Project Overview
Commodities
- Agronomic: clovers, grass (misc. annual), grass (misc. perennial)
- Nuts: hazelnuts
Practices
- Crop Production: cover crops, water management, water storage
- Education and Training: decision support system, demonstration, extension, on-farm/ranch research, participatory research, workshop
- Soil Management: soil analysis, soil physics, soil quality/health
Proposal abstract:
Our project aims to assess the
effect of cover crops on the hydrology and health of Willamette
Valley hazelnut orchards. This research and educational
study responds to preliminary
results revealing concerns about cover crop adoption, which
emphasized the need for detailed field-level research in regard
to water availability. The main goal of this study is to
collect and assess region and crop-specific data on orchard
hydrology and plant-water interactions to help form informed
decisions regarding cover crop use. More specifically, we
want to determine how different ground cover management practices
affect field hydrology and orchard health. To achieve
this we will 1) utilize multiple weather stations, along
with open-source satellite data, to obtain ET, 2)
analyze the effects of cover crops on soil moisture and
infiltration using soil moisture probes, 3)
use
remote sensing techniques to facilitate a comprehensive
assessment of orchard-scale plant health through NDVI, 4)
assess relationships between all parameters. This
analysis will offer a nuanced understanding of how different
cover crop management practices impact orchard health. The
project will be conducted in collaboration with hazelnut
producers who have already expressed interest in the research
topic and will integrate growers' concerns with scientific
inquiry, to optimize agricultural productivity and
sustainability of hazelnut orchards. The findings will be
presented at industry meetings, field days, and a monthly coffee
hour in addition to journal publications. This
project will provide a cover crop assessment framework that can
be used for other crops along with science-backed data to aid
with grower decision-making.
Project objectives from proposal:
Research
Objectives:
- Objective 1 (RO1): Quantify the
water requirements of hazelnut orchards with and without cover
crops. -
Evaluate and compare hazelnut evapotranspiration
(ETc) estimates calculated using different methods including
in-situ weather stations, nearby Agrimet weather stations, and
satellite data, in order to understand the effect of cover crop
management on water requirements of hazelnut operations in the
Willamette Valley, OR.
- Objective 2 (RO2): Determine the
effects of cover crops on soil moisture availability in
hazelnut orchards. -
Evaluate and compare soil moisture at two depths in hazelnut
orchards with and without cover crops in the Willamette Valley,
OR.
- Objective 3 (RO3): Assess crop
health through advanced imaging technologies.
-
Assess hazelnut water stress and overall health by
comparing data such as the Normalized Difference Vegetation
Index (NDVI) and thermal imaging data within and between
hazelnut orchards with and without cover
crops.
- Objective 4 (RO4): Explore the
interconnected dynamics of environmental factors.
-
Investigate how the implementation of cover crops in hazelnut
orchards affect the relationships between
ETc, soil moisture, and crop water
stress.
Educational
Objectives:
- Objective 1 (EO1): Develop a
centralized online resource for hazelnut orchard
management. -
Create a website to serve as a centralized resource and
information hub on methods for irrigation practices,
ETc estimation, and monitoring crop water status in hazelnut
orchards.
- Objective 2 (EO2): Address
grower concerns through field research demonstrations and
facilitating effective knowledge transfer.
-
Investigate and disseminate research findings regarding the
potential water and nutrient competition of cover crops in hazelnut orchards in the
Willamette Valley. Effectively disseminate project information
to growers and the supporting research and Extension
community.