Dryland agriculture (i.e. non-irrigated crop production in arid and semi-arid regions) represents 44% of the global agricultural land area and more than 90% of wheat production in the United States. The spatial extent of dryland agriculture is anticipated to increase over time. In the Western U.S., large areas are experiencing reductions in available irrigation water due to climate change and the redirection of water to rapidly growing urban areas. Our long-term goal is to develop innovative cropping systems adapted to water-limited ecosystems that are resilient in the face of increased climatic variability. We are involved in several research projects designed to analyze the impacts of rotational variety in dryland cropping systems on multiple ecosystem services.

– We are taking advantage of a cropping systems experiment established in 1985 and collaborations with the USDA-ARS Agricultural Systems Research Unit, to evaluate rotation legacy effects on soil properties that can influence susceptibility to wind erosion.

– In another project, we are integrating farmer interviews with on-farm soil sampling and spatial crop rotation analysis to evaluate the socioeconomic and political factors that influence farmer decision-making and adoption of crop rotations and how rotations influence yield variability and soil physical properties.

– Integrating data from long-term cropping systems experiments, we are collaborating with the USDA-ARS Agricultural Systems Research Unit to intercompare agricultural systems models with a goal of improving their ability to simulate soil carbon and water dynamics under future climate scenarios.