Perennial prairies and row crops can work well together

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PRAIRIE CITY, Iowa -- The old cliché ‘Can we have our cake and eat it too?’ was the focus of a field day at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Neal Smith National Wildlife Refuge near Prairie City on September 2. Cindy Cambardella, USDA-ARS National Laboratory for Agriculture and the Environment opened with this statement, which serves as an analogy to the research being conducted at the Refuge by Iowa State University. The event was sponsored by the Leopold Center and Iowa Learning Farm with support from the Neal Smith National Wildlife Refuge.

With the help of biologists at the Refuge, researchers are working together to test many aspects of a unique system that integrates perennials into row-crop fields by planting prairie strips on 10 to 20 percent of the area in each subwatershed. The goal is to be able to produce row crops successfully while maintaining an appropriate ecological balance. The field day offered a snapshot of the cross-disciplinary work being done in the areas of water quality, erosion and sediment loss reductions, carbon sequestration, soil quality, and insect and bird habitats.

Presenters offered background information on each portion of the project to an audience of 50 farmers, Soil and Water Conservation District commissioners, agency representatives and students. In 2007, areas of prairie grasses and other perennials were planted in several strips within a row-cropped field. They summarized what they are seeing so far, with the project only in the second year of measurement.

Based on current data, conclusions indicate that the perennial prairie areas located amid row-cropped fields offer a viable option, benefitting all aspects of the system. Some highlights noted this far:

• There are significant reductions in sediment loss from the fields that have perennials compared to the fields that do not. The water quality is better and runoff is decreased on the fields containing perennial areas. ISU Extension water quality engineer Matt Helmers uses a system of flumes at the bottom of the field slopes to collect water samples for study.
   
• Insects are benefitting from the presence of perennial plants around and within the fields. ISU entomologist Matt O’Neal explained that there is a community of insects that prey on the soybean aphid and the perennial areas create a space for these beneficial insects to inhabit after soybean harvest.
   
• Birds are an important component in this system eating insects and weed seeds—and they are utilizing the prairie strips. It is the hope of ISU biologist Lisa Schulte-Moore that dwindling species of birds that had once called the native prairie their habitat will return.
   
• Perennial plants have deep root systems, enabling them to store more carbon than row crops. These plants also have the ability to slow down and “break up” raindrops to allow for better absorption by the plants and the soil. ISU agronomist Matt Liebman is looking for balance between the perennial habitat and the row crops. He is seeing a good diversity of perennial plants within the strips. And so far, there is no evidence of increased weed population within the row crops.
   
• Root systems and water usage are different between broad-leafed plants and grasses as well as perennials and row crops. ISU ecologist Heidi Asbjornsen is comparing the water usage of corn and soybean, big bluestem and the coneflower and is seeing that the perennials are using much more water on a cumulative basis than the row crops. Also, perennials have better ability to use water during wet periods than row crops.

“We are very excited about the early success stories from this project,” said Jeri Neal, who directs the Leopold Center’s Ecology Initiative. “We are seeing management options for today’s corn and soybean farmers that have the potential for that rare win-win – that is, production plus ecological and environmental benefits.”

The Leopold Center’s Ecology Initiative along with the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship-Division of Soil Conservation, ISU College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, and the U.S. Forest Service are funding the project, with in-kind support and collaboration of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Neal Smith National Wildlife Refuge. The project is guided by a Stakeholder Advisory Committee comprised of representatives from 15 organizations.

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The Leopold Center was established by the 1987 Iowa Groundwater Protection Act as a research and education center at Iowa State University to develop sustainable agricultural practices that are both profitable and conserve natural resources. Iowa State does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, age, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, sex, marital status, disability, or status as a U.S. Vietnam Era Veteran. Any persons having inquiries concerning this may contact the Director of Affirmative Action, 3210 Beardshear Hall, (515) 294-7612.

This page was found at http://www.leopold.iastate.edu/news/09-10-2009/perennial-prairies-and-row-crops-can-work-well-together on 01/21/2013