Crop and Soil Sciences
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B 911
Bermudagrass in Georgia
Bermudagrass (Cynodon spp.) is an important warm-season, perennial, sod-forming forage grass in Georgia and throughout the Southeast. Bermudagrass is productive from spring until fall and is well-suited for grazing or hay production. Several varieties of bermudagrass are used in Georgia, ranging from common bermudagrass to the high-yielding, good quality hybrid bermudagrasses. The best variety to use depends on your location in the state and the intended use.
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B 892
Irrigating Tobacco
This publication is a comprehensive guide to irrigation methods for tobacco in Georgia.
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Energy inputs for irrigation pumping frequently exceed the energy used for all other crop production practices. This fact, coupled with rapidly increasing fuel and energy costs, causes irrigation farmers to look for ways to reduce energy consumption. Careful consideration should be given to selecting a pump that will deliver water to the system with the greatest possible efficiency. After installation, pump performance should be watched closely and evaluated, with steps being taken as needed to adjust, repair or replace inefficient pumping equipments.
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Some of the most widely adopted precision agriculture technologies include guidance systems that utilize a Global Positioning System (GPS). Although these technologies are most commonly utilized in row-crop agricultural systems, they also have many potential benefits in forage-based production systems. With so many different options to choose from, it can be a daunting task to determine which technologies are the best fit for a specific farming application and budget. When coupled with a differential GPS system (which are available in various levels of correction accuracy), the accuracy of these guidance systems can be greatly improved. The main goal of this bulletin is to cover the currently available GPS guidance options for forage production systems.
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B 1533-2
Lawns in Georgia: Establishment
Turfgrass enhances the landscape in ways that can be particularly important in urban environments. Turf is one of the most effective plant covers to reduce soil erosion and surface runoff while recharging ground water, which results in more efficient use of rainfall. In most landscapes turf occupies the largest area and provides an ideal surface for outdoor activities. It begins with selecting the best adapted species and cultivar for an individual site— right plant, right place. Once the proper species and cultivar have been selected, getting the site properly prepared for growing grass and getting it established is critical in creating a sustainable lawn.
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This bulletin describes a recommended procedure to measure soil saturated hydraulic conductivity (Ks) with a borehole permeameter and convert this value to estimates of percolation rate for on-site wastewater treatment systems. Saturated hydraulic conductivity is a fundamental hydraulic parameter for soil water flow and it is defined as the ratio of the water velocity to the hydraulic gradient. This bulletin also provides information on a computer-based program to help calculate saturated hydraulic conductivity.
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Johnsongrass (Sorghum halepense) is a warm-season perennial weed in pastures and roadsides throughout central and northern Georgia. Populations may germinate from seed in spring after overwintering in the soil. However, Johnsongrass primarily emerges from dormant rhizomes in areas with a history of infestations. Rhizomes are belowground stems that produce daughter plants and storage reserves for new growth in spring. The persistence of Johnsongrass is primarily associated with extensive rhizomatous growth that enable populations to spread laterally and dominate areas by preventing desirable species from flourishing.
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Properly maintaining, calibrating, and adjusting a seed drill before planting is an important part of ensuring the successful establishment of forage or cover crops. Seed may be placed at a depth that is too deep or too shallow if the equipment is not properly prepared and set. Too much or too little seed may be planted if the equipment is not properly calibrated. These planting mistakes may result in a poor stand, greater weed competition, lower yields, and/or reductions in forage quality. Conversely, planting more seed than required can unnecessarily increase establishment costs and can sometimes result in reduced yields. After investing in the seed and committing the time to plant a field, taking a few extra steps to ensure that investment bears fruit is well worth maintaining, calibrating, and adjusting the drill.
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Drip, trickle, microemitters, and subsurface irrigation systems are considered low-volume irrigation. Low-volume irrigation systems are designed to improve irrigation efficiency, delivering water to the crop accurately with minimal water loss. Irrigation efficiency can be categorized into two main concepts: water loss and uniform application. If water loss is significant, or application uniformity is poor, efficiency will be low. Generally, the most significant loss of irrigation water is from overwatering, where the water percolates below the root zone, or from runoff. With good management, losses due to leaks, system drainage, and flushing of filters and lateral lines should not exceed 1%. Low-volume systems have the opportunity to achieve efficiency, and under careful management, will minimize losses from overirrigation. However, using low-volume systems requires increased irrigation frequency and soil moisture monitoring should be used to improve water-use efficiency. This publication covers system design, system efficiencies, components, chemical applications, diseases related to irrigation, and soil moisture monitoring.
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