Progress 10/01/22 to 09/30/23
Outputs
PROGRESS REPORT Objectives (from AD-416): 1. Evaluate plant through micro-patch scale responses of new and existing lines of forage species for enhanced climate resilience and positive responses to management. Sub-objective 1.A: Evaluate frequency and level of dihaploid production in meadow fescue, creeping fescue, and Festuloliums. Sub-objective 1.B: Generate and evaluate a perennial Lolium inducer line with the ability to produce dihaploids. Sub-objective 1.C: Generate and evaluate apomictic, hexaploid F1 hybrid eastern gamagrass (Tripsacum dactyloides) germplasm. 2. Define responses of patch-scale attributes at the soil-plant-animal interface to environment and management to improve nutrient-use and production efficiency in forages and animals. Sub-objective 2.A: Define the longer-term capacity of annual cool- and warm-season legumes as sources of green nitrogen (N) for production of cool- and warm-season forages. Sub-objective 2.B: Identify and evaluate forage resources for efficacy at critical times in the production cycle of farm-finished beef, and their relationships with frame score, calf growth rate, carcass quality, and economic returns. 3. Examine paddock-scale responses of the soil-plant-animal complex in response to applied management using multi-scale data to assess the potential of diverse ranges of forage and grain crops for function as multi-use crops. Sub-objective 3.A: Measure responses, and model, novel warm-season annual pulses for their use in grazing and cropping agroecosystems of the SGP. Sub-objective 3.B: Define carbon (C), N, and microbial fluxes in row crop, wheat-based, and native agroecosystems under different forms of management: green manures, fertilizer inputs, prescribed fire, and grazing. 4. Measure and model landscape-scale responses of soil-plant-animal- atmosphere complexes to identify improved and innovative management strategies that enhance ecological function of grazing lands and increase resilience of production systems. Sub-Objective 4.A: Establish a network of integrated flux measurement systems (⿿GRL-FLUXNET. Sub-objective 4.B: Characterize the impacts of climate variability and management on different forages at local and regional scales in the SGP. Sub-objective 4.C: Quantify dynamics of C and water (H2O) balances of native prairie, tame pastures and croplands in response to management practices and biophysical factors. Sub-objective 4.D: Upscale paddock-level fluxes of C and H2O to regional scales using remote sensing approaches. Sub-objective 4.E: Improve water management practices and water productivity by reducing non-productive water loss. Approach (from AD-416): Limited and uncertain forage supply, increased climatic variability, and environmental degradation impact livestock and crop production systems in the Southern Great Plains (SGP) and threaten agroecosystem viability and sustainability. This project will develop management practices and identify crop and forage genotypes that are resilient under variable climate and will increase forage productivity and resource use-efficiency on mixed-agriculture farms across a range of scales. Increased forage productivity from native prairie and tame pasturelands will be achieved through use of practices that enhance ecological condition of grazing lands and minimize or reverse on-farm and downstream environmental damage. New decision-support tools will assist producers in timing and choice of management practices that maximize resource use efficiency under variable climatic conditions. Improved resource use efficiency will reduce unit cost of forage and crop production, and contribute to sustainability of forage-based livestock production. Enhancement of on-farm capacity for forage production is important because increased forage supplies can substitute for feed resources lost to competing enterprises such as grain crops and bioenergy production. Forage-based livestock production that uses improved management practices to enhance ecological function of prairie and pastureland will increase resilience of production systems, increase food security, add value to farming operations, and mitigate greenhouse gas emissions. The end-result will be improved efficiencies of beef production with less grain and fossil fuel inputs, less need for capital through increased use of on-farm products, and increased competitiveness and profitability for producers. To accomplish this goal, understanding interactions between different factors of the soil-plant- animal-atmosphere interface is required to match input resources to desired useful products and ecological benefits. Most milestones of the bjectives and sub-objectives of the research project 3070-21610-003-00D for FY 23 have been met or exceeded; the primary exception was research under Objective 1. An ARS researcher at El Reno, Oklahoma, developing germplasms of different introduced and native grass species within sub-objectives 1.A, and 1.B retired during the first quarter of FY23, and research within these Sub-objectives were terminated. An ARS researcher in Sub-objective 1.C. utilized hybrids from earlier crosses to generate hexaploid (6n) F1-hybrid eastern gamagrass capable of producing viable seed and produce plants with predictable and uniform performance. Results of efforts in FY22 failed to produce stable and viable hexaploids, so the research was terminated, and the researcher retired. A team of ARS researchers at El Reno, Oklahoma, in collaboration with scientists at Kansas State University, Texas A&M University, and University of Florida, undertook a series of experiments within longer- term studies that make up Sub-objectives 2.A.1, and 2.A.2. Data from the first 6 years of Sub-objective 2.A.1 were reported in a published paper that describes water storage and use efficiencies in intensive winter wheat ⿿ summer green N systems, compared to winter wheat ⿿ summer fallow systems. Under Sub-objective 2.A.2, journal papers reported on: the value of short-growing season annual legumes as sources of green N & forage; a tool to describe forage quality of annual legumes; and the effects of harvest management for annual legumes. A team of ARS researchers at El Reno, Oklahoma, in collaboration with scientists at the Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, Oklahoma, and Kansas State University, Manhattan, Kansas, continued a series of experiments that test a range of wheat-warm season crop and green manure rotations within the National Institute of Food and Agriculture. Project ⿿Increasing Water Productivity, Nutrient Use Efficiency, and Soil Health in Rainfed Agricultural Systems of Semi- Arid Southern Great Plains⿿. A research team of ARS scientists at El Reno, Oklahoma, and collaborators at Oklahoma State University, completed a series of experiments under Sub-objective 2.A.3 to test different methods of improving the transfer of nitrogen in green manures and inorganic fertilizers to following forage and grain crops. A book chapter describing sources of greenhouse gases and techniques to reduce emissions was published within this Sub-objective. New experiments related to Sub- objectives 2.A.1 to 2.A.3 (initiated in FY21) to define how other grain legumes function as forage, or sources of green nitrogen in wheat-based agroecosystems were continued. A team of ARS researchers at El Reno, Oklahoma, continued studies as components of Sub-objective 2.B that will aid in defining how different forage sequences affect growth by yearling cattle that are entirely, or largely, finished on pasture. This includes the use of forage species, and combinations of species in mixes as cover crops as sources of quality forage to support rapid gains by yearling cattle. Data on growth responses of different novel legumes continues to be collected by ARS researchers and collaborators at Texas A&M University, Kansas State University, and University of Florida that will be applied to future modelling exercises. ARS researchers at El Reno, Oklahoma, collected data during the fifth year of a long-term experiment in Sub- objective 3.B that will develop databases related to how soils and the plant community of southern tallgrass prairie respond to combinations of annual prescribed spring burns and intensive grazing during the early growing season. Treatments could not be applied in FY23 due to extreme drought conditions that prevented prescribed burns, grazing, and hay production. Comprehensive data was continually added to databases in the Oklahoma and Central Plains Agricultural Research Center - Eddy covariance (FLUX) NETwork (GRL-FLUXNET), on the soil-plant-atmosphere interface of rangeland managed by different techniques. Additional years will be added to the study to capture required responses of plant communities and Eddy fluxes under applied management. ARS researchers at El Reno, Oklahoma, continued to undertake the assignment of eddy covariance (EC) systems to 16 different annual and perennial pastures, and croplands, that were part of the ⿿GRL-FLUXNET⿿ system as part of meeting Sub-objectives 4.A. ARS scientists continued to add data to comprehensive databases on the soil-plant-atmosphere interface of a series of different agroecosystems that were collected by the Eddy covariance (FLUX) NETwork (GRL-FLUXNET) comprised of 16 Eddy covariance systems. A team of ARS scientists at El Reno, Oklahoma, undertook studies under Sub-objective 4.C, to collect data and report on carbon dioxide (CO2), evapotranspiration, and light and water use efficiencies of a series of annual and perennial pastures and croplands under different forms of crop and land management. ARS researchers at El Reno, Oklahoma, continued the collection of regional-scale data related to evapotranspiration and biomass production of native grasslands under Sub- objective 4.D. This collected data will be used to develop regional-scale maps that will help in understanding how climate affects grassland productivity at multi-state scales. Gross primary production and evapotranspiration have been modelled at the site level, but upscaling efforts to examine these features at the regional level were not possible due to the departure of key university personnel undertaking this task. Under Sub-objective 4.E, ARS scientists at El Reno, Oklahoma, and university collaborators undertook studies to provide information pertaining to the partitioning of water use to define losses by evaporation and uses in transpiration by plants in a series of applied cropping systems. Artificial Intelligence (AI)/Machine Learning (ML) Monitoring legume production and quality with remote sensing and machine learning. ARS researchers, in collaboration with collaborators at Texas Agri-Life, undertook a study to determine if hyperspectral information collected from satellites could be combined with different methods of machine learning to provide accurate estimates of forage yields and quality. They analyzed data-based models with local computing hardware to predict nitrogen concentrations, yields, and accumulations of nitrogen in three different legumes (soybean, tepary bean, mothbean) with four methods of machine learning (k-Nearest Neighbors [KNN], partial least squares regression [PLS], support vector machine [SVM], and random forest [RF]). Results showed models based on SVM and RF algorithms provided the best outcomes when combined with hyperspectral data, with SVM being less computationally expensive. These findings showed that physical and biochemical characteristics of legumes used as forage could be accurately defined with combinations of remote sensing and machine learning and provide producers with quick and cost-effective estimates of production and forage quality.
