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B. ALTERNATIVE AGRICULTURE AND VEGETATION MANAGEMENT
This project will identify the economic potential and cultural practices necessary for low-water-use crops with the aim of minimizing water use, soil erosion and evaporation from soil surfaces. In addition, the research will evaluate methods to re-establish desirable vegetation in areas that may be affected by changing agricultural practices and to anticipate vegetation responses under scenarios identified through modeling efforts.
Researchers:
From UNR: Elizabeth Leger (PI), University of Nevada Cooperative Extension (UNCE); Peter Weisberg (Co-PI), Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Science (NRES); Jay Davison (PI), UNCE (Tom Harris and Kynda Curtis, (collaborators), Department of Resources Economics),
From DRI: Paul Verburg (Co-PI), Division of Earth and Ecosystems (DEES) and Todd Caldwell (Co-PI), DEES
Updates:
Previous Year(s): 2007
2008: January | February | March | April | May | June | July | August | September
October | November
January 2008:
Fall planting has been completed at our four research sites. We have compiled NRCS soil data for 92.5% of the basin, completed riparian corridor overstory mapping, and are almost finished compiling data on understory vegetation.
February 2008:
We are awaiting spring and the germination of our planted fields. Data compilation continues for the vegetation mapping project. We have put structures in place in one of our field sites that will be used for taking physiological measurements of plant growth.
March 2008:
Seeds are beginning to germinate in our four field sites. We are monitoring crop and weed growth. We anticipate our first irrigation and weed control treatments will occur in April in response to conditions on the ground.
April 2008:
Our irrigation system is set up and watering has begun. We will be monitoring plant establishment and growth throughout the season, at all four study sites.
Figure 1. Cub Wolfe, Akiko Endo, and Wally Miller loading trailer with irrigation pipe.
Figure 2. Kelley Stewart (UNR) and Sarah Kulpa (UNR) cleaning out pipes.
Figure 3. Erin Espeland and Jay Davison. Moving more pipe!
Figure 4. Plants growing at the 5C Cottonwood Ranch.
Figure 5. Close-up of plants at the 5C Cottonwood Ranch.
May 2008:
This month we planted our warm-season crops in three experimental fields. Plants are up and growing, and our irrigations have begun. Weeds are doing very well under current conditions (a week of rain, soil disturbance, and irrigation) and they are our biggest problem at the moment. Crops and biomass species planted to date include: Tef (varieties Dessie and white seed), Buckwheat (variety Mancan), Amaranth (variety Plainsman), Pearl millet (variety HGM 686), Switchgrass (variety Trailblazer), Sand bluestem (variety Elida), Indiangrass (variety Cheyenne), Prairie sandreed (variety Pronghorn), old world Bluestem (variety WW Iron Master), Tall wheatgrass (variety Alkar), Basin wild rye (variety Trailhead), Mammoth wild rye (variety Volga), and Tall fescue (variety Alta). Species planted for restoration are: Indian ricegrass (varieties Nezpar and Rimrock), Basin Wildrye (variety Magnar), Beardless wheatgrass (variety Whitmar), Western wheatgrass (varieties Arriba and Rosana). One restoration species remains to be planted: Inland saltgrass (variety VNS).
June 2008:
This past month we have been irrigating fields at four locations and controlling weeds, both manually and with herbicide. We will be monitoring establishment rates of warm-season species this month and will plant our last warm-season species.
July 2008:
All the saltgrass plots in the revegetation experiments located on the Cottonwood (5-C) and Valley Vista sites have been planted, and the mechanical weed control efforts (mowing and hand pulling) on all the alternative crop plots located on these sites has continued. Measurements were obtained regarding establishment of the warm season, bio-fuel grass plots on the 5-C and Valley Vista sites.
Project team members conducted a field tour for some of the Steering committee and administrative team. The Executive Director of the Nevada Farm Bureau, Doug Busselman, was also given a field tour, and he interviewed some of the project participants for an article to be submitted to the monthly Farm Bureau publication.
August 2008:
There are no updates this month.
September 2008:
Data collection on the first year of study is nearly complete. Some new species will be planted this fall. Data have been collected on the survival of plants in the restoration plots. Plug-planting shrub seedlings into these plots will be done before winter. Harvesting of grain crops and making first year production measurements in perennial biomass crops are both in progress.
October 2008:
Harvesting has been completed, and the fields have been cleared for winter. We have digitized historic land use maps and will begin an analysis of land use change over the past 150 years in Mason and Smith Valleys.
November 2008:
The alternative agriculture experiments are put to bed for the winter. We completed planting over 400 shrubs in our restoration plots this month. The vegetation modeling team has developed models for identifying species-environment relationships for 29 woody species, and recently presented their findings at the Society for American Forester's Conference in Reno.