The University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture
ANNUAL REPORTING FORM
 
Donald Tyler, Professor
Biosystems Engineering & Soil Science
Annual Performance Period: January 1, 2007 to December 31, 2007


A. SUMMARY AND IMPACTS.

1. Summary. Provide an overall summary (500 words or less) of your accomplishments during the reporting period.

The use of ethanol from renewable feedstock such as switchgrass could reduce fossil fuel use, reduce our dependency on foreign fuel sources and replace oil and coal, with a carbon positive energy source. Switchgrass production is being evaluated on four distinct soil-landscape situations differing in soil drainage, slope, and past degree of erosion. Two experiments are located on each situation, a seeding rate-nitrogen rate interaction study and a lowland type cultivar comparison. In the seeding-nitrogen study, a comparison is underway with four nitrogen rates of 0 to 210 kg N/ha arranged in a factorial design with five seeding rates, 2.8 to 14 kg pure live seed /ha. A comparison of the standard Alamo cultivar to three lowland type synthetic cultivars is underway. Fourth growing season yields are presently being measured. The first year of a cooperative study on below and above ground carbon sequestration with three National Labs is in progress. Three samplings of below ground root and above ground biomass have been done. Weed control evaluations have been completed and certain herbicides are now in registration process for effective weed control for switchgrass establishment in the first and second growing seasons. A long-term cotton experiment, established is 1981, with various nitrogen, cover crop, and tillage combinations is being used to evaluate the use of normalized difference vegetation index for prediction of cotton growth and maturity. This information is being compared to the same predictions from the more labor intensive crop management model, COTMAN. NDVI evaluations would provide a more useful tool for determining cessation of insecticide applications and the use of plant growth regulators for more efficient cotton production. The reproduction of the soybean cyst nematode is being evaluated in a long-term soybean no-tillage and tillage experiment begun in 1979. In 2002, plots of each treatment were split and on one-half of each plot, the tillage system was reversed. Nematode levels, reproduction rate, and other soil organisms are being measured. Nematode levels have been significantly lower in the no-tillage treatments, both long-term and converted, but this has not significantly influenced soybean yield. With increasing costs of nitrogen fertilizers, economical evaluations of nitrogen use and management are critical. A tool to assist in economical nitrogen use for corn is being developed. Two years of nitrogen-yield response functions have been collected from 5 locations to create an internet decision management tool for nitrogen management. The response function collection is continuing.

2. Impacts. List up to three significant impacts of your program. Impact statements should be one to three sentences and should be written in a way that would be meaningful to the public.

Four soil and landscape situations were chosen switchgrass research: well drained level uplands, eroded sloping uplands, well drained bottomlands, and poorly drained bottomlands. On each situation, five switchgrass seeding rates from 2.8 to 14 kg/ha of pure live seed have been evaluated at 4 nitrogen rates ranging from 0 to 180 kg N/ha since 2005. Based on the results the recommended seeding rate has been reduced from 9 to 6.7 kg/ha. Presently, the data indicates that 67 kg N/ha is suitable. The commonly grown lowland Alamo switchgrass variety is being compared to three synthetics from breeding programs on all four situations. All three were somewhat more vigorous in the first three growing seasons, but total dry biomass was not different from Alamo except in the presence of severe weed on the poorly-drained soil over the first three growing seasons. Cooperative weed control research for switchgrass production has resulted in the application for special state use herbicide labels for three compounds to help control grassy species in the switchgrass establishment year. These findings are being used to continually refine UT switchgrass production recommendations. Cooperative research on belowground carbon sequestration in switchgrass is indicating very little loss of below ground root biomass in the fourth growing season. The slow turnover of the perennial root system indicates a high potential for more carbon storage than would be possible with an annual row crop where root decomposition is usually almost complete by the next growing season. Enhanced carbon storage results in higher soil organic matter, enhanced soil quality, and reduced carbon dioxide emissions. Corn yield in relation to nitrogen fertilizer rates are being evaluated using 5 nitrogen rates at 5 locations with varying soil productivity and crop rotation. The response functions will eventually be used as part of an internet management tool for nitrogen fertilization decisions using average long term yield, fertilizer cost, and corn selling price. Two more years of data will be collected before possible implementation. This tool would greatly improve the present UT recommendations for nitrogen use on corn and allow a direct economic evaluation of nitrogen fertilization strategies.


B. PROJECTS AND PROGRAMS (EXTENSION, RESEARCH AND TEACHING). As applicable, list title, names of participants (PIs, Leaders, Co-PIs, Co-leaders, Collaborators etc.), project number, sponsor, your role ( leader/co-leader/collaborator) and your percent effort on the project as stated in the project description or document.

