Precision irrigation Regenerative agriculture Optimized irrigation Water Talk Podcast
UNIVERSITY of WISCONSIN–MADISON
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Regenerative agriculture

Drought and overall evaporative demand will increase over the next fifty years, putting extraordinary stress on soil and water resources.

How can we maintain healthy soils, meet irrigation demands, and recharge aquifers in an increasingly challenging climate? Irrigation efficiency should not come at the cost of long-term soil health, but co-management for both of these outcomes is challenging. We conduct field experiments and use state-of-the-art agroecosystem models to explore and evaluate the long-term impacts of different conservation measures on soil health, yields, water resources, and feedbacks to the regional climate system.

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Dr. Nocco discusses Regenerative Irrigation with The Soil Health Connection

Current explorations in Regenerative Irrigation:

Stacking regenerative practices to improve MAR

We are using advanced soil physical methods across several Napa Valley vineyards to understand how different combinations of regenerative agricultural practices improve infiltration, minimize root zone residence time, and potentially expand areas suitable for managed aquifer recharge in California. As part of a new $10 million USDA project investigating the groundwater, irrigated agriculture, and climate change in the SW US, Dr. Nall Moonilall is investigating and integrating soil health findings into extension tools for revisioning semiarid soil management for agriculture, carbon sequestration, and water management in a changing climate.

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Terroir and soil health in Napa Valley & Paso Robles

If you are a vineyard manager or wine enthusiast, you are probably familiar with terroir, or how the soil, climate, and aspect can influence the flavor and mouthfeel of wine. If you are a soil scientist or enthusiast, you are probably familiar with Hans Jenny’s soil forming factors (climate, parent, material, organisms, relief, time) and how the organism factor can be manipulated to improve soil quality. We are working with Soils and Biogeochemistry doctoral student Noelymar Gonzalez and Dr. Cristina Lazcano, Dr. Kerri Steenwerth, Cooperative Extension Advisor Mark Battany, and other partners to develop soil health indicators for vineyards in Lodi, Napa Valley, and Paso Robles as well as better understand relationships between soil health, water management, and wine quality.

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Oakville Bluegrass cover crop. Photo credit Alyssa Devincentis

Drought-tolerant perennial cover crops for CA almond production

Oakville Bluegrass (photo credit: Dr. Alyssa DeVincentis) is a set of cultivars hydridized from Poa bulbosa to function as a new drought-tolerant cover crop. Oakville Bluegrass differs from traditional cover crops in critical ways: (1) it is perennial with a decadal lifespan, whereas cover crops are often annual species requiring yearly labor and chemical intensive replanting, and (2) it is dormant in the summer, meaning it will not draw water from almond trees during peak evaporative demand. These innovations help to address many common barriers to cover crop adoption that we have heard from CA almond growers: yearly labor costs, chemical intensive replanting, and water consumption. As part of a recently awarded Conservation Innovation Grant, doctoral student Kelsey Fenn is working with several growers across the Central Valley to understand how Oakville Bluegrass could appeal to growers by increasing return on investment, drought + wind resilience, and functional soil biodiversity. 

Helpful resources for regenerative irrigation:

groundwater banking and replenishment

The Sustainable Groundwater Management Act is changing the way California growers thinking about and manage groundwater. Groundwater banking is an exciting strategy to capture and store flood waters during wet years to help buffer drought years. However, there are several site-specific logistical and design considerations prior to implementing managed aquifer recharge on agricultural lands. Learn more about recharge opportunities and challenges in a new report from the Association of California Water Agencies.

Soil health practices for drought resilient soils

On-farm practices such as cover cropping, no-till, reduced-till, mulching, compost application, and conservation plantings can improve the soil’s resilience to drought by changing its physical structure. We measure these improvements as increasing infiltration, hydraulic conductivity, and soil moisture retention. Increasing these physical indicators of soil health should lead greater soil moisture storage, faster infiltration, and improved drainage. Because these improvements can also result in carbon sequestration and greenhouse gas reduction, the California Department of Food and Agriculture offers growers incentives to implement these practices through the Healthy Soils Program.