Expected Outputs/Deliverables:
Objective 1.
The effect of delaying cover crop kill-date on soybean yield and quality as well as environmental sustainability will be determined. The outcome will be data that is used to evaluate the question: Does a 3-4 week delay in cover crop kill-date (permitted by the later soybean planting date relative to corn) improve environmental sustainability and soybean yield in the North Central cropping systems?

A second outcome of Objective 2 will be information on the carbon footprints of soybean cover-crop systems. Changes in ‘active’ fractions of soil organic matter will be used to evaluate the potential for cover crops to benefit soil organic matter. High soil organic matter stocks are viewed as a critical component of climate adaptation.

A third outcome will be modeling of water flow and nitrate transport in corn-soybean systems with and without cover crops. The model will be used to predict the effects of cover crop in topographically diverse landscapes on soybean yield and nitrate loss under projected future climate scenarios.

Objective 2.
One of the benefits of working with the USDA NIFA climate project is gaining access to scientists that have established long-term agronomic studies and are willing to collaborate. This is key to attaining several of the outcomes for this objective, which are evaluations of the long-term impacts of drainage water management, cover crops, and extended rotations on insects and diseases.

We will also be answering questions about crop pests and diseases and their relation to climate. For example we will be determining how drier soils will affect soybean cyst nematode. We will also be looking at weeds and how they affect nitrous oxide emissions.