The multidisciplinary, long-term research project has two components, each with their separate, but coordinated objectives. The first component includes several small satellite studies for determining fertility, pest management, and other agronomic practices for producing specific market classes of spring wheat and spring barley in conservation tillage systems. A team of 14 scientists and extension personnel from nine disciplines has been assembled to address these interdisciplinary research issues. The soft white wheats have been selected for use in the fallow cropping systems because high soil moisture levels will improve grain yields and lower grain protein contents. A 20-acre site in the semiarid region has been procured to conduct this field study.
Sufficient land is available to grow every crop every year.
For most operations, field-size equipment will be used. The 1996-97 crop year marked the successful establishment of all appropriate crop rotation cycles. The annual precipitation in this normal 11-inch rainfall zone was 16 to 17 inches and enabled all crops to produce excellent yields. The importance of preserving surface field residues to prevent soil erosion is well-known, however, information on how to manage existing crop residue is limited. The soil surface residue in no-till systems affect the amount of soil erosion, nutrient availability, soil structure, soil temperature, water evaporation, microbial activity, and pest incidence.