Impacts
(N/A)
Publications
- Baath, G., Sarker, S., Northup, B.K., Sapkota, B., Gowda, P.H., Flynn, K.C. 2023. Summer pulses as sources of green manure and soil cover in the U.S. Southern Great Plains. Agronomy Journal. 2(2):66-74. https://doi.org/10. 1016/j.crope.2023.04.001.
- Bhattarai, A., Sharma, A., Yadav, R.K., Wagle, P. 2022. Interacting effects of botanicals, biocontrol agents, and potting media on Rhizoctonia solani led damping-off of okra seedlings. Journal of Agriculture and Food Research. 10. Article 100410.. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jafr.2022.100410.
- Zhou, Y., Ma, S., Wagle, P., Gowda, P.H. 2023. Climate and management practices jointly control vegetation phenology in native and introduced prairie pastures. Remote Sensing. 15(10):2529. https://doi.org/10.3390/ rs15102529.
- Singh, H., Northup, B.K., Prasad, V. 2023. Water storage and use efficiencies of rainfed winter wheat-summer green manure systems of the US Southern Great Plains. European Journal of Agronomy. 146. Article 126818. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eja.2023.126818.
- Wagle, P., Raghav, P., Kumar, M., Gunter, S.A. 2022. Influence of water use efficiency parameterizations on flux variance similarity-based partitioning of evapotranspiration. Water Resources Research. 328. Article 109254. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agrformet.2022.109254.
- Singh, H., Prasad, P., Northup, B.K., Ciampitti, I., Rice, C. 2023. Strategies for mitigating greenhouse gas emissions from agricultural ecosystems. In: Ahmed, M. Global Agricultural Production: Resilience to Climate Change. Cham, Switzerland: Springer Cham. p.409-440
- Witt, T.W., Northup, B.K., Ojha, M., Puppala, N. 2023. Forage accumulation and nutritive value of four peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.) market types in the US Southern Great Plains. Legume Science. https://doi.org/10.1002/leg3. 198.
- Flynn, K.C., Baath, G., Lee, T.O., Gowda, P.H., Northup, B.K. 2023. Hyperspectral reflectance and machine learning to monitor legume biomass and nitrogen accumulation. Computers and Electronics in Agriculture. 211. Article 107991. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compag.2023.107991.
- Celis, J., Xiao, X., Basara, J., Wagle, P., and McCarthy, H. 2023. Simple and innovative methods to estimate gross primary production and transpiration of crops: A review. In: Chaudhary, S., Biradar, C.M., Divakaran, S., Raval, M.S. (eds). Digital Ecosystem for Innovation in Agriculture. Studies in Big Data. Vol. 121. Singapore:Springer. p. 125-156. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-99-0577-5_7.
- Witt, T.W., Flynn, K.C., Zoz, T., Monteiro, J. 2023. A site suitability analysis for castor (Ricinus communis L.) production during Brazil⿿s second harvest incorporating disease prediction. Heliyon. 9(8). Article e18981. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e18981.
- Witt, T.W., Northup, B.K., Porch, T.G., Barrera, S., Urrea, C.A. 2023. Effect of cutting management on the forage production and quality of tepary bean (Phaseolus acutifolius A. Gray). Euphytica. 13. Article 12875. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-39550-3.
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Progress 10/01/21 to 09/30/22
Outputs
PROGRESS REPORT Objectives (from AD-416): 1. Evaluate plant through micro-patch scale responses of new and existing lines of forage species for enhanced climate resilience and positive responses to management. Sub-objective 1.A: Evaluate frequency and level of dihaploid production in meadow fescue, creeping fescue, and Festuloliums. Sub-objective 1.B: Generate and evaluate a perennial Lolium inducer line with the ability to produce dihaploids. Sub-objective 1.C: Generate and evaluate apomictic, hexaploid F1 hybrid eastern gamagrass (Tripsacum dactyloides) germplasm. 2. Define responses of patch-scale attributes at the soil-plant-animal interface to environment and management to improve nutrient-use and production efficiency in forages and animals. Sub-objective 2.A: Define the longer-term capacity of annual cool- and warm-season legumes as sources of green nitrogen (N) for production of cool- and warm-season forages. Sub-objective 2.B: Identify and evaluate forage resources for efficacy at critical times in the production cycle of farm-finished beef, and their relationships with frame score, calf growth rate, carcass quality, and economic returns. 3. Examine paddock-scale responses of the soil-plant-animal complex in response to applied management using multi-scale data to assess the potential of diverse ranges of forage and grain crops for function as multi-use crops. Sub-objective 3.A: Measure responses, and model, novel warm-season annual pulses for their use in grazing and cropping agroecosystems of the SGP. Sub-objective 3.B: Define carbon (C), N, and microbial fluxes in row crop, wheat-based, and native agroecosystems under different forms of management: green manures, fertilizer inputs, prescribed fire, and grazing. 4. Measure and model landscape-scale responses of soil-plant-animal- atmosphere complexes to identify improved and innovative management strategies that enhance ecological function of grazing lands and increase resilience of production systems. Sub-Objective 4.A: Establish a network of integrated flux measurement systems (⿿GRL-FLUXNET. Sub-objective 4.B: Characterize the impacts of climate variability and management on different forages at local and regional scales in the SGP. Sub-objective 4.C: Quantify dynamics of C and water (H2O) balances of native prairie, tame pastures and croplands in response to management practices and biophysical factors. Sub-objective 4.D: Upscale paddock-level fluxes of C and H2O to regional scales using remote sensing approaches. Sub-objective 4.E: Improve water management practices and water productivity by reducing non-productive water loss. Approach (from AD-416): Limited and uncertain forage supply, increased climatic variability, and environmental degradation impact livestock and crop production systems in the Southern Great Plains (SGP) and threaten agroecosystem viability and sustainability. This project will develop management practices and identify crop and forage genotypes that are resilient under variable climate and will increase forage productivity and resource use-efficiency on mixed-agriculture farms across a range of scales. Increased forage productivity from native prairie and tame pasturelands will be achieved through use of practices that enhance ecological condition of grazing lands and minimize or reverse on-farm and downstream environmental damage. New decision-support tools will assist producers in timing and choice of management practices that maximize resource use efficiency under variable climatic conditions. Improved resource use efficiency will reduce unit cost of forage and crop production, and contribute to sustainability of forage-based livestock production. Enhancement of on-farm capacity for forage production is important because increased forage supplies can substitute for feed resources lost to competing enterprises such as grain crops and bioenergy production. Forage-based livestock production that uses improved management practices to enhance ecological function of prairie and pastureland will increase resilience of production systems, increase food security, add value to farming operations, and mitigate greenhouse gas emissions. The end-result will be improved efficiencies of beef production with less grain and fossil fuel inputs, less need for capital through increased use of on-farm products, and increased competitiveness and profitability for producers. To accomplish this goal, understanding interactions between different factors of the soil-plant- animal-atmosphere interface is required to match input resources to desired useful products and ecological benefits. Milestones of the Objectives and Sub-objectives of the research project 3070-21610-003-00-D for fiscal year (FY) 22 have been met, though the effects of Covid-19 protocols hindered progress in all Sub-objectives. An ARS researcher at El Reno, Oklahoma, continued work in developing germplasms of different introduced and native grass species within Sub- objectives 1.A, 1.B, and 1.C. Within Sub-objective 1.A, selections for dihaploid (plants with two sets of chromosomes) recoveries from F1 crops of tall fescue seeds were undertaken with a cooperator and were successful in reaching the stage of developing potential tall fescue inducers. However, there is not enough time to complete the hybridizations required to prove if new inducers exist within the newly developed population. The project will be terminated in September 2022. A paper was published that defined a new technique for breeding and selecting tall fescues that can genetically stabilize the complex mineral characteristics of calcium, magnesium and potassium in tall fescue into a homozygous (plants with two identical alleles of particular genes) , dihaploid state. Within Sub-objective 1.B., perennial clones of Lolium (ryegrass) were transferred to a cooperator for hybridization with tall fescue & the determination of the presence of a dihaploid generation of plants. Projects undertaken with cooperator successfully reached the stage of developing potential perennial ryegrass inducers. However, there is not enough time to complete the hybridizations required to prove if new inducers exist in the population. The project will be terminated in September 2022. A paper was published defining the occurrence and detection of chimeral plants (containing tissues from at least 2 genetically distinct parents) sectors in leaf tissues of ryegrass-fescue hybrids. Within Sub-objective 1.C., performance testing of Tripsacum (eastern gamagrass) continued in replicated trials at El Reno and cooperator locations. The hexaploidy (6x) project did not result in a new approach to developing Tripsacum hybrids. However, large numbers of chimeral (plants containing tissues from at least 2 genetically distinct parents) plants were identified. The project with the cooperator was terminated in June 2022. Within Sub-objective 2.A, ARS researchers at El Reno, Oklahoma, in collaboration with researchers at Kansas State University, collected the third years⿿ data within the USDA-National Institute of Food and Agriculture funded project ⿿Increasing Water Productivity, Nutrient Use Efficiency, and Soil Health in Rainfed Agricultural Systems