Landscape Processes and Soil Management Strategies for Enhanced Agricultural Sustainability. D.D. Tyler, A.Houston, M. Mullen, M. Essington, J. Wilkerson, W. Hart, D. Yoder, R. Roberts, C. Harden, J. Logan, N. Eash, P. Donald, B. Leib. TENN00300. Hatch, Leader. 55%.

Development of a Framework and Modeling Tool for Spatially-Explicit Full Carbon and Greenhouse Gas Accounting at the Regional to National Scale: Estimating Net C-Equivalent Flux from U.S. Agriculture. Tristram West, Daniel De La Torre Ugarte, Gregg Marland, James Larson, Donald Tyler. NASA. Co-PI. 5%.

Switchgrass Project. Burt English, Daniel De La Torre Ugarte, Roland Roberts, Donald Tyler, Marie Walsh. DOE. Co-PI. 10%

Soybean Production for Enhanced Production and Environmental Quality. Donald Tyler. USDA. PI. 20%.

Carbon Sequestration is Terrestrial Ecosystems. Donald Tyler, Burt English. Oak Ridge National Lab-UT Battelle. Co-PI. 10%.

C. INSTRUCTION, TEACHING AND EXTENSION EDUCATION. Detail credit and non-credit instruction and teaching activities.

1. College credit instruction. List courses in which you were an instructor or guest lecturer during the current calendar year. Include special topics, independent study and internship courses. Provide course number and title, your involvement, semester(s), credit hours and number of students. Please append a summary of teaching evaluations (student and/or peer) if this information is available.

Course number and title Involvement Semester Credit
hours
Number of
students
BsE401 Biosystems Engineering Design I*(OC)TeamFall26

2. Formal continuing education (certification programs, seminar series, in-service training, field days, faculty and/or staff training, journal club, etc.). Provide descriptive title of activity, your involvement, number of participants or students involved, number and duration of each session.

Descrip. title, including dates Involvement Number of students
or participants
Number of
sessions
Duration of each
session (hours)
Ames Plantation Heritage Festival, Dark Fired Tobacco Production History, October 13, 2007Total60091
Arkansas Biomass meeting, July 6, 2007Guest251
Cellulosic Ethanol Summitt, Washington DC. Panel participant and presentation on Switchgrass Storage, Oct 15-17Total25021
Delta Certified Crop Advisor (CCA) Training, Switchgrass Production, Nov 20, 2007Total6011
Governor's Conference on Bioenery, July 11-12, 2007Guest20028
Switchgrass Production, Station Superintendents Meeting, May 4,2007Total2011
The Challenges Facing Conservation Agriculture, Field day, Tebellong, Lesotho. March 23, 2007Team20011
TN Ag Production Association, Switchgrass Production Feb 5, 2007Total4011
Tn Ag Production CCA Training, Switchgrass Production and Nitrogen Update, August 1-2, 2007Total5011
TN Farmers Coop Training, Switchgrass Production, Dec 5, 2007Total15011
TN Forage and Grassland Council Annual Meeting, Switchgrass Production, Nov 2, 2007Total10011
University of Kentucky 2007 Princeton Field Day, July 26, 2007Guest120041

3. Extension presentations and workshops. Indicate title, type, and scope of presentation; number of times presented; attendance estimates. Include evidence of effectiveness (e.g. evaluation summaries) where applicable.

Title/Type of presentation Scope Number of times presented Total attendees
Extension Agent Switchgrass Training, April 2, 2007, Jackson, TNMulti-county130 
Extension Agent Switchgrass Training, April 3, 2007, Cookeville, TNMulti-county130 
Farmer Extension Meeting, Forage Field Day, Switchgrass Production, May 17, 2007, Johnson City,TNMulti-county125 

4. Public addresses to lay audiences (TV/radio presentations, service groups, etc.). Indicate title, type, scope of presentation; number of times presented; attendance estimates. Include evidence of effectiveness (e.g. evaluation summaries) where applicable.

Title/Type of presentation Scope Number of times presented Total attendees
       

5. Presentations at professional meetings, without published abstracts. List presenter, co-authors (if any), title, date and name of meeting (list scientific oral or poster presentations having published abstracts or proceedings at D5).

6. Student mentoring. Fill in the boxes to indicate number of students in each category.

Level of students No. of students advised No. of active graduate committees on which you served as:
Major professor Committee member
Undergraduate      
Masters    
Doctoral    

7. Student or commodity club activities (e.g. club advisor, team competitions, honor or professional societies, etc.). List the club or group; your role with the club or group; and the activities, honors or awards received by this group under your mentorship.

8. Other instructional and teaching activities.

Union University Natural Resource Management Class, Soil management in TN. 15 students, Jan 18, 2007.

