CLEMSON - Agronomists know a truth: Virtually all life on Earth depends on the top six inches of soil. The fragile crust of topsoil nurtures humankind's fate. Without topsoil, there would be no vegetation, no crops and no food for animals - including us. A conference in Charlotte this week brings together soil and crop scientists, including those from Clemson University, to help ensure a bountiful future for creatures great and small.

During Oct. 21-25, the American Society of Agronomy, Soil Science Society of America and Crop Science Society of America will hold annual meetings in North Carolina's "Queen City." The theme is "Sustaining Earth and its People: Translating Science into Practice," highlighting the central role of soil, land and biological resources in sustaining society and assuring adequate future agricultural productivity and environmental stability.

John W. Kelly, Clemson vice president of public service and agriculture and James R. Frederick, associate professor and research agronomist in the department of crop and soil environmental sciences, are making presentations at the meetings.

"Clemson's research program plays a vital role in South Carolina agriculture," said Kelly. "The world is undergoing rapid changes and agriculture must keep up. Feeding the world remains the No. 1 task, but doing so efficiently and prudently needs to be our focus. Clemson is at the forefront of research on programs such as biotechnology to improve crops, careful use of pesticides and herbicides and smart land-use practices."

Research put to the test in real-world situations through Clemson's agroecology program is the topic of Frederick's presentation.

"Clemson established an agroecology program in 1998 to examine the economic, environmental and ecological effects of agricultural practices on the Southeastern Coastal Plain," said Frederick.

"As a result of the research, new cropping systems (production practices) have been developed for corn, soybean, wheat and cotton which center on production practices such as conservation tillage, narrow row widths and broad-cast deep tillage. Compared to traditional practices, crop yields of corn, cotton, and soybean have been 10 percent to 20 percent higher and more with these new cropping systems."

Research data show substantially less water, sediment and agrichemical runoff occurred with the new cropping systems than with the traditional cropping systems, according to Frederick.

"Using the new cropping systems also resulted in improvements in soil quality, but the improvements primarily occurred only in the top inch of soil," he said. Research results to date indicate that the new cropping systems we developed are superior to traditional cropping systems with respect to higher yields, less pesticide use, improved soil quality, and less potential environmental impact."

The conference will also explore ways for competing users of resources and agricultural land to coexist, such as suburban and industrial development, wildlife habitat and recreation, fuel and mineral exploration, historic preservation and water resource management. Other topics will include how agriculture can be a source of renewable biofuels, chemical feedstocks and fertilizers in the form of crop residues and animal manures.

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DATE: 4-12-96

CONTACT: Jim Palmer, 864/656-3519

WRITER: Liz Newall, 864/656-0737

SUSTAINABLE AG PROVIDES FOOD FOR THOUGHT AND PROFIT

CLEMSON - Sustainable agriculture is the new environmental approach in the farming industry. But experts are quick to say it's neither a trendy "hug-a-tree" philosophy nor a political buzzword.

"Sustainable agriculture doesn't mean chemical-free nor totally organic farming," says Jim Palmer, Clemson agronomist. "It means being able to continue producing what you're currently producing indefinitely."

It also means profitability. Major farming expenses are pesticides and fertilizer along with equipment, labor and fuel. Farmers obviously try to reduce costs while improving yields and prices.

This is where Clemson specialists come in. Through research, they are finding management keys to sustainability - crop rotation, pest-resistant varieties, conservation tillage and integrated pest management.

University agriculture scientists and Extension agents are also helping farmers meet government environmental regulations in pesticide use, worker protection and other possible pollution situations.

Clemson technology such as "smart spray," a computerized sprayer system designed by Clemson agricultural and biological engineer Roy Dodd, helps growers use fewer expensive chemicals, saving both money and the environment.

Also, to reduce insecticide use, Clemson scientists are researching biological control of insect pests with their natural enemies. For example, entomologist

Gloria McCutcheon of the Pee Dee Research and Education Center studies cotton and soybean insect pests and their natural enemies. She's found that the conservation of beneficial insects can delay and reduce the need for insecticide use.

Applying the same "sustainable" principles to dairy farming, Jean Bertrand - a Clemson animal, dairy and veterinary sciences professor - has taken a return-to-grazing approach. The project, now in its second year, evaluates a low-input, no-till, no-herbicide, continuous grazing system for dairy cows in place of the much more expensive mechanized feeding in feed lots or barns.