of Semi-Arid Southern Great Plains⿿ (2019-68012- 29888). The capacity of different types of biochar to influence soil physical and chemical properties that are the subject of the study was produced. Within Sub-objective 2.B, ARS Researchers at El Reno, Oklahoma, continued assigning growing stocker cattle and heifers to different pastures of warm-season grasses as part of systems of finishing cattle, and collecting data on animal performance. Within Sub-objective 3.A which was completed in FY21, ARS researchers at El Reno, Oklahoma, in collaboration with researchers at Kansas State University reported on the flood tolerance of the novel legume tepary bean and described the potential range and effects of flooding on production if tepary bean were grown at commercial scales in the southern Great Plains. Within Sub- objective 3.B, ARS researchers at El Reno, Oklahoma, continued applying management systems involving annual prescribed spring burns and intensive early grazing to southern tallgrass prairie for the sixth year, and data collection were completed. Within Sub-objective 4.A: ARS researchers at El Reno, Oklahoma, in collaboration with university collaborators, continued collecting data related to fluxes in carbon, water, and energy at the soil-plant-animal-atmosphere interface of a range of agroecosystems with 16 Eddy covariance towers that are part of the ⿿GRL- FLUXNET⿿ system. Data from pastures of winter wheat, alfalfa, native prairie, and other perennial and annual forage and grain crops within the network are being collected and compiled on a continuous, 12-month basis to develop a database. Researchers reported on: a biogeochemical model that provided improved simulations of microbial-mediated carbon dynamics in agricultural ecosystems; and the time-based dynamics that occur in bacterial communities along a disturbance gradient in a U.S. Southern Plains. Within Sub-objective 4.C, ARS researchers at El Reno, Oklahoma, in collaboration with university researchers defined carbon dioxide and water vapor fluxes from multi-purpose systems of cropping winter wheat used in the U.S. Southern Great Plains. Within Sub-objective 4.D, ARS researchers at El Reno, Oklahoma, in collaboration with university researchers continued collections of regional-scale data related to evapotranspiration (ET) and gross primary production (GPP). This data is used to develop maps of both ET and GPP for the prairie regions of the central U.S. Eddy fluxes from vegetation of tallgrass prairies in the U.S. Southern Plains during multiple dormant seasons (October through February), and vegetation phenology were analyzed and reported. Within Sub-objective 4.E, ARS researchers at El Reno, Oklahoma, in collaboration with university researchers continued efforts in separating the evaporation and transpiration components of evapotranspiration for a range of growing crops and agroecosystems. A primary focus of research was on water flux among the soil-plant-atmosphere interface of different cropping systems applied to winter wheat.
Impacts
(N/A)
Publications
- Deng, J., Frolking, S., Bajgain, R., Cornell, C., Wagle, P., Xiao, X., Zhou, J., Basara, J., Steiner, J.L., Changsheng, L. 2021. Improving a biogeochemical model to simulate microbial-mediated carbon dynamics in agricultural ecosystems. Journal of Advances in Modeling Earth Systems. 13. Article e2021MS002752.
- Singh, H., Northup, B.K., Rice, C.W, Prasad, V. 2022. Biochar applications influence soil physical and chemical properties, microbial diversity, and crop productivity: a meta-analysis. Biochar. 4. Article 8.
- Kindiger, B.K. 2021. Gamete selection for macro-nutrient selection of Ca, Mg and K in tall fescue. Journal of Horticulture. 8(6). Article 297.
- Fortuna, A., Steiner, J.L., Moriasi, D.N., Northup, B.K., Starks, P.J. 2021. Linking geospatial information and effects of management to soil quality. Journal of Soil and Water Conservation. https://doi.org/10.2489/ jswc.2022.00160.
- Cornell, C., Zhang, Y., Ning, D., Wu, L., Wagle, P., Steiner, J., Xiao, X., Zhou, J. 2022. Temporal dynamics of bacterial communities along a gradient of disturbance in a U.S. Southern Plains agroecosystem. mSphere. 6. Article e01160-20. https://doi.org/10.1128/mSphere.01160-20.
- Kindiger, B.K. 2021. Occurrence and detection of chimeral sectors in leaf tissue of novel Lolium multiflorum x L. arundinaceum hybrids. Journal of Horticulture. 8(7). Article 299.
- Wagle, P., Kakani, V.G., Gowda, P.H., Xiao, X., Northup, B.K., Neel, J.P., Starks, P.J., Steiner, J.L., Gunter, S. 2022. Dormant season vegetation phenology and eddy fluxes in native tallgrass prairies of the U.S. Southern Plains. Remote Sensing. 14(11). Article 2620. https://doi.org/10. 3390/rs14112620.
- Witt, T.W., Flynn, K.C., Villavicencio, C., Northup, B.K. 2022. Flood tolerance and flood loss predictions for tepary bean (Phaseolus acutifolius A. Gray) across the United States Southern Great Plains. Agronomy Journal. 1-11. https://doi.org/10.1002/agj2.21084.
- Wagle, P., Gowda, P.H., Northup, B.K., Neel, J.P., Starks, P.J., Turner, K. E., Moriasi, D.N. 2021. Carbon dioxide and water vapor fluxes of multi- purpose winter wheat cropping systems in the U.S. Southern Great Plains. Agricultural and Forest Meteorology. 310:108631. https://doi.org/10.1016/j. agrformet.2021.108631.
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Progress 10/01/20 to 09/30/21
Outputs
PROGRESS REPORT Objectives (from AD-416): 1. Evaluate plant through micro-patch scale responses of new and existing lines of forage species for enhanced climate resilience and positive responses to management. Sub-objective 1.A: Evaluate frequency and level of dihaploid production in meadow fescue, creeping fescue, and Festuloliums. Sub-objective 1.B: Generate and evaluate a perennial Lolium inducer line with the ability to produce dihaploids. Sub-objective 1.C: Generate and evaluate apomictic, hexaploid F1 hybrid eastern gamagrass (Tripsacum dactyloides) germplasm. 2. Define responses of patch-scale attributes at the soil-plant-animal interface to environment and management to improve nutrient-use and production efficiency in forages and animals. Sub-objective 2.A: Define the longer-term capacity of annual cool- and warm-season legumes as sources of green nitrogen (N) for production of cool- and warm-season forages. Sub-objective 2.B: Identify and evaluate forage resources for efficacy at critical times in the production cycle of farm-finished beef, and their relationships with frame score, calf growth rate, carcass quality, and economic returns. 3. Examine paddock-scale responses of the soil-plant-animal complex in response to applied management using multi-scale data to assess the potential of diverse ranges of forage and grain crops for function as multi-use crops. Sub-objective 3.A: Measure responses, and model, novel warm-season annual pulses for their use in grazing and cropping agroecosystems of the SGP. Sub-objective 3.B: Define carbon (C), N, and microbial fluxes in row crop, wheat-based, and native agroecosystems under different forms of management: green manures, fertilizer inputs, prescribed fire, and grazing. 4. Measure and model landscape-scale responses of soil-plant-animal- atmosphere complexes to identify improved and innovative management strategies that enhance ecological function of grazing lands and increase resilience of production systems. Sub-Objective 4.A: Establish a network of integrated flux measurement systems (⿿GRL-FLUXNET. Sub-objective 4.B: Characterize the impacts of climate variability and management on different forages at local and regional scales in the SGP. Sub-objective 4.C: Quantify dynamics of C and water (H2O) balances of native prairie, tame pastures and croplands in response to management practices and biophysical factors. Sub-objective 4.D: Upscale paddock-level fluxes of C and H2O to regional scales using remote sensing approaches. Sub-objective 4.E: Improve water management practices and water productivity by reducing non-productive water loss. Approach (from AD-416): Limited and uncertain forage supply, increased climatic variability, and environmental degradation impact livestock and crop production systems in the Southern Great Plains (SGP) and threaten agroecosystem viability and sustainability. This project will develop management practices and identify crop and forage genotypes that are resilient under variable climate and will increase forage productivity and resource use-efficiency on mixed-agriculture farms across a range of scales. Increased forage productivity from native prairie and tame pasturelands will be achieved through use of practices that enhance ecological condition of grazing lands and minimize or reverse on-farm and downstream environmental damage. New decision-support tools will assist producers in timing and choice of management practices that maximize resource use efficiency under variable climatic conditions. Improved resource use efficiency will reduce unit cost of forage and crop production, and contribute to sustainability of forage-based livestock production. Enhancement of on-farm capacity for forage production is important because increased forage supplies can substitute for feed resources lost to competing enterprises such as grain crops and bioenergy production. Forage-based livestock production that uses improved management practices to enhance ecological function of prairie and pastureland will increase resilience of production systems, increase food security, add value to farming operations, and mitigate greenhouse gas emissions. The end-result will be improved efficiencies of beef production with less grain and fossil fuel inputs, less need for capital through increased use of on-farm products, and increased competitiveness and profitability for producers. To accomplish this goal, understanding interactions between different factors of the soil-plant- animal-atmosphere interface is required to match input resources to desired useful products and ecological benefits. Research within each of Sub-Objective is proceeding to schedules in milestones. An ARS Researcher at El Reno, Oklahoma continued developing germplasms of different introduced and native grass species within Sub- Objectives 1.A, 1.B, and 1.C. Within Sub-Objective 1.A, suitable F1 (first generation) hybrids were evaluated for dihaploid generation in Oregon by cooperator. Dihaploids were retained and placed under agronomic evaluations for phenotype, maturity, fertility, and persistence. In