Agronomy Research
Agronomy is the application of soil and plant sciences to soil management and crop production. At the Noble Foundation, agronomy research focuses on stewarding natural land resources while improving the establishment and production of traditional forage crops, including grasses and legumes. Additionally, Noble Foundation agronomists are playing a key role in designing sustainable management plans for new, dedicated bioenergy crops, such as switchgrass. This complicated research hinges on deciphering countless variables, such as establishment procedures, herbicide usage, fertilizer rates and planting data, among many others, and understanding how they interact to impact the life cycle of each plant of interest.
Representative research
- Evaluate economics and production of alfalfa-tall fescue and tall fescue with nitrogen fertilizer (Butler, Biermacher)
- Evaluate forage production and persistence of legume-perennial grass combinations (Butler, Blanton)
- Evaluate summer dormant and summer active tall fescue under various grazing termination dates (Butler, Rogers)
- Evaluate nitrogen and phosphorus fertilizer rates on native rangeland (Rogers)
- Evaluate stunt nematode effects on tall fescue varieties (Rogers)
- Long-term N,P,K effects on bermudagrass (Rogers)
Principal investigators
Jon Biermacher, Ph.D., Ag Research
Twain Butler, Ph.D., Forage Improvement
Corey Moffet, Ph.D., Ag Research
James Rogers, Ph.D., Ag Research