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DATE: 10-14-98

CONTACT: Jim Frederick, (843) 662-3526 jfrdrck@clemson.edu

WRITER: Tom Lollis, (803) 284-3343 tlollis@clemson.edu

NEW CROPPING SYSTEM BOOSTS SOYBEAN YIELDS

FLORENCE -- With low prices and stagnant yields, growers on the Southeastern Coastal Plain are beginning to wonder how much longer they can economically afford to produce soybean and other row crops. Without question, the region's growers need new practices that will result in higher crop yields and lower production costs. During the past 20 years there has been interest in using narrow row widths (distant between rows less than 30 inches) for producing soybean. Due to the more equidistant spacing between plants within the row, higher yields should occur with narrow row widths.

Since soybean leaves shade the soil surface sooner with narrow row widths, greater weed control should also result. Unfortunately, researchers have only found small yield increases with narrow row widths, usually with late plantings. Since the soil could not be cultivated, weed problems were sometimes worse with narrow row widths.

During the early to mid 1990's, a trend began towards more double-cropped soybean in S.C. (soybean planted after wheat harvest) and less full-season soybean. Since double-cropped soybean is planted later than full-season soybean, double-cropped soybean should respond more to production practices that favor late plantings, such as narrow row widths. During the early 1990's there was also a push to eliminate wheat residue burning before planting double-cropped soybean due to the increased concern for the environment and due to the growing liability associated with smoke blowing onto highways during the burning process.

Although using conservation tillage was recommended as a means to eliminate the residue burning problem, there was little data to show that switching to such practices would be more economical than using conventional production practices.

Several Clemson University and USDA-ARS scientists met in 1993 to discuss developing more sustainable cropping systems for late-planted double-cropped soybean. At that time, new genetic technologies were on the horizon that would make crop plants resistant to broad-spectrum herbicides, a potentially big boost to grower weed control programs. Therefore, the challenge was to develop a system that would build upon and take advantage of the weed control benefits of these new genetic technologies.

The answer to most of these problems appeared to be narrow row widths. Higher plant populations are generally recommended with narrow row widths. Therefore, soybean grown with narrow row widths should respond more to production practices that improve soil water conditions, such as conservation tillage. Since cultivation is not used with narrow row widths or conservation tillage, the new herbicide-resistant crop varieties would be a big asset for weed control when these practices are used.

The problem with narrow row widths was how to deep till the soil. Most Coastal Plain soils have hardpans that form just above the clay subsoil and restrict deep rooting. The need for deep tillage was expected to be even greater with narrow row width systems because of the higher plant population and greater water requirement associated with these systems.

With narrow row widths, almost the entire topsoil would have to be loosened because of the close plant spacing between rows. There would also have to be minimal soil surface disturbance if conservation tillage was to be used. Winged deep tillage devices that lift and drop the soil were identified as a possible solution to the deep tillage dilemma for narrow row widths since these devices loosen almost the entire profile while leaving most of the surface residues undisturbed.

Beginning in 1994, a research study was initiated at Clemson University's Pee Dee Research and Education Center to compare the yield of double-cropped soybean grown using a narrow row width, conservation tillage, and deep tilled (winged device used) system to the yield of soybean produced using the conventional production system of most farmers at that time. Money was obtained from the S.C. Soybean Board to support this research. Results from this 3-year study showed that double-cropped soybean yields can be as much as 80% greater with this new type of cropping system in good growing seasons, compared to the conventional system.

Subsequent on-farm trials conducted by Clemson University scientists found one-third higher average yields with this new type of production system. Georgia on-farm tests conducted by University of Georgia Extension specialists showed similar results. Due to this research, "soybean planted with narrow row widths has jumped from almost none just 3 or 4 years ago to more than 50% of the S.C. soybean acres in 1998 " says SC soybean Extension specialist Jim Palmer.

These research results laid the foundation for the Agroecology Program, a collaborative team project initiated in 1997 involving 19 Clemson University and USDA-ARS scientists. The Agroecology program centers on multi-disciplinary research, Extension, and teaching activities pertaining to developing new production systems for several agronomically important crops grown in the region.