Sub- Objective 1.B, potential perennial inducer lines were identified. A patent application for a technique that induces rhizome (underground stems that produces shoots) formation in fescue species was initiated. In Sub-Objective 1.C, 600 offspring from pentaploid eastern gamagrass x diploid eastern gamagrass individuals were generated and germinated, and the first 100 samples were examined to identify 6n (hexaploid) offspring by flow cytometry analysis. Plant materials under the three Sub- Objectives are being developed to provide agricultural producers with perennial forages capable of rapidly developing viable stands, and of being productive in drought-affected areas and under low levels of fertilization. A team of ARS Researchers at El Reno, Oklahoma, in collaboration with Oklahoma State University and Kansas State University, expanded efforts within Sub-Objectives 2.A.1, and 2.A.2. ARS researchers at El Reno, Oklahoma and collaborators at Kansas State University described 5 years of precipitation storage and use efficiencies of intensive winter wheat ⿿ summer green nitrogen (N) systems in Sub-Objective 2.A.1. Ancillary research by ARS Researchers at El Reno, Oklahoma and collaborators at Oklahoma State University reported on water use and water use efficiencies of grain and forage production by winter wheat double- cropped with soybean. Within Sub-Objective 2.A.2, ARS Researchers at El Reno, Oklahoma and collaborators at Kansas State University, analyzed the first four years data on responses of forage production in response to green N treatments. Ancillary research reported on the effects of cool- season grass and legume-based organic N on nitrous oxide emissions in a system of forage production by a warm-season grass. Results identified a series of issues to be addressed in future research, to improve the transfer of N in legume biomass to following cash crops, and new experiments were initiated to test other potential forage and grain systems. Based on results from studies in Sub-Objectives 2.A.1, and 2.A.2, a team of ARS Researchers at El Reno, Oklahoma, in collaboration with scientists at the Oklahoma State University and Kansas State University, expanded research in a new series of experiments to test a broader range of cool-season and warm-season crop rotations within the National Institute of Food and Agriculture Project ⿿Increasing Water Productivity, Nutrient Use Efficiency, and Soil Health in Rainfed Agricultural Systems of Semi-Arid Southern Great Plains⿿. A team of ARS Researchers at El Reno, Oklahoma have continued and expanded studies in Sub-Objective 2.B that will aid in defining how different forage sequences affect growth by yearling cattle that are entirely, or largely, finished on pasture. Results of studies within Objective 2 will allow the development of new tools and techniques that agricultural producers in the Southern Great Plains can apply to improve forage production in response to the variable climate of the region. ARS Scientists at El Reno, Oklahoma, in collaboration with researchers at Oklahoma State University, completed an experiment in Sub-Objective 3.A to model the performance of continuous forage soybean-winter wheat rotations in rainfed environments of the southern Great Plains. Other work defined the effect of a novel grain legume grown for green N on subsequent cotton crops. Ancillary studies produced a remote sensing tool to predict forage quality of a novel grain-type cereal grass ⿿ common to India and Africa ⿿ that is being tested in the southern Great Plains. ARS Researchers at El Reno, Oklahoma collected data during the fifth year of a long-term experiment in Sub-Objective 3.B that will develop databases that describe how soils and plant communities of southern tallgrass prairie respond to combinations of annual prescribed spring burns and intensive grazing at different times during the early growing season. Progress was hampered by recent restrictions related to requirements of laboratory staff receiving permission from first nations groups to apply prescribed burns, which prevented application of prescribed burns in 2021. This resulted in the loss of one years⿿ treatment application and collected data, and interruption of accumulated treatment effects over the previous 4 years. In response, pastures were grazed without burning, to compare carbon, energy, and water fluxes of southern tallgrass prairie between no burning and grazing (2021) and burning and grazing (2020). Results of studies within Objective 3 provide agricultural producers in the Southern Great Plains, and other regions with similar environments, with new information and tools to enhance sustainable management of croplands and native rangelands. ARS Researchers at El Reno, Oklahoma, met requirements of Sub-Objective 4. A by applying eddy covariance (EC) systems to 16 different types of annual and perennial pastures and croplands that were part of the Grazinglands Research Laboratory Flux Network (GRL-FLUXNET). Data from pastures of winter wheat, alfalfa, native prairie, and other perennial and annual forage and grain crops within the network are collected on a yearlong basis to develop databases that are mined to answer research questions and inform land managers. Under Sub-Objective 4.B, ARS scientists at El Reno, Oklahoma, in collaboration with university researchers, continue to integrate data collected from remotely sensed observations and EC measurements of carbon, water, and energy fluxes from pasture and cropland under different systems of management, to investigate their interactions with climate variability. Evapotranspiration products at different scales of time and space for native prairie and managed pastures were compared. A team of ARS Scientists at El Reno, Oklahoma undertook studies under Sub-Objective 4.C, to describe the dynamics that exist in the carbon and water balance of different grassland and cropland systems in response to applied management from data collected by subsets of EC systems within the ⿿GRL- FLUXNET⿿ system. These efforts resulted in predictions of evapotranspiration by winter wheat using pixel-based models of energy balance, and simulated evapotranspiration and biomass production by winter wheat under contrasting tillage systems with the Agricultural Policy/Environmental eXtender (APEX) model. A series of new studies were initiated to examine pasture-scale carbon dioxide dynamics, evapotranspiration, and resource use efficiencies of a subset of crop rotations being tested in the National Institute of Food and Agriculture Project ⿿Increasing Water Productivity, Nutrient Use Efficiency, and Soil Health in Rainfed Agricultural Systems of Semi-Arid Southern Great Plains⿿ within Sub-Objectives 2.A.1 and 2.A.2. ARS Researchers at El Reno, Oklahoma continued the collection of regional-scale data related to evapotranspiration and biomass production of native grasslands under Sub- Objective 4.D. This collected data will be used to develop regional-scale maps to help describe how climate affects grassland productivity at multi- state scales. Under Sub-Objective 4.E, ARS scientists at El Reno, Oklahoma undertook studies to provide information to improve water management in the southern Great Plains. Two journal papers reported techniques that separate the two parts of evapotranspiration (evaporation of water from soils; transpiration of water by plants through photosynthesis) for a series of grain crops. Results of studies within Objective 4 provide researchers, extension personnel, and land managers in the Southern Great Plains with information on carbon, energy, and water dynamics for a range of crop and forage systems, and low-cost tools to more accurately describe water use by crops. Record of Any Impact of Maximized Teleworking Requirement: Maximized teleworking was effective in completion of basic administrative tasks, manuscript production, on-line training, modelling activities, and statistical analyses. However, though milestones of the project for Fiscal Year 21 were largely met, the effects of Covid-19 protocols related to on-station activities hindered progress in data collection, and management of sites and plant materials. In Sub-Objective 1.B, COVID- 19 travel restrictions limited the ability of ARS researcher to travel to cooperators sites for selection and hybridization of genetic materials. Progress in Objectives 2, 3, and 4 were hampered by COVID-19 restrictions related to laboratory work (social distancing protocols, etc.), site visits by university collaborators, travel, and restrictions on numbers of personnel involved in sampling plots and processing samples. ACCOMPLISHMENTS 01 Modelling water use in intensive, continuous forage soybean ⿿ winter wheat crop rotations. ARS researchers at El Reno, Oklahoma, in collaboration with scientists at Oklahoma State University, modelled the performance of continuous rotations of winter wheat that was double- cropped with forage soybean during the summers between wheat crops. The study used different sub-systems of the Decision Support System for Agrotechnology Transfer-Cropping System (DSSAT) Model to assess: yield and water use of forage soybeans belonging to different maturity groups; how they affected production and water use by following crops of winter wheat; and overall function of double-cropped systems compared to summer fallow-winter wheat systems. Modelling outputs provide producers in the Southern Great Plains (SGP) with information and management guidelines that will help improve the function of intensive forage soybean - winter wheat rotations and provide producers guidance on areas within the SGP where such rotations will be most effective. 02 Partitioning evaporation and transpiration for grain and forage crops from measures of evapotranspiration. ARS researchers at El Reno, Oklahoma, in collaboration with university collaborators, reported on a series of research projects that developed tools which allowed the partition of evapotranspiration into separate estimates of evaporation (water lost from the soil surface) and transpiration (water used by plants when growing) for different grain and forage crops, and perennial pastures. These tools will allow outreach and extension personnel to provide producers with more accurate definitions of how efficient different grain and forage crops are in using water and precipitation in biomass production and help identify unproductive losses of soil water that can be reduced by changes in management.