UT Martin Soil Genesis Class, Soils as a carreer, 12 students, April 13, 2007.

Union University Ecology Class, Soil management in TN. 14 students, June 2, 2007.

Lesotho and South Africa, 4 Seminars to Extension Agents and Farmers on No-Tillage and Soil Management, March 16-31,2007.



D. PUBLICATIONS. List only publications that were published during the annual reporting period (for #8, submitted during reporting period). Format citations as typical and appropriate for outlet. If a co-author(s) is a student or was working under your direct supervision, place an asterisk after that person's name.

1. Refereed articles or refereed reviews appearing in peer-reviewed professional journals.

Cochran, R.L., R.K. Roberts, J.A. Larson, and D. D. Tyler.  2007.  Cotton profitability with alternative lime application rates, cover crops, nitrogen rates, and tillage methods.  Agronomy Journal 99:1085-1092.

Donald, P.A., and D. D. Tyler.  2007.  Long-and short-term tillage effects on Heterodera glycines reproduction.  Journal of Nematology 39:27.

2. Book chapters or books.

3. Bulletins, reports, circulars, pamphlets, factsheets.

4. Popular press, trade, UTIA magazine or newsletter articles.

5. Abstracts from scientific or discipline meetings, papers from conference proceedings, etc.

Abdi,I., Donald, P. A., and D. D. Tyler.  2007.  Soybean cyst nematode reproduction related to tillage and rhizosphere microorganisms.  Southern Division of American Phytopathological Society Annual Meeting, Mobile, AL, USA. CD-ROM.

Tyler, D. D., B. C. English, R. K. Roberts, and M. Walsh.  2007.  Switchgrass as a bioenergy crop in the southeast, USA.  ASA, CSSA, SSSA Annual Meeting Abstracts. New Orleans, LA, USA. CD-ROM.

Tyler, D. D., B. C. English, R. K. Roberts, K. Goddard, C. D. Garland, and L. Steckel.  2007.  Switchgrass production as a bioenergy crop in the southeast, USA.  Final Program and Abstract Book, 2007 Soil and Water Conservation Annual Conference, Tamp, Florida, USA p.133-134.

Steckel, L., and D. D. Tyler.  2007.  Issues and oppotunities with switchgrass production.  ASA, CSSA, SSSA Annual Meeting Abstracts. New Orleans, LA, USA. CD-ROM.  (invited)

6. Theses/Dissertations completed by students that you directed.

7. Other publications.

8. Articles submitted during the reporting period that are in review, in press or rejected. Please do not list articles in preparation.


E. FUNDING. Format each entry as a citation, include as applicable: investigators (with percent effort shown on grant or contract document), title, source/agency.

1. Grant and contract proposals submitted but not awarded during this reporting period. Indicate date of submission and status (still pending, rejected).

Womac, A. R. (50%), W. E. Hart (25%), D. D. Tyler (15%), B. English (5%), B. Brown (5%).  Harvest Systems for High-Yield Grass Bio-Energy Crops under Southeast US Conditions: Switchgrass.  Deere and Company.  12/1/07.  $143,100.  (still pending)

P Keyser (35%), D. D. Tyler (25%), J. Waller (20%), A. R. Womac (10%), B. English (10%).  Upstream feedstock pre-processing: temporal harvest –storage dynamics in an integrated management sy.  SunGrant Southeastern Regional Competitive Grants.  10/1/07.  $170,000.  (rejected)

P. Keyser (20%), Bates, G., English, B., Larson, J., Steckel, L. (%), D. D. Tyler (%), A. R. Womac (%), X. P. Ye (%).  Upstream Feedstock Pre-Processing: Temporal Harvest-Storage Dynamics in an Integrated Management Sys.  Southeastern SunGrant Initiative.  4/30/07.  $298,634.  (rejected)

2. Grants and contracts awarded during this reporting period. List inclusive period of support (start and end dates) and total amount of award.

Tyler, D. D. (85%), B. English (15%).  Evaluating Carbon Sequestration in Switchgrass.  UT-Battelle, ORNL.  12/17/07-8/14/12.  $142,000.

3. Grants and contracts awarded in past years that continued into this reporting period. List inclusive period of support (start and end dates) and total amount of award.

Tristam West (60%), Greg Marland (30%), Jim Larson (10%), Daniel De Le Ugarte (10%), D. D. Tyler (10%).  Development of a framework and modeling tool for spatially-explicit full carbon and greenhouse.  NASA.  1/1/05-12/31/08.  $600,000.

