Crop ecosystems in the Southeast

The frequency of both water stress and drought associated with climate variability is on the rise. It is thus becoming increasingly critical to improve water-use efficiency while maintaining high peanut yields through different management practices. UGA crop and soil scientists conducted peanut experiments in 2018 to indicate how different planting patterns (single row vs. twin row) affect peanut water-use efficiency and yield at the field scale to help growers optimize their planting pattern to conserve water while getting high yield. They also conducted experiments aimed at helping peanut growers to optimize their peanut planting dates, experiments in a pecan orchard to develop a model for irrigation and water-use efficiency management in pecan tree growth, and a study using an economical micro-drone equipped with a camera sensitive to water content changes in the golf turf to develop a low-cost irrigation scheduling methodology. They also determined the amount of carbon dioxide stored by Spartina Alterniflora L., one of the most productive ecosystems on earth on the Georgia Coast near Sapelo Island.