Impacts
(N/A)
Publications
- Khand, K., Bhattarai, N., Taghvaeian, S., Wagle, P., Gowda, P.H., Alderman, P. 2021. Modeling evapotranspiration of winter wheat using contextual and pixel-based surface energy balance models. Transactions of the ASABE. 64(2) :507-519. https://doi.org/10.13031/trans.14087.
- Da Silva Oliveira, C.E., Hoffmann, L.V., Toscano, L.C., Steiner, F., Zoz, T., Witt, T.W. 2020. Resistance of cotton genotypes to silverleaf whitefly (Bemisia tabaci [gennadius] biotype B). International Journal of Tropical Insect Science. https://doi.org/10.1007/s42690-020-00373-8.
- Witt, T.W., Flynn, K.C., Zoz, T., Monteiro, E.B. 2020. Site suitability analysis incorporating disease prediction in castor (Ricinus communis L.) production. Springer Nature Applied Sciences. 2:1820. https://doi.org/10. 1007/s42452-020-03602-4.
- Zoz, T., Da Silva Oliveira, C.E., De Castro Seron, C., Zanotto, M.D., Bono, J.M., Aguiar, E.B., Witt, T.W. 2020. Growth of dwarf castor hybrids at different soil bulk densities. Industrial Crops and Products. 159. Article 113069. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.indcrop.2020.113069.
- Neupane, B., Poudel, A., Wagle, P. 2020. Varietal evaluation of promising maize genotypes in mid hills of Nepal. Texas Journal of Agriculture and Natural Resources. 3(2):127-139. https://doi.org/10.3126/janr.v3i2.32491.
- Neupane, B., Poudel, A., Wagle, P. 2020. Canopy temperature depression and normalized difference vegetation index as indicators of drought resistance and nitrogen recommendation in hybrid maize genotypes. Azarian Journal of Agriculture. 7(3):69-75. https://dx.doi.org/10.29252/azarinj.031.
- Wagle, P., Gowda, P.H., Northup, B.K., Neel, J.P. 2021. Ecosystem-level water use efficiency and evapotranspiration partitioning in conventional till and no-till rainfed canola. Agricultural Water Management. 250:106825. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agwat.2021.106825.
- Baath, G.S., Northup, B.K., Rao, S.C., Kakani, V.G. 2021. Productivity and water use in intensified forage soybean-wheat cropping systems of the US Southern Great Plains. Field Crops Research. 265:108086. https://doi.org/ 10.1016/j.fcr.2021.108086.
- Albertini, E., Marconi, G., Aiello, D., Kindiger, B.K., Storchi, L., Marrone, A., Reale, L., Terzaroli, N. 2020. The role of APOSTART in switching between sexuality and apopmixis in poa pratensis. Genes. 11(8) :941-965. https://doi.org/10.3390/genes1108094.
- Bajgain, R., Xiangming, X., Wagle, P., Kimball, J., Brust, C., Basara, J., Gowda, P.H., Starks, P.J., Neel, J.P. 2020. Comparing evapotranspiration products of different temporal and spatial scales in native and managed prairie pastures. Remote Sensing. 82(13). https://doi.org/10.3390/ rs13010082.
- Baath, G.S., Kakani, V.G., Northup, B.K., Gowda, P.H., Rocateli, A.C., Singh, H. 2021. Quantifying and modeling the influence of temperature on growth and reproductive development of sesame. Journal of Plant Growth Regulation. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00344-020-10278-y.
- Wagle, P., Skaggs, T.H., Gowda, P.H., Northup, B.K., Neel, J.P., Anderson, R.G. 2021. Evaluation of water use efficiency algorithms for flux variance similarity-based evapotranspiration partitioning in C3 and C4 grain crops. Water Resources Research. 57. Article e2020WR028866. https://doi.org/10. 1029/2020WR028866.
- Tadesse, H.K., Moriasi, D.N., Gowda, P.H., Wagle, P., Starks, P.J., Steiner, J.L., Talebizadeh, M., Neel, J.P., Nelson, A.M. 2020. Comparison of evapotranspiration and biomass simulation in winter wheat under conventional and conservation tillage systems using APEX model. Ecohydrology & Hydrobiology. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecohyd.2020.08.003.
- Kindiger, B.K. 2021. A preliminary evaluation on the performance of tall fescue F1 hybrids. Journal of Horticulture. 21:8.
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Progress 10/01/19 to 09/30/20
Outputs
Progress Report Objectives (from AD-416): 1. Evaluate plant through micro-patch scale responses of new and existing lines of forage species for enhanced climate resilience and positive responses to management. � Sub-objective 1.A: Evaluate frequency and level of dihaploid production in meadow fescue, creeping fescue, and Festuloliums. � Sub-objective 1.B: Generate and evaluate a perennial Lolium inducer line with the ability to produce dihaploids. � Sub-objective 1.C: Generate and evaluate apomictic, hexaploid F1 hybrid eastern gamagrass (Tripsacum dactyloides) germplasm. 2. Define responses of patch-scale attributes at the soil-plant-animal interface to environment and management to improve nutrient-use and production efficiency in forages and animals. � Sub-objective 2.A: Define the longer-term capacity of annual cool- and warm-season legumes as sources of green nitrogen (N) for production of cool- and warm-season forages. � Sub-objective 2.B: Identify and evaluate forage resources for efficacy at critical times in the production cycle of farm-finished beef, and their relationships with frame score, calf growth rate, carcass quality, and economic returns. 3. Examine paddock-scale responses of the soil-plant-animal complex in response to applied management using multi-scale data to assess the potential of diverse ranges of forage and grain crops for function as multi-use crops. � Sub-objective 3.A: Measure responses, and model, novel warm-season annual pulses for their use in grazing and cropping agroecosystems of the SGP. � Sub-objective 3.B: Define carbon (C), N, and microbial fluxes in row crop, wheat-based, and native agroecosystems under different forms of management: green manures, fertilizer inputs, prescribed fire, and grazing. 4. Measure and model landscape-scale responses of soil-plant-animal- atmosphere complexes to identify improved and innovative management strategies that enhance ecological function of grazing lands and increase resilience of production systems. � Sub-Objective 4.A: Establish a network of integrated flux measurement systems (�GRL-FLUXNET�. � Sub-objective 4.B: Characterize the impacts of climate variability and management on different forages at local and regional scales in the SGP. � Sub-objective 4.C: Quantify dynamics of C and water (H2O) balances of native prairie, tame pastures and croplands in response to management practices and biophysical factors. � Sub-objective 4.D: Upscale paddock-level fluxes of C and H2O to regional scales using remote sensing approaches. � Sub-objective 4.E: Improve water management practices and water productivity by reducing non-productive water loss. Approach (from AD-416): Limited and uncertain forage supply, increased climatic variability, and environmental degradation impact livestock and crop production systems in the Southern Great Plains (SGP) and threaten agroecosystem viability and sustainability. This project will develop management practices and identify crop and forage genotypes that are resilient under variable climate and will increase forage productivity and resource use-efficiency on mixed-agriculture farms across a range of scales. Increased forage productivity from native prairie and tame pasturelands will be achieved through use of practices that enhance ecological condition of grazing lands and minimize or reverse on-farm and downstream environmental damage. New decision-support tools will assist producers in timing and choice of management practices that maximize resource use efficiency under variable climatic conditions. Improved resource use efficiency will reduce unit cost of forage and crop production, and contribute to sustainability of forage-based livestock production. Enhancement of on-farm capacity for forage production is important because increased forage supplies can substitute for feed resources lost to competing enterprises such as grain crops and bioenergy production. Forage-based livestock production that uses improved management practices to enhance ecological function of prairie and pastureland will increase resilience of production systems, increase food security, add value to farming operations, and mitigate greenhouse gas emissions. The end-result will be improved efficiencies of beef production with less grain and fossil fuel inputs, less need for capital through increased use of on-farm products, and increased competitiveness and profitability for producers. To accomplish this goal, understanding interactions between different factors of the soil-plant- animal-atmosphere interface is required to match input resources to desired useful products and ecological benefits. An ARS researcher at El Reno, Oklahoma, has continued developing germplasms of different introduced and native grass species. Within Sub- Objective 1.A, fifty new inducer x meadow fescue and tall fescue lines were generated, and fiscal year (FY) 2020 evaluation for F1 derived dihaploid lines produced 35 new lines of tall fescue; one patent application was submitted for techniques developed in the study. In Sub- Objective 1.B, 18 first generation tentative perennial inducers were transplanted to the cooperator�s nursery for agronomic evaluation, and evaluation for male sterility. In Sub-Objective 1.C, 9 additional eastern gamagrass hybrids were generated. The various developed genetic stocks and germplasms, within the different sub-objectives have been transferred to cooperators for agronomic and performance evaluations. There are additional genetic materials under each sub-objective that remain in development, and are scheduled for release to cooperators through FY 2021. These new plant materials are being developed to provide agricultural producers with perennial forages capable of being productive in drought- affected areas, and under low levels of fertilization. A team of ARS researchers at El Reno, Oklahoma, in collaboration with scientists at Oklahoma State University, undertook a series of