Objectives and main international biodiversity events during the upcoming Hun...
Circular buffer strips
1. Circular Buffer Strips (CBS): An
Innovative Way to Add Ecosystem
Services to Irrigated Agriculture
Dr. Sangu Angadi
Dept. Plant and Environmental Sciences
and Agricultural Science Center at Clovis
New Mexico State University
Clovis, NM 88101
NIFA Award #: 2016-67019-25028
2. Collaborators
• Drs. Rajan Ghimire, John Idowu, Sultan Begna,
Steve Gulden, Mr. Paramveer Singh
New Mexico State University, Las Cruces, NM &
Agricultural Science Center at Clovis, NM
• Dr. Prasanna Gowda, USDA-ARS, El Reno, OK
• Dr. Gary Marek, USDA-ARS, Bushland, TX
• Dr. John Stout, USDA-ARS, Lubbock, TX
10. Evaporation Loss
Evaporation
Wind
In a row cropping system, >
50% of irrigation water
applied before canopy closure
is lost by evaporation (Agam,
et al., 2012)
11. SD
NB
KS
TX
NM
CO
WY Clovis, NM
Ogallala Aquifer Circles of Center Pivot Partial Pivots
OK
Declining Ogallala Aquifer
If not addressed immediately,
35% of Southern Great Plains
Irrigated land will be dryland
(Scanlon et al., 2012)
13. Partial Pivot to Designer Pivot with Circular
Buffer Strips
Cross Section of pivot during offseason
Cross Section of pivot during crop growing season
Grass Buffer
Crop strip
Grass Buffer
Crop stubble
Buffer circleCrop circle
1/3
2/3
(Irrigated Crop)
(Fallow)
14. Wind Direction and Barrier Efficiency
chemeschemes
ch
e
m
es
Efficiency
High
Wind
Barrier
Efficiency
Low
15. Benefits from Circular Perennial
Grass Buffer Strips
Direct Benefits of
Perennial Grass
Indirect Benefits of
Grass Buffer Strip
Increased Benefits of
Circular Design
Multiple Buffers
↑CSequestration
↑SoilOrganicMatter
↑SoilQuality
↑Biodiversity&wildlife
↑RootingDepth
↑Infiltration&WHC
↓InputRequirements
↑ResourceCapture&Time
↓WindSpeed
↓Evaporation&runoff
↓Pollution
↓Soil&WaterErosion
↑NetPrimaryProductivity
↑RainandSnowCapture
↑CropMicroclimate
↑SeedlingProtection
Nowinddirectionproblem
↑Efficiencyofirrigation
↑AirQuality
↓WheelTrackProblem
↑WellPressureTolerance
↑ManyDirect&IndirectBenefits
InsectandDisease???
Noneedoftalltrees..Tallgrassesfine
Covermostofthepivotarea
Morebiodiversitybenefits
Productivity
Environment and
Natural Resources (e.g. Water)
Quality of Life
Profitability
16. Major Benefits
✽ Improves Water Cycle: Reduce Losses (Evaporation and
Runoff) and Conserve Water (High Intensity Rain,
Infiltration, Snow Capture)
✽ Improve Productivity: Microclimate, Soil Abrasion Injury
✽ Protect Soil: Perennial Cover, Reduce Wind
✽ Increase Biodiversity: Plants, Microbes, Wildlife,
Beneficials
✽ Resilient Cropping System for Uncertain Climate: (C
Sequestration, Deeper Roots, Longer Growing Season,
Higher Productivity)
✽ Environmental Benefits: Reduced pollution, improved
air quality, wildlife habitat
✽ Practical Benefits: Well Pressure, Pivot Maintenance
28. (Center points of buffers and crop strips)
Middle of crop strip..
Deeper 8 ft tube
(Buffer Strip1) (Buffer Strip2)
Profiledepth(%)
100
50
00
15’ 21’ 29’
Soil moisture measurement plan 2017
Control
6’ 54’
90’ 90’
This is for edge effect
29. Buffer & Water Conservation
Neutron Tube #s
Buffer pivot: 9 deep 18 shallow
Control pivot: 12 shallow
These tubes compare similar
tube in other pivot..
Between August 31
and October 09, 2017
167mm
179mm
97mm
97mm
66mm
64mm
66mm
62mm
44mm
24mm
48mm
10mm
19mm
30. (Center points of buffers and crop strips)
(Buffer Strip1) (Buffer Strip2)
Profiledepth(%)
100
50
00
Corn Yield with and without CBS
Control
31. Circular Buffer Strip: Impacts
Global Diffusion
Recognition from Scientists
Exciting farming community
Scientific Society Web Page
Innovative Idea Manuscript
32. In Summary..
• Circular Buffer Strip Concept has great potential to
improve multiple ecosystems services in Center
Pivot Irrigated fields.
• Preliminary observations on benefits of circular
buffer strips are promising.
• Farmers, scientists and media are showing lot of
appreciation for the concept.
33. Thank You
Funding Support:
Agricultural Experiment Station, NMSU
USDA-NIFA-Ecosystem Services (NIFA Award #: 2016-67019-25028)
Technical Help:
Aaron Scott, David Rodriguez, Miguel Nunez
Daniel Rush, Jaden Scott and Chris Lutich