non-agricultural ecosystems, including herbicide termination trials, cultural practices, and evaluation of dispersal mechanisms.


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