These new systems are focused on increasing grower profitability, enhancing environmental conservation, improving pest management strategies, and utilizing new genetic and mechanical technologies. Much of this program is being supported by two new state-funded initiatives that were begun to support research oriented towards examining the harmonic relationships' that occur between agriculture and the environment.

John Kelly, Vice President for Clemson University's Public Service Activities, points out, "this type of research is critically needed because of the important role agriculture plays in our state's economy and because of the close proximity of our agricultural land to our state's tourism industry along the Coast".

"One of the important objectives of the Agroecology Program is to obtain a better understanding of the ecological and environmental benefits of these new cropping systems" states Dr. Jim Fischer, Dean/Director of Public Service Activities. "We know that there are environmental benefits to these new systems, but we don't know how much and under what conditions they occur".

Agroecology research scientists are examining how new cropping practices affect the quality of both our surface and ground waters and how growers may better manage their soils to improve their soil's chemical, physical, and biological properties. Other areas of emphasis include how these systems affect pest insect population, as well as beneficial insect populations (even fire ants).

By way of an advisory panel, the Agroecology Team is establishing partnerships with those in the agriculture industry. "It's great to see our scientists at the forefront of ag industry, and I am proud to be a part of it" says Sam Parker, advisory panel member and technology representative for Stucky Brothers Equipment in Lake City, SC.

"It's great to see Clemson University developing new cropping systems that will help our growers financially and, at the same time, maximize the benefits of new technologies being developed by the agricultural industries" notes regional Monsanto technical representative Stu Sherrick. Scientists from the University of Georgia and Virginia Polytechnical Institute are also serving on the Agroecology Advisory Panel so they can learn first hand the progress the Team is making, thus avoiding any duplication of research efforts among Southeastern universities.

"I really appreciate the team approach that Clemson University has undertaken, and I know Georgia farmers are eager to hear about the Agroecology Team's accomplishments" says Dr. Dewey Lee, Univ. of Georgia Extension Agronomist.

The procedures used to make narrow row widths a success story for soybean production in South Carolina were nothing new to the Land Grant University system: the problem was identified, partnerships were formed, solutions were developed, Outreach programs were conducted, and the end users adopted the new technology. And the Agroecology Program is still building upon these successes.

For example, several scientists from different disciplines are beginning to work together in hopes of developing varieties specifically adapted to these new production systems. Most of SC recommended varieties were selected for production under wide row width culture and probably do not have the traits needed for high yield with narrow row widths.

And narrow row widths may also aid in improving the profitability and environmental conservation of other crops. For example, the team is developing a narrow row, conservation tillage, deep-tilled production system that has the potential to increase corn yields by 25% or more.

Much of the Team's environmental work is currently aimed at quantifying the amount of improvement that has been made with these new practices. This information will allow the Team members to identify areas where further improvement can be made not only in soybean, but also in other crops.

And others can learn from the Team's experiences. For example, such a diverse program presented itself to be a golden opportunity for student training. This past summer, the Agroecology Team initiated an undergraduate student internship program to give students working experience in multi-disciplinary research. Both Clemson University and Francis Marion University students participated in the program. As all the interns noted, it quickly became apparent that there was so much more potential for progress to be made when scientists work together. Team members are also in the initial planning stages to develop an undergraduate class in Agroecology, using the team's research results as the foundation for the class.

One of the main reasons the Agroecology Team came about was due to the success of the narrow row soybean. The Team members are excited about the many opportunities that exist for even more successes in the future. In future issues of the Agroecology Newsletter, we will keep you informed of these successes and how they came about.

END

DATE: 12-8-98

CONTACT: Jim Frederick, (843) 662-3526 jfrdrck@clemson.edu

WRITER: Tom Lollis, (803) 284-3343 tlollis@clemson.edu

CLEMSON AGROECOLOGY PROGRAM SEEKS HIGHER PROFITS AND CLEANER WATER

FLORENCE - South Carolina farmers will be able to put more money in their pockets and less soil, chemicals and nutrients in the water if they adopt cropping systems being developed under the Agroecology Program (AP) at Clemson University's Pee Dee Research and Education Center.

