HIGH-RESOLUTION INTEGRATED ASSESSMENTS OF TILLAGE PRACTICE IMPACTS ON CROP PRODUCTION AND AGROECOSYSTEM SUSTAINABILITY IN THE US MIDWEST - COMBINING META-ANALYSIS, AIRBORNE-SATELLITE SENSING, AND PROC

In this project, we aim to integrate meta-analysis, airborne and satellite remote sensing, and process-based modeling to perform high-resolution, spatiotemporal assessments of tillage impacts on crop productivity and environmental sustainability in the U.S. Midwest across field scale to regional scale. We will include Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, and Minnesota as our study region. This project will primarily focus on the impacts of tillage practice on yield, GHG emission (CO2 and N2O in particular), N leaching, and changes in soil organic carbon (SOC). The meta-analysis will provide the most updated information on the different types of tillage on crop yield and various environmental sustainability metrics based on data synthesized from historical field observations from literature, and it will also provide important baseline data to model validation. The airborne hyperspectral imaging and satellite remote sensing will provide long-term and accurate mapping of tillage practices at the field level. Site observations, meta-analysis, and airborne-satellite sensing data will then be seamlessly integrated with an advanced agroecosystem model (Ecosys) to fulfill the related modeling tasks.