|
|
Project
Information
Project
objectives
The project
aims to develop a sound scientific and economic basis for herbicide
and fertilizer practices on corn, cotton, wheat, and soybeans,
which account for 84% of planted acres in the Neuse River Basin.
Targeted and efficient use of nutrients and herbicides is critical
to both saving growers money and improving water quality in the
Neuse.
The Neuse
River Basin is a unique and sensitive environment, featuring shallow
water tables, streams close to crop acreage, and an abundance
of wildlife. With this in mind, the project team is embarking
upon a concerted effort to protect both farming and the environment.
Effective and economical new ways to control pests and enhance nutrient
use by plants, and reduce nutrient and pesticide losses to water resources
are essential to sustaining the state's vibrant
farm economy. Specifically, the project team will:
- Implement
nutrient management practices to achieve 10 to 20 percent reduction
in use of nitrogen.
- Implement
weed IPM to achieve 10 to 30 percent reduction in use of herbicides.
Improving
nutrient and herbicide management
The project
is focused on producing results at the field level. Evaluation
of the project's efforts is based on how well the practices have
been made available and the economic and environmental impacts
on the region's growers and their farms. With this in mind, we
have recruited growers in the upper, middle,
and lower parts of the watershed who have agreed to install
nutrient management BMP's on their farms
and to allow us to hold demonstrations. Farmers, consultants,
and commodity suppliers throughout the basin are being introduced
to a computer software program called HADSS that will help with
herbicide management.
For
a map of the Neuse Basin showing which counties have demonstration
projects, go to here.
NUTRIENT
MANAGEMENT
Nutrient management
utilizes soil analysis, crop histories, and realistic yield expectations
to ensure that correct amounts of fertilizer are applied and efficiently
used by the plants.
HERBICIDE
MANAGEMENT
Weed management
in multiple crops poses multiple challenges: alternative control
techniques are not as available as for insects and plant pathogens;
seeds can germinate for up to 10 years; and remaining weeds can
cause harvest problems and reduce yield. Nonetheless, site-specific
weed identification and treatment plans provide for more precise
application rates, timing, and placement of weed control measures.
Drs. Mike
Linker and Andy Price
have been working with producers, consultants, commodity suppliers,
and extension agents to introduce them to HADSS (Herbicide Application
Decision Support System). This program is a computer software
program that is a result of many years of weed experimentation
at North Carolina State University. The program allows producers,
commodity specialists, or crop consultants to determine the most
cost-effective, environmentally sensitive, and effective herbicide.
Users enter weed information, weed species present, weed populations,
and herbicide costs. The output is various herbicide options which can be
sorted various ways (most economical, most efficacious, etc.). A free,
modified web version of HADSS TM called
WebHADSS TM Growers in NC
have embraced the Roundup Ready system for cotton and soybean. For the past
two years, growers have experienced weed shifts as a result of selection pressure
placed on weeds marginally susceptible to Roundup, namely Florida pusley, dayflower
species, and morninglory species. Depending on populations of these weeds,
glyphosate or Roundup like products may not be the best selection for favorable
control and return on investment.
HADSS revealed
an interesting phenomenon in the summer of 1999. Producers have
been using Round-up Ready soybean and cotton varieties extensively.
As a result, producers are already experiencing weed shifts. Weeds
that are not controlled by Round-up are appearing in great numbers.
HADSS has captured this phenomenon and is recommending the appropriate
herbicides.
Click on
one of the highlighted counties in the Neuse River Basin to see
a demonstration farm in that area:
Craven
Lenoir Franklin
Wake
Wayne
|
