In the inland Pacific Northwest (iPNW), intensive tillage and poor residue management practices have led to the depletion of soil organic matter, crumbled soil structure, increased soil erosion, reduced soil fertility and soil biological diversity, and now threaten long-term sustainability of dryland wheat farming. Conservation tillage systems, on the other hand, enhance sustainability of dryland agriculture by reducing erosion, building soil organic matter, and improving soil health. This webinar discusses sustainability challenges posed by conventional tillage; different conservation tillage approaches to overcome these challenges;and  tillage and residue management effects on soil health in dryland farming. Soil health is assessed by evaluating the soil’s ability to perform desired ecosystem functions and involves measuring soil physical, chemical, and biological indicators in response to management. Sustained research and extension activities highlight that reduced soil disturbance and crop residue retention can improve soil health in dryland farming in iPNW.

About Dr. Rakesh Awale

Dr. Awale is a post-doctoral researcher of crop and soil sciences at the Columbia Basin Agricultural Research Center, Oregon State University since 2015. He studied nitrogen transformations in poorly drained soils under tile-drainage at North Dakota State University for improving N use efficiency of row crops and reducing N escaping from agroecosystems. Currently, he is working on existing long-term experiments at the research station with different cropping systems to build a database and evaluate climate change effects on wheat yield, biomass production, soil carbon dynamics, soil fertility, soil acidification, and soil health.

About Dr. Prakriti Bista

Dr. Bista is an agronomy student interested on studying management practices that enhance agricultural sustainability and mitigate climate change impacts. She worked as a Postdoctoral scholar (2014-2016) at Oregon State University, Columbia Basin Agricultural Research Center (CBARC) in Pendleton, Oregon. During Ph.D. in University of Wyoming, she studied effect of different winter wheat-fallow management practices on the biogeochemical aspects and agronomic performance of dryland farming in semi-arid Great Plains. Her postdoctoral research at CBARC involved monitoring and modeling of traditional and conservation management practices on crop performance and soil quality. She evaluated effect of cover crop mixtures on soil organic matter and wheat yield under winter wheat based cropping system. She was also involved in various extension publications and working for enhancing agricultural sustainability of cropping systems in the inland Pacific Northwest.

About REACCH

The REACCH project was initiated in 2011 to ensure sustainable cereal production in the inland Pacific Northwest. The project was led by an interdisciplinary team of scientists and other professionals from three land grant institutions and the USDA Agricultural Research Service, with funding from the National Institute of Food and Agriculture’s Climate Variability and Change Program. Participants from many disciplines related to agricultural, climate, socioeconomics, and information sciences engaged in an integrated research, education, outreach and extension effort to study complex cereal production systems and their responses to drivers of change. Visit REACCH at reacchpna.org.

About the Climate Learning Network (CLN)

The CLN was formed at the beginning of 2015 to promote climate literacy among Extension professionals who work in the areas of agriculture and natural resources and to connect Extension programs within the US Land-grant University System with the 10 USDA Climate Hubs. The program is a collaboration between eXtension, Southern Regional Extension Forestry, and the USDA. Visit the CLN at climatelearning.net.

Full Schedule of the REACCH Advances Fall Webinar Series

Nov. 13 - Climate Considerations for Dryland Farmers - Drs. Liz Allen & Katherine Hegewisch

Nov. 20 - Pathogens in Dryland Cereal Systems - Dr. Tim Paulitz

Nov. 27 - Rotational Intensification and Diversification - Drs. Isaac Madison & Bill Pan

Dec. 4 - Nutrient Management and Precision Application Technology - Drs. Tabitha T Brown & Erin Brooks

Dec. 11 - Tillage and Residue Management Systems and Impacts on Soil Health in Drylands - Drs. Prakriti Bista & Rakesh Awale

Dec. 18 - Integrated Weed Management and Insect Pests in Dryland Cereal Systems -Drs. Sanford Eigenbrode  & Ian Burke

ALL WEBINARS BEGIN AT 8 AM PST/11 AM EST AND LAST FOR APPROXIMATELY ONE HOUR