
LTRAS includes 10 high-
and low-input cropping systems, with three one-acre replicates of each
phase of each rotation.. Organic and conventional maize (dark green),
tomato (paler green), and wheat are visible in this 8 July 1998 photo.
Diagonal stripe across one wheat plot shows where an old watercourse was
filled with topsoil during land leveling; compare with "time zero" false-color
photo above right, a contrast-enhanced image of sudangrass hay crop grown
to assess field variablity before treatments began. North is at right
in 1998 photo and at top of 1993 photo.
The old barn (note holes in roof) will be replaced
by autumn of 2001. At left is the Putah Creek Reserve, part of which
is proposed spotted owl habitat. Small plots at right were a long-term
weed management study, since terminated due to lack of funding. Our
on-site weather station (fenced area within pale green plot) is surrounded
by irrigated grass, so that temperature and humidity will be comparable
to irrigated cropland. Weather data,
updated several times each day via radiotelemetry, are now available on
the web.