experiments within longer-term studies that make up Sub-Objectives 2.A.1, and 2.A.2. They reported effects of annual legumes grown as green sources of nitrogen and inorganic fertilizers on winter wheat systems, and how they affected the nitrogen balance of agroecosystems. Results identified a series of issues that need to be addressed in future research to improve the transfer of nitrogen in legume biomass to following cash crops. The data collection within the longer-term experiments of Objective 2.A added more information to the existing pools that will allow examination of long- term use of legumes as green sources of nitrogen in different production systems in the southern Great Plains, across a wide range of types of growing seasons. Based on results of studies in Sub-Objectives 2.A.1, and 2.A.2, ARS researchers collaborated with scientists at the Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, Oklahoma, and Kansas State University, Manhattan, Kansas, and have started a new series of experiments to test a broader range of wheat-warm season crop and green manure rotations. A research team of ARS scientists aalong with collaborators at Oklahoma State University, undertook a series of experiments under Objectives 2.A.3 to test different methods of improving the transfer of nitrogen in green manures and inorganic fertilizers to following forage and grain crops. Research results reported on nitrous oxide emissions from green nitrogen crops and inorganic fertilizers, and the influence of soil moisture on carbon dioxide and nitrous oxide emissions. Research efforts undertaken under Sub-Objectives 2.A.1 through 2.A.3 have resulted in elements of planned activities within all three sub-objectives being one year ahead of schedule, with Sub-Objective 2.A.3 being completed. New experiments related to these sub-objectives were initiated to define how other grain legumes function as forage, or sources of green nitrogen in wheat-based agroecosystems. Studies have continued on components of Sub-Objective 2.B that will aid in defining how different forage sequences affect growth by yearling cattle that are entirely, or largely, finished on pasture. This includes the use of forage species, and combinations of species in mixes as cover crops, that may allow grazing after wheat pasture is no longer available, or the quality of available forage from perennial grass pastures is too low to support rapid gains. AgriLife at Amarillo, Texas, studied the effects of maturity and fertilization on the quality of Old World bluestem feedstocks, and how such factors affected methane production by cattle consuming such forages. ARS scientists, in collaboration with researchers at Oklahoma State University continued an experiment in Sub-Objective 3.A that identified grain-type species of legumes and grasses, from among the 7000 less commonly-grown species used to feed humans worldwide, that might be potentially useful as new forage or grain crops, or sources of green nitrogen, in the southern Great Plains. Research showed the function of three species of grain legumes as forage sources, and on how effectively the combination of near infrared reflectance spectroscopy and machine learning predicted forage quality. They also reported on testing of three species of legumes (tepary bean from Central and South America; moth bean from countries bounding the western Indian Ocean; guar from India and Africa) for their performance under different temperature and moisture regimes, as the first steps towards computer modelling to define responses to the broad range of climate within the southern Great Plains. Researchers collected data during the fourth year of a long-term experiment in Sub-Objective 3.B that will develop databases related to how soils and the plant community of southern tallgrass prairie respond to combinations of annual prescribed spring burns and intensive grazing during the early growing season. An additional experiment showed that carbon, water, and energy fluxes at the soil-plant-animal-atmosphere interface in pastures of native prairie that were annually burned and intensively grazed. Researchers undertook the assignment of eddy covariance (EC) systems to 18 different types of annual and perennial pastures, and croplands, that were part of the Grazinglands Research Laboratory - EC (FLUX) NETwork (GRL-FLUXNET) system as part of Sub-Objective 4.A. Data from pastures of winter wheat, alfalfa, native prairie, and other perennial and annual forage and grain crops within the network are being collected and compiled on a continuous, 12-month basis to develop a database. Under Sub- Objective 4.B, ARS scientists undertook integration of data collected from remotely sensed observations and EC measurements of carbon, water and energy fluxes from pastures under different systems of management, to investigate interactions with climate variability. Studies were performed under Sub-Objective 4.C, to describe the dynamics of carbon and water balance in different grassland and cropland systems in response to applied management from data collected by subsets of EC systems within the �GRL-FLUXNET� system. These efforts resulted in the development of: 1) research defining within year variation in carbon dioxide flux from alfalfa fields under rain fed conditions, 2) research comparing carbon and water balance in winter wheat and canola pastures, and 3) reseaerch defining carbon and water flux in a Johnsongrass pasture managed for hay production. ARS researchers continued the collection of regional-scale data related to evapotranspiration and biomass production of native grasslands under Sub-Objective 4.D. This collected data will be used to develop regional-scale maps that will help in understanding how climate affects grassland productivity at multi-state scales. Under Sub-Objective 4.E, we undertook studies to provide information to improve water management in the southern Great Plains by developing tools that separate evaporation from soils from transpiration by plants. Research showed the partitioning of evapotranspiration of rainfed alfalfa into evaporation and transpiration by applying a flux variance similarity-based technique to high frequency eddy covariance data. Accomplishments 01 Testing water and nutrient efficiencies of crop rotations in rain fed agriculture of the southern plains. ARS researchers at El Reno, Oklahoma, in collaboration with scientists at Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, Oklahoma, and Kansas State University, Manhattan, Kansas, began a series of 4-year experiments at multiple locations across Kansas and Oklahoma. This collaboration will test the function of a range of wheat-based crop rotations. These studies examine different combinations of 3 types and sources of nitrogen, and 9 crop rotations, to identify systems that are efficient in use of both water and nutrients in production of hay and grain crops, without negatively affecting winter wheat. The 19 treatment combinations tested in the experiment will be used to identify effective rotations that improve diversification of agricultural production and improve economic well- being of producers in the Southern Plains, without negatively affecting soil condition and the environment.
Impacts
(N/A)
Publications
- Wagle, P., Gowda, P.H., Billesbach, D., Northup, B.K., Torn, M., Neel, J.P. , Biraud, S. 2020. Dynamics of CO2 and H2O fluxes in Johnson grass in the U.S. Southern Great Plains. Science of the Total Environment. 739:140077.
- Nelson, A.M., Moriasi, D.N., Fortuna, A., Steiner, J.L., Starks, P.J., Northup, B.K., Garbrecht, J.D. 2020. Runoff water quantity and quality data from native tallgrass prairie and crop-livestock systems in Oklahoma between 1977 and 1999. Journal of Environmental Quality.
- Baath, G.S., Kakani, V.G., Gowda, P.H., Rocateli, A.C., Northup, B.K., Singh, H., Katta, J.R. 2019. Guar responses to temperature: Estimation of cardinal temperatures and photosynthetic parameters. Industrial Crops and Products.
- Singh, H., Kandel, T.P., Gowda, P.H., Somenahally, A., Northup, B.K., Kakani, V.G. 2019. Influence of contrasting soil moisture conditions on carbon dioxide and nitrous oxide emissions from terminated green manures. Agrosystems, Geosciences & Environment. 2(1):190012.
- Wagle, P., Gowda, P.H., Manjunatha, P., Northup, B.K., Rocateli, A., Taghvaeian, S. 2019. Carbon and water dynamics in co-located winter wheat and canola fields in the U.S. Southern Great Plains. Agricultural and Forest Meteorology. 279:107714.
- Steiner, J.L., Starks, P.J., Neel, J.P., Northup, B.K., Turner, K.E., Gowda, P.H., Coleman, S., Brown, M.A. 2019. Managing tallgrass prairies for productivity and ecological function: A long-term grazing experiment in the Southern Great Plains, USA. Agronomy. 9(11):699.
- Kandel, T.P., Gowda, P.H., Northup, B.K., Rocateli, A.C. 2019. Winter wheat yield and nitrous oxide emissions in response to cowpea-based green manure and nitrogen fertilization. Experimental Agriculture. 56(2):239-254.
- Baath, G.S., Northup, B.K., Gowda, P.H., Rocateli, A.C., Singh, H. 2020. Summer forage capabilities of tepary bean and guar in the southern Great Plains. Agronomy Journal. 112(4):2879-2890.
- Witt, T.W., Ulloa, M., Schwartz, R.C., Ritchie, G.L. 2020. Response to deficit irrigation of morphological, yield and fiber quality traits of upland (Gossypium hirsutum L.) and Pima (G. barbadense L.) cotton in the Texas High Plains. Field Crops Research. 249:107759.
- Wagle, P., Gowda, P.H., Neel, J.P., Northup, B.K., Zhou, Y. 2020. Integrating eddy fluxes and remote sensing products in a rotational grazing native tallgrass prairie pasture. Science of the Total Environment. 712:136407.
- Kindiger, B.K., Moyer, J. 2020. A dihaploid approach for the selection of forage quality in tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea Schreb). Journal of Plant Breeding and Genetics. 7(3):125-133.