Burt English (20%), Daniel De La Torre Ugarte (10%), Roland Roberts (10%), D. D. Tyler (10%), Marie Walsh (10%).  Switchgrass Project.  DOE.  6/1/04-12/31/08.  $960,000.

Eash, N. S. (34%), F. R. Walker (33%), D. D. Tyler (33%).  Initiating Research and Teaching Collaboration with the University of Lesotho.  UT Ready for the World.  3/7/07-4/7/07.  $5,000.

Tyler, D. D. (100%).  Cooperative Soybean Production Agreement.  USDA-ARS.  1/1/07-12/31/07.  $111,403.

4. Gifts. List recipients, donor, items or amount donated and dollar equivalent received during the reporting period.

5. Grant reports submitted. List authors, title, to whom submitted, date submitted.

D. D. Tyler, Cooperative Soybean Production Project Update, USDA-ARS, June 15, 2007.

English, B., D. D. Tyler, et al.. Switchgrass Project, DOE. quarterly reports.

6. Other (e.g. sales, royalties).


F. OTHER CREATIVE ACTIVITIES.

1. Tech. advances (intell. prop., patent, copyright, products, processes, genetic lines/varieties).

2. Computer software (e.g. instructional or research software, CD ROMs).

3. Educational tools.

4. Internet activities.

5. Other creative products and activities.


G. SERVICE. List client outreach activities (both public and private sectors) and professional service.
    
1. Client service.
 a. Commodity or discipline group service activities. List committees, offices held or other roles.

Soil Fertility Commodity Recommendation Committee, member

UT Bioenery Initiative Committees, Chair, Switchgrass Production Committee

b. Clinical and diagnostic services. List type of service provided and client(s).

c. Service to individual producers, businesses, or corporations as a specialist, consultant or expert advisor (whether paid or unpaid). List your one-on-one service activities with this group of clients.

Numerous seminars to no-tillage farmers in Lesotho and South Africa

Served on review panel for Helmholtz Alliance Foundation Proposal review in Berlin by invitation from German Government, Berlin Germany

d. Other (e.g. Ag Day activities, Varsity Visit, judging, presentations at clubs and K-12 schools).

Arranged and hosted Kasetsart University students from Thailand, toured West TN Res. and Educ. Center and Milan Res. and Educ. Center on May 9, 2007

Arranged and toured visitors from China at WTREC on June 22, 2007.

Arranged and toured my previous hosts in China at WTREC and RECM on October 10-12, 2007.

Served as judge for FFA land judging contest at the Mid-South Fair in Memphis, TN, September 20, 2007.

Served as judge for 4H and FFA practice contest on September 27, 2007.

Served as judge for the West TN Regional 4H and FFA land judging contest, October 2,2007.



2. Professional service (for professional colleagues).
a. Within the university.
I. Committee work. Briefly describe your involvement during the reporting period.
i. University.

ii. UTIA.

iii. Department.

Served as chairman of Tenure and Promotion Committee

II. Other (e.g. technical assistance to colleagues, peer reviews,
mentoring of junior faculty, hosting visiting scientists).


Hosted two visiting scientists groups from China, a student group from Thailand and a Professor group from Thailand

b. Outside the university (e.g. committee work/offices in professional or public organizations or societies, editorship, editorial boards, review of manuscripts (indicate outlet) and project proposals (indicate agency), meetings organized, member of grant review panel or study section, moderator, etc.).

Editorial Review Board for Soil and Tillage Research Journal

Invited reviewer for other professional journals.


H. PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT (meetings, workshops, classes, trips, etc.). List the event or activity, sponsor, duration of event and your role.

C-site project planning meeting, ORNL, January 29-31, cooperator.

TN Ag Production Assoc. February 5, 2007, speaker and participant.

2007 Soil and Water Conservation Society Annual Conference, July 22-25, 2007 presented oral pper.

2007 American Society of Agronomy Annual Meetings, November 4-7, 2007 presented poster and invited oral presentation.

Helmholtz Alliance Proposal Review Panel, German Government, April 22-26, 2007


I. PERSONNEL SUPERVISION. List the postdoctoral fellows, research associates, research assistants, technicians, extension associates, extension assistants, graduate assistants, undergraduate students, clerical personnel or others that you supervised during the year.

ClassificationFTE's per semester
SpringSummerFall
Postdoctoral fellows      
Research associates, assistants, technicians
Extension associates, assistants      
Graduate students, assistants
Undergraduate students    
Clerical personnel      
Other      


J. HONORS AND AWARDS. List honors and awards received during reporting period, including the name of the organization presenting the award.

Southern Conservation Systems Conference Service Award, 2007, presented by Conference awards commitee.

John J. and Dorothy G. McDow Faculty Excellence Award, 2007, Biosystems Engineering and Soil Science.