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Walker River Basin Project Agriculture, Restoration, and Plant/Soil/Water Interactions. Tasks 4 & 5 Summary 2008. Objectives. Task 4: Cultural practices and economic potential of alternative low water use crops Biomass production Water use and water use efficiency
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Walker River Basin ProjectAgriculture, Restoration, and Plant/Soil/Water Interactions Tasks 4 & 5 Summary 2008
Objectives Task 4: • Cultural practices and economic potential of alternative low water use crops • Biomass production • Water use and water use efficiency • Best species and methods for native habitat restoration • Survey species composition (native and non-native) relative to time and hydrologic changes • Modeling
Impact of hydrologic and land use changes on soils Erosivity Salinity / salt profile Nutrient flux / budget Organic matter Water table Temperature Impact of hydrologic and land use changes on riparian zone Invasive species Nutrient flux Species composition Objectives Task 5:
Objectives • Tasks 4 & 5: • Combine data collected and implement in a model • Apply model to determine areas most suitable for land use change. Land Use Change
Site Locations • Revegetation Only Site • Wildlife Management Sites • Well Site
Site Locations • 5C Cottonwood – Vacant Lot • Ranch Sites • Valley Vista – Alfalfa Field
Agricultural Studies • Biomass Study • 3 water treatments (50%, 75%, & 100%) • 15 vegetation types (alternative grains and potential bio-fuels) • Revegetation Study • 2 water treatments (0% & 25%) • 10 vegetation types (native grasses and shrubs)
Site Locations • Riparian Zone: • One site located in Wildlife Management Area • Three transects perpendicular to Walker River
Soil Sampling • Agricultural Sites • Collected ~1300 soil samples • 51 Bulk Density samples • 51 Infiltration tests • Riparian Site • 42 soil samples
Instrumentation:Riparian Zone • Installed 7 shallow groundwater wells • Cored, tested, and approved 6 bore holes for push-pull tests
Instrumentation: Soil Temperature Cable • Installed (Dec 2007) • Valley Vista • Wildlife Management Well
Seeding • Cool season grasses and most revegetation grasses were planted Nov-Dec 2007
Current Analysis • Riparian soils percent loss of organic matter due to combustion • C and N mineralization • Aggregate size fractionation • Soil water and exchange nutrient concentrations • Gas sample analysis • Soil textural analysis • Weed seed bank germination • Monthly water quality samples taken from the Walker River • Surveying of monitoring wells
Coming This Spring!!! • Seeding of remaining crops (April-May) • Field Instrumentation • Soil trace gas flux rings • Portable CO2 sensor chamber • Groundwater monitoring wells on Wildlife Management sites • Dust collectors & weather station at Valley Vista site • Evapotranspiration tents at Valley Vista site