- Kandel, T.P., Gowda, P.H., Northup, B.K. 2020. Influence of tillage systems, and forms and rates of nitrogen fertilizers on CO2 and N2O fluxes from winter wheat cultivation in Oklahoma. Agronomy. 10(3):320.
- Baath, G.S., Baath, H.K., Gowda, P.H., Thomas, J.P., Northup, B.K., Rao, S. , Singh, H. 2020. Predicting forage quality of warm-season legumes by Near Infrared Spectroscopy coupled with machine learning techniques. Sensors. 20(3):867.
- Singh, H., Northup, B.K., Baath, G., Gowda, P.H., Kakani, V.G. 2019. Greenhouse mitigation strategies for agronomic and grazing lands of the US Southern Great Plains. Mitigation and Adaptation Strategies for Global Change.
- Wagle, P., Skaggs, T.H., Gowda, P.H., Northup, B.K., Neel, J.P. 2020. Flux variance similarity-based partitioning of evapotranspiration over a rainfed alfalfa field using high frequency eddy covariance data. Agricultural and Forest Meteorology. Vol. 285-286.
- Flynn, C.K., Zhou, Y., Gowda, P.H., Moffet, C., Wagle, P., Kakani, V.G. 2019. Burning and climate interactions determine impacts of grazing on tallgrass prairie systems. Rangeland Ecology and Management. 73(1):104-118.
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Progress 10/01/18 to 09/30/19
Outputs
Progress Report Objectives (from AD-416): 1. Evaluate plant through micro-patch scale responses of new and existing lines of forage species for enhanced climate resilience and positive responses to management. Sub-objective 1.A: Evaluate frequency and level of dihaploid production in meadow fescue, creeping fescue, and Festuloliums. Sub-objective 1.B: Generate and evaluate a perennial Lolium inducer line with the ability to produce dihaploids. Sub-objective 1.C: Generate and evaluate apomictic, hexaploid F1 hybrid eastern gamagrass (Tripsacum dactyloides) germplasm. 2. Define responses of patch-scale attributes at the soil-plant-animal interface to environment and management to improve nutrient-use and production efficiency in forages and animals. Sub-objective 2.A: Define the longer-term capacity of annual cool- and warm-season legumes as sources of green nitrogen (N) for production of cool- and warm-season forages. Sub-objective 2.B: Identify and evaluate forage resources for efficacy at critical times in the production cycle of farm-finished beef, and their relationships with frame score, calf growth rate, carcass quality, and economic returns. 3. Examine paddock-scale responses of the soil-plant-animal complex in response to applied management using multi-scale data to assess the potential of diverse ranges of forage and grain crops for function as multi-use crops. Sub-objective 3.A: Measure responses, and model, novel warm-season annual pulses for their use in grazing and cropping agroecosystems of the SGP. Sub-objective 3.B: Define carbon (C), N, and microbial fluxes in row crop, wheat-based, and native agroecosystems under different forms of management: green manures, fertilizer inputs, prescribed fire, and grazing. 4. Measure and model landscape-scale responses of soil-plant-animal- atmosphere complexes to identify improved and innovative management strategies that enhance ecological function of grazing lands and increase resilience of production systems. Sub-Objective 4.A: Establish a network of integrated flux measurement systems (⿿GRL-FLUXNET. Sub-objective 4.B: Characterize the impacts of climate variability and management on different forages at local and regional scales in the SGP. Sub-objective 4.C: Quantify dynamics of C and water (H2O) balances of native prairie, tame pastures and croplands in response to management practices and biophysical factors. Sub-objective 4.D: Upscale paddock-level fluxes of C and H2O to regional scales using remote sensing approaches. Sub-objective 4.E: Improve water management practices and water productivity by reducing non-productive water loss. Approach (from AD-416): Limited and uncertain forage supply, increased climatic variability, and environmental degradation impact livestock and crop production systems in the Southern Great Plains (SGP) and threaten agroecosystem viability and sustainability. This project will develop management practices and identify crop and forage genotypes that are resilient under variable climate and will increase forage productivity and resource use-efficiency on mixed-agriculture farms across a range of scales. Increased forage productivity from native prairie and tame pasturelands will be achieved through use of practices that enhance ecological condition of grazing lands and minimize or reverse on-farm and downstream environmental damage. New decision-support tools will assist producers in timing and choice of management practices that maximize resource use efficiency under variable climatic conditions. Improved resource use efficiency will reduce unit cost of forage and crop production, and contribute to sustainability of forage-based livestock production. Enhancement of on-farm capacity for forage production is important because increased forage supplies can substitute for feed resources lost to competing enterprises such as grain crops and bioenergy production. Forage-based livestock production that uses improved management practices to enhance ecological function of prairie and pastureland will increase resilience of production systems, increase food security, add value to farming operations, and mitigate greenhouse gas emissions. The end-result will be improved efficiencies of beef production with less grain and fossil fuel inputs, less need for capital through increased use of on-farm products, and increased competitiveness and profitability for producers. To accomplish this goal, understanding interactions between different factors of the soil-plant- animal-atmosphere interface is required to match input resources to desired useful products and ecological benefits. This is the first report for the new project 3070-21610-003-00D which began in June 2019 and replaces the previous bridging project, 3070-21610- 002-00D, ⿿Integrated Forage Systems for Food and Energy Production in the Southern Great Plains initiated in December 2018; Please see the report for the previous project for additional information. Milestones of the objectives and sub-objectives of the research project 3070-21610-003-00-D for FY 19 have been met or exceeded. An ARS researcher at El Reno, Oklahoma developed germplasms of different introduced and native grass species within sub-objectives 1.A, 1.B, and 1. C, and research within each of these Sub-Objectives are proceeding according to schedules noted in milestones. The various developed genetic stocks, and germplasms, have been transferred to Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) cooperators for agronomic and performance evaluations. There are additional genetic materials under each sub-objective that remain in development, and are scheduled for release to cooperators in FY 2021. These new plant materials are being develop to provide agricultural producers with perennial forages capable of being productive in drought-affected areas, and under low levels of fertilization. A team of ARS researchers at El Reno, Oklahoma, in collaboration with scientists at Oklahoma State University, undertook a series of experiments within longer-term studies that make up Sub- Objectives 2.A.1, and 2.A.2. They reported short-term effects of annual legumes grown as green sources of nitrogen, and how they affected the nitrogen balance of different winter wheat and summer forage agroecosystems in a series of journal papers. Results identified a series of issues that need to be addressed in future research, to improve the transfer of nitrogen (N) in legume biomass to following cash crops. The data collection within the longer-term experiments of Objective 2.A added more information to the existing pools that will allow extensive, long- term examinations of legumes used as sources of green nitrogen in different production systems in the southern Great Plains, across a wide range of types of growing seasons. A research team of ARS scientists at El Reno, Oklahoma, and collaborators at Oklahoma State University, undertook a series of experiments under Objectives 2.A.3 to test different methods of improving the transfer of nitrogen in green manures and cover crops to following forage and grain crops. Research results reported that some commercially-available inhibitors of nitrification failed to prevent loss of nitrogen in the biomass of cover crops to the atmosphere as nitrous oxide, and identified other approaches for consideration. Research efforts undertaken under Sub-Objectives 2.A.1 through 2.A.3 have resulted in elements of planned activities within all three sub-objectives being one year ahead of schedule. Two new experiments related to these sub-objectives were initiated to define how other grain legumes function as forage, or sources of green nitrogen in agroecosystems. A team of ARS researchers at El Reno, Oklahoma have started new studies as components of Sub-Objective 2.B that will aid in defining how different forage sequences will affect growth by yearling cattle that are entirely, or largely, finished on pasture. This will include the use of forage species, and combinations of species, that allow yearling cattle to remain and grow on pasture after the availability of wheat pasture has ended, or the quality of available forage from perennial grass pastures is too low to support rapid gains by cattle. ARS scientists at El Reno, Oklahoma, in collaboration with researchers at Oklahoma State University continued an experiment in Sub- Objective 3.A that will identify grain-type species of legumes and grasses, from among the 7000 less commonly-grown species used to feed humans worldwide, that might be potentially useful as new forage or grain crops, or sources of green nitrogen in the southern Great Plains. Species, and cultivars within species, from this broad pool were chosen and tested for their potential to function within the climatic extremes that exist in the southern Great Plains, to augment current production systems in the region. Two species of legumes (tepary bean from Central and South America; moth bean from countries bounding the western Indian