Hot Stuff, Winter 2000

New penstemon variety collected from Four Corners (Winter 2000)
The green, green grass of Farmington (Winter 2000)
NMSU research helps diverse clients (Winter 2000)
Getting the edge on weeds (Winter 2000)

New penstemon variety collected from Four Corners

A field of pink, purple and blue flowers in Los Lunas attracts bees, hummingbirds and ladybugs. This test field of narrow- leaf penstemon will soon attract homeowners and state organizations when the seeds are released for sale.

'Penstemon augustifolia' is a low-water-use perennial that grows with less than 6 inches of precipitation a year. Its hardy characteristics make it desirable for use along highways and for reclaiming disturbed natural areas.

Like most penstemon species, 'augustifolia' has showy, tubular flowers and tolerates full sun and poor soils common in New Mexico.

The variety was collected from seeds of native plants in the state's Four Corners area. Since 1992, the plants have been growing at NMSU's Agricultural Science Center at Los Lunas in a cooperative effort with the U.S. Department of Agriculture's New Mexico Plant Materials Center (PMC).

Pastel palette: Mike English examines the color variation in a field of penstemon flowers.

"The New Mexico State Highway Department is currently using other penstemon varieties along roadsides across the state," says Ramona Garner, PMC agronomist. "This new variety is well-adapted for use in conservation efforts, disturbed land plantings and, possibly, home xeriscaping."

Initially, the plants didn't respond well. By 1997, 75 percent of the field was lost. "We just considered it natural selection, and the remaining 25 percent was better-adapted to our environment," she says.

Seeds from the hardy survivors were planted in another Los Lunas field in fall 1997. "The plants go dormant in the fall, so this is the first year we've had full bloom," Garner says.

The plants received minimal irrigation to get established. "After that, we found that they really didn't need much water," she says. "Actually, we had to be careful to avoid over-watering, because the plants wouldn't tolerate it."

This year, seeds will be collected from established plants. "We will harvest the field with a combine, then separate the seeds from the plants," Garner says. Each plant should yield 200 to 300 seeds. "We expect to collect about 100 pounds of seed."

The seed will be distributed through the New Mexico Crop Improvement Association later this year. "We've already had inquiries from seed companies that want to purchase our seed, plant their own fields, and harvest and sell their own seed," Garner says.

The joint effort between PMC and NMSU is one of many at the Agricultural Science Center at Los Lunas. "We've been fortunate to share in a variety of research projects that benefit New Mexico," says Mike English, center superintendent.

The green, green grass of Farmington

When it comes to turf grass research, it's all shades of green. Just ask agricultural specialist Dan Smeal with NMSU's Agricultural Science Center at Farmington.

Talking turf: Dan Smeal studies the best turf grass varieties for the Four Corners. A single-line irrigation source sets up a water gradient in plots that test which varieties make the best use of water.

Smeal is evaluating turf grass varieties for the Four Corners area to find out which ones make the best use of water while still providing acceptable coverage and, of course, color.

"This information has not been available for park managers and others who grow turf in the area," Smeal says. "There was no knowledge about the amount of water various turf varieties require."

Smeal is evaluating water-usage rates for several different cool- and warm-season turf grass varieties. Cool-season varieties like blue grasses, rye grasses and fescues generally grow best during cooler months in early spring and late summer, while warm-season varieties like buffalo grasses and Bermuda grasses usually grow best in midsummer.

During summer 1997, the researchers planted the grasses. At the beginning of the 1998 season, they irrigated the grasses uniformly so all of the varieties got a good start.

"Then about midsummer, we began applying different irrigation rates to the grasses," Smeal says. "Later, we evaluated their growth and their appearance. We actually had independent judges come and rate the grasses to give us an idea of the optimum irrigation level for each."

Results from