Appendix: Examples of Applied Research and Demonstration Topics

Wind Erosion Control

• Effects of shelterbelt height and density on wind speed, soil moisture content and crop yield
• Effect of cover crops on wind erosion
• Effect of amount of crop residue on wind erosion
• Seeding annual wind strips on fallow fields

Water Erosion Control

• Contour versus conventional farming
• Grassed versus ungrassed waterways
• Effects of crop residue, soil texture and slope on water erosion potential

Crop Residue Management

• Conservation tillage versus conventional tillage cropping
• Reduced versus conventional tillage summerfallow
• Straw shredding instead of tillage
• Comparison of tillage speeds

Reduced Fall Tillage

• Fall tillage versus no fall tillage
• Fall tillage with or without harrows
• Fall tillage versus fall-applied herbicides to control winter annual weeds

Salinity Control

• Seeding versus sprigging salt-tolerant grasses
• Soil moisture use and rooting depth of various crops
• Salt tolerance of various grasses

Weed/Disease/Insect Control

• Fall-applied versus spring-applied herbicides to control winter annuals
• Fall-applied herbicides versus tillage for perennial weed control
• Fall-applied versus spring-applied 2,4-D on stubble to be summerfallowed
• Conventional fallow versus chemical fallow
• Yield effect of minimum tillage on continuous wheat versus conventional tillage
• Yield effect of minimum tillage in a wheat, barley, and oat rotation
• Changing disease spectrums under minimum tillage systems versus conventional tillage
• Comparison of Hessian fly pupae survival under conservation tillage versus conventional tillage practices
• Comparison of thrips survival in various stubble heights
• Comparison of incidence and economic impact of insects (Hessian fly, thrips, cut worms and grasshoppers) and native predators (spiders, ground beetles) under various conservation and conventional farm practices

Pasture/Rangeland Rejuvenation

• Direct seeded versus conventionally tilled and seeded pasture
• Pre-seeding herbicide on pasture versus conventionally tilled and seeded pasture

Soil Moisture Management

• Effect of fall tillage versus standing stubble on spring soil moisture content
• Effects of stubble versus no stubble on snow trapping and spring soil moisture content
• Effects of variable stubble height on spring soil moisture content

Economics

• Comparison of economics of forage in rotation versus continuous cropping to cereal and oilseeds
• Comparison of legume green manuring versus applied fertilizer

Equipment

• Comparison of various conservation tillage seed drills
• Comparison of various grass seed drills
• Comparison of different tillage equipment: wide blade, narrow blade, harrows up/down, vibra shank, low crown sweeps, hydraulic rod weeder
• Comparison of residue management systems: plowing, baling, shredding, chopping and spreading, harrowing, discing and chiselling
• Comparison of fertilizer applicators: spreaders, banding