Ocean) and one cereal grass (finger millet from India) were identified as having the potential for growth in the Southern Plains. The FY19 period was the first year of testing responses to crop management. ARS researchers at El Reno, Oklahoma, collected data during the third year of a long-term experiment in Sub-Objective 3.B that will develop databases related to how soils and the plant community of southern tallgrass prairie respond to combinations of annual prescribed spring burns and intensive grazing during the early growing season. A new experiment was also over-laid on this study, as a component of research activities related to the Grazinglands Research Laboratory - Eddy covariance (FLUX) NETwork (GRL- FLUXNET) in Sub-Objectives 4.A and 4.C, to compare differences in carbon, water, and energy fluxes at the soil-plant-animal-atmosphere interface of the assigned annual burn-intensive early stocking treatments by yearlings with; annual burns and early-season hay harvests, and spring burns and rotational grazing by cow herds. ARS researchers at El Reno, Oklahoma, undertook the assignment of eddy covariance (EC) systems in 18 paddocks of different types of annual and perennial pastures, and croplands that were part of the ⿿GRL-FLUXNET⿿ system as part of meeting Sub-Objective 4. A. Data from the network is being collected and compiled on a continuous, 12-month basis, including pastures of winter wheat, alfalfa, native prairie, Old-World bluestem, and other perennial grasses and annual crops. Under Sub-Objective 4.B, ARS scientists at El Reno, Oklahoma, undertook integration of the first years⿿ data related to combining remotely-sensed information and EC measurements collected from a range of pasture types, to examine how management decisions interacted with climate variability. Included within activities was the development of a review paper related to EC fluxes in native prairie. A team of ARS scientists at El Reno, Oklahoma, undertook studies under Sub-Objective 4.C, to describe the dynamics that exist in the carbon and water balance of different grassland and cropland systems in response to applied management. Activities included collection and analysis of data from subsets of EC systems that were part of the ⿿GRL-FLUXNET⿿ system. These efforts resulted in the development of a manuscript defining within year variations in CO2 flux from alfalfa fields under rain fed conditions; papers defining carbon and water balances in other agroecosystems are currently being written. ARS researchers at El Reno, Oklahoma, undertook the collection of regional-scale data related to evapotranspiration and biomass production of native grasslands under Sub-Objective 4.D, as part of the effort to meet first years⿿ efforts related to this activity. This collected data will be used to develop regional-scale maps that will help in understanding how climate affects grassland productivity at multi- state scales. A series of 4 papers were published to examine and explore water and carbon flux in relation to remote sensing, as first steps in completing milestones under Sub-Objective 4.D. Under Sub-Objective 4.E, ARS scientists at El Reno, Oklahoma, undertook studies defined to provide information that will improve water management in the southern Great Plains, by developing tools that separate the two parts of evapotranspiration (evaporation of water from soils; transpiration of water by plants due to photosynthesis). Preliminary tests found that the isotope technique initially outlined in experimental protocols of Sub- Objective 4.E was not suitable for the study design being applied. A more-effective technique was identified as a replacement, and Milestones for this Sub-Objective will be unaffected. Accomplishments 01 Cultivar registration for ⿿Artillery smooth bromegrass. The Southern Great Plains present a challenge to producers using introduced perennial cool-season grasses, due to the hot, dry climate. These problems require new plant materials that tolerate the hot and dry summers in the region. An ARS researcher at El Reno, Oklahoma, and collaborators, have registered the recently-developed smooth bromegrass cultivar ⿿Artillery, for sale in Canada; registration of this cultivar in Europe and Russia are pending. This new cultivar was selected and developed for its capacity to function under hot, dry growing conditions, and on lower amounts of fertilizer than existing cultivars of bromegrass that are available in North America or Europe. Artillery smooth brome will allow producers in a range of hot and/or dry climates worldwide to grow pastures of this high quality grass where smooth bromegrass would not grow in the past. 02 A Plant Variety Protection application for cultivar ⿿Ammo orchardgrass. The hot, dry climate and variable growing conditions in the Southern Great Plains are challenges to the use of introduced perennial cool- season grasses by producers in the region. Such conditions require new plant materials that tolerate the extremes presented by the hot and dry summers of the region. In response, an ARS scientist at El Reno, Oklahoma, submitted an application for Plant Variety Protection (PVP) for a newly developed cultivar of orchardgrass called ⿿Ammo. This new orchardgrass cultivar was selected and developed to function in hot and dry conditions, and with small inputs of fertilizer, where existing cultivars of orchardgrass fail. This cultivar will allow producers in the Great Plains to grow pastures of high quality orchardgrass in areas where this species will currently not survive.
Impacts
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Publications
- Baath, G.S., Northup, B.K., Rocateli, A.C., Gowda, P.H., Neel, J.P. 2018. Forage potential of summer annual grain legumes in the southern Great Plains. Agronomy Journal. 110(6):1-13.
- Kandel, T., Gowda, P.H., Northup, B.K., Rocateli, A. 2019. Impacts of tillage systems, nitrogen fertilizer rates and a legume green manure on light interception and yield of winter wheat. Cogent Food & Agriculture.
- Kandel, T.P., Gowda, P.H., Northup, B.K., Rocateli, A.C. 2019. Incorporation and harvest management of hairy vetch-based green manure influence nitrous oxide emissions. Renewable Agriculture and Food Systems.
- Baath, G., Northup, B.K., Gowda, P.H., Rocateli, A.C., Turner, K.E. 2018. Adaptability and forage characterization of finger millet accessions in U. S. southern Great Plains. Agronomy Journal. 177:1-9.
- Ma, S., Zhou, Y., Gowda, P.H., Dong, J., Zhang, G., Kakani, V., Wagle, P., Chen, L., Flynn, K.C., Jiang, W. 2018. Application of the water-related spectral reflectance indices: a review. Ecological Indicators. 98:68-79.
- Moorhead, J.E., Marek, G.W., Gowda, P.H., Lin, X., Colaizzi, P.D., Evett, S.R., Kutikoff, S. 2019. Evaluation of evapotranspiration from eddy covariance using large weighing lysimeters. Agronomy. 9(2):99.
- Northup, B.K., Starks, P.J., Turner, K.E. 2019. Stocking methods and soil macronutrient distributions in southern tallgrass paddocks: Are there linkages? Agronomy. 9(6):281.
- Northup, B.K., Starks, P.J., Turner, K.E. 2019. Soil macronutrient responses in diverse landscapes of southern tallgrass to two stocking methods. Agronomy. 9(6):329.
- Kandel, T.P., Gowda, P.H., Northup, B.K., Rocateli, A.C. 2019. Soil respiration from winter wheat-based cropping systems in the US Southern Great Plains as influenced by tillage managements. Acta Agriculturae Scandinavica.
- Starks, P.J., Steiner, J.L., Neel, J.P., Turner, K.E., Northup, B.K., Gowda, P.H., Brown, M.A. 2019. Assessment of the standardized precipitation and evaporation index (SPEI) as a potential management tool for grasslands. Agronomy. 9(235).
- Wagle, P., Gowda, P.H., Northup, B.K. 2018. Annual dynamics of carbon dioxide fluxes over a rainfed alfalfa field in the U.S. Southern Great Plains. Agricultural and Forest Meteorology. 265:208-217.
- Wagle, P., Gowda, P.H. 2018. Tallgrass prairie responses to management practices and disturbances: A review. Agronomy. 8(12):300.
- Wagle, P., Gowda, P.H., Northup, B.K. 2019. Dynamics of evapotranspiration over a non-irrigated alfalfa field in the Southern Great Plains of the United States. Agricultural Water Management. 223:105727.
- Tadesse, H.K., Moriasi, D.N., Gowda, P.H., Steiner, J.L., Talebizadeh, M., Nelson, A.M., Starks, P.J., Marek, G.W. 2019. Comparison of evapotranspiration simulation performance by APEX model in dryland and irrigated cropping systems. Journal of the American Water Resources Association.
- Talebizadeh, M., Moriasi, D.N., Steiner, J.L., Gowda, P.H., Tadesse, H.K., Nelson, A.M., Starks, P.J. 2019. A parallel computation tool for dynamic sensitivity and model performance analysis of APEX: Evapotranspiration modeling. Journal of the American Water Resources Association.
- Masasi, B., Taghvaeian, S., Gowda, P.H., Warren, J., Marek, G.W. 2019. Simulating soil water content, evapotranspiration, and yield of variably irrigated grain sorghum using AquaCrop. Journal of the American Water Resources Association. 55(4):976-993.
- Wagle, P., Gowda, P.H., Northup, B.K., Starks, P.J., Neel, J.P. 2019. Response of tallgrass prairie to management in the U.S. Southern Great Plains: Site descriptions, management practices, and eddy covariance instrumentation for a long-term experiment. Remote Sensing. 11(17):1988.
- Zhou, Y., Gowda, P.H., Wagle, P., Ma, S., Neel, J.P., Kakani, V., Steiner, J.L. 2019. Climate effects on tallgrass prairie responses to continuous and rotational grazing. Agronomy.
- Ma, S., Zhou, Y., Gowda, P.H., Chen, L., Steiner, J.L., Starks, P.J., Neel, J.P. 2019. Evaluating the impacts of continuous and rotational grazing on tallgrass prairie landscape using high spatial resolution imagery. Agronomy. 9(5):238.
- Nelson, A.M., Moriasi, D.N., Talebizadeh, M., Tadesse, H.K., Steiner, J.L., Gowda, P.H., Starks, P.J. 2019. Comparing the effects of inputs for NTT and ArcAPEX interfaces on model outputs and simulation performance. Water. 11:554-580.
- Khand, K., Taghvaeian, S., Gowda, P.H., Paul, G. 2019. A modeling framework for deriving daily time series of evapotranspiration maps using a surface energy balance model. Remote Sensing. 11(5):508.
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