"High costs, low prices and weather-influenced low yields this year have all called attention to the fact that four of our major crops -- cotton, soybeans, wheat and corn -- have been put in jeopardy in terms of profitability," said Jim Palmer, Clemson Extension soybean specialist and AP team leader for outreach.

"Those four crops are grown on a million and a half acres in this state, 90 percent of which are 50 miles either side of Interstate 95," he said. "The watersheds in this part of the Coastal Plain are important to the state's tourism industry along the coast.

"Our farmers need systems that will increase yields, lower costs of production and improve the environmental compatibility of these crops," he said.

The five-year project -- funded in part by the Agrisystems Productivity and Profitability legislative initiative, the university's Endowment for Agroecology Research, and several competitive and commodity grants -- is in its second year. Sixteen Clemson University scientists from Extension, teaching and the S.C. Agriculture and Forestry Research System and three from USDA's Agricultural Research System at Florence are blending new technologies, new cropping systems and proven planting practices.

Conservation tillage, narrow row planting systems, winged deep tillage implements that do a better job of breaking up the subsoil, transgenic crop varieties, precision farming and better pest management practices are all part of the AP package. Don Manley, Extension entomologist, is looking at fire ant populations in no-till situations and Gloria McCutcheon, research entomologist, is assessing the impact of beneficial insects in cotton and soybeans.

Clemson tried to get farmers interested in no-till practices more than two decades ago, according to Jim Frederick, Extension crop physiologist and AP team leader for research.

"We didn't have the good equipment we have now, and in a lot of cases farmers were losing yields by going to conservation tillage," he said. "Planting through crop residue was difficult. We didn't have the herbicides we have now, and weed control was inadequate."

Frederick said newer no-till drills have solved many of the planting problems, and winged deep tillage implements like Terramax and Paratill are better at breaking Coastal Plain hard pans than the traditional chisel plow and in-row subsoilers. The new subsoilers feature winged shanks that break the clay layer in a horizontal pattern with a lifting and shattering motion. They are growing in popularity.

"Sales have really picked up in the last two years in South Carolina," said Andy Anderson, marketing manager for Agco, which sells Paratill. Chuck Bellew, sales manager for Worksaver Inc., which sells the Terramax, echoed that message.

"We started selling it in 1995, and sales went crazy in 1997," said Bellew, who credits work done by Clemson agricultural engineer Ahmad Khalilian at Edisto Research and Education Center with helping popularize the new tools.

Frederick said farmers are rapidly changing over to the types of practices used in the AP project. He said a little over half the beans in the state are now drilled in 7.5-inch rows, compared to none four years ago.

One farmer who has taken a keen interest in new technologies is Woody Green of Greenfarms in Sumter County. Green is a member of the AP advisory panel. His farm is all no-till on grains. He uses state-of-the-art deep tillage to combat subsoil compaction, yield monitors on his combines, subsurface fertilizer placement in corn and is getting up to speed on integrated pest management (IPM).

"We use less labor, have reduced our environmental impact, improved the soil structure, improved our crops' ability to withstand drought and are more able to spot problem areas," Green said. He uses Global Positioning System satellites and geographical informational system software to map out yield variations in his fields.

He believes it is important to improve the public's understanding of agriculture.

"If ideas in the AP are implemented by farmers, the general public should be made aware that we have reduced agriculture's impact on the environment through accurately placed, metered applications of nutrients and crop protection materials," he said.

He said increasing urban growth will continue to bring into focus the competition between agriculture and developers for land resources.

Palmer said that the AP was on display several times in 1998. In June an Innovative Cropping Systems Workshop and an Agriculture in Harmony with the Environment field day reached more than 160 county agents, agricultural business representatives, USDA-ARS representatives, politicians and policy-makers from organizations like Farm Bureau. A Sept. 17 cropping systems field day drew 200 people.

David Gunter, Extension agent in Darlington County, said farmers like the fact that the AP uses large fields to compare planting systems. "Farmers can see something that looks like it's on a farm," he said.

In one experiment the AP team split a 14-acre field to compare traditional and new production systems using a crop rotation typical for South Carolina.

"We call the field sections the innovative side and the 1995 side. On the 1995 side we use practices common around the state that year," Frederick said. "We burned off the wheat residue last spring before planting soybeans in 30-inch rows." That side was also disked, in-row subsoiled and cultivated.

"On the innovative side we deep tilled with a Paratill and planted Roundup Ready soybeans in 7.5 inch rows," he said. "We made two trips through the field, but most farmers who are drilling beans make just one pass with the planter hitched to the deep tillage implement." Roundup was their only herbicide treatment. The narrow row beans shaded out a lot of the weeds and the Roundup eliminated most weeds that grew through the crop canopy.

At harvest in late October yields were low on both sides because of a dry summer -- 18-20 bushels.

"After final analysis, the innovative side will probably show a higher profit because of lower costs, especially for weed control and tillage," Palmer said.

Frederick said the split field has been mapped on a 50-foot grid pattern using GPS equipment. Agronomist Susan Wallace, team leader for teaching, will analyze yields based on the different soil types to see where innovative techniques work best.

In a separate, eight-acre field 7.5-inch row soybeans yielded 19 percent more than wide row beans.

"We've seen a five bushel per acre increase in yields with no-till, Paratill wheat versus conventional wheat, and the narrow-row/no-till concept has shown a potential for increasing corn yields, based on two years of research," Palmer said. No-till corn planted on 15-inch rows was 36 bushels per acre better than 30-inch corn planted on disked soil in 1997, and 27 bushels per acre better in 1998.

Phil Bauer, USDA-ARS agronomist, said ultra narrow-row cotton (less than 10 inches) shows lots of promise on marginal land, which produced 900 pounds of lint in one test compared to 400-600 pounds in 30-inch rows.

"In previous soybean studies prior to the AP we have found that in seasons with good weather the narrow row/no till combination is of great value, in normal years of good value, and in not-so-good years you get about the same yields as conventionally planted crops," Frederick said. "On deep sands in bad years yields will be poor no matter what you do."

However, Palmer hopes in the long run to see improvements even in sandier soils.

"It may take 10-15 years to really get the full benefit. If we can raise the percentage of organic matter in our soils, we hope yields will not be as susceptible to influence by drought or excess moisture," he said.

"With no-till the old crop residues prevent the soil surface from crusting, and you get more penetration of water during heavy rains," Frederick explained. "Subsoiling, especially with the new deep tillage equipment, allows more of that water to percolate downward."

END

DATE: 12-8-98

CONTACT: Jim Palmer, (864) 656-3519

Jeff Novak, (843) 662-3526

WRITER: Tom Lollis, (803) 284-3343 tlollis@clemson.edu

NEW CROPPING METHODS REDUCE RUN-OFF AND EROSION

FLORENCE - Making a smaller impact on the environment both on and off the farm is one of the goals of Clemson University's Agroecology Program.

Keeping valuable organic matter from going up in smoke is one way to do it, and reducing runoff and erosion is another.

Farmers who burn off fields in the spring lose to the atmosphere about 80 percent of the carbon that could be added to the soil as mulch, according to Jeffrey Novak, USDA-ARS soil scientist at the Pee Dee Research and Education Center.

He's analyzing sediment and water that runs off the two fields to see what's leaving in the way of phosphorus, nitrogen, salts and pesticides.

"We had five rainfalls that produced runoff on the 1995 side of the split landscape study in 1998, but only two on the innovative side," he said, pointing out that leaving crop residues on the soil surface also reduces soil erosion.

Minimizing potential sediment and pesticide residue problems is important, according to Clemson Extension soybean specialist Jim Palmer, since watersheds in the Pee Dee drain right into coastal estuaries.

"Sediment is currently the worst agricultural pollutant we have," he said. "Every time we have heavy rains you can see the Broad River turn red and the Greater Pee Dee River turn yellow-red because of sediment from agricultural and construction sites."

Novak, Clemson agricultural engineer John Hayes and Steve Klaine of the Clemson Institute of Environmental Toxicology are also beginning to study whether these new cropping systems reduce the potential for agricultural chemicals to move into the state's ground waters.

"The program is not stopping at the farm gate with respect to profitability. Bill Patterson in Sociology is on the team to help determine our impact on society," Palmer said.

"Our first step will be to look at the basic demographics of the counties in the Pee Dee watershed -- including the number and sizes of farms and the types of crops grown," Patterson said. "We will also look at tourism in these counties, then see what types of benefits we can expect from the innovations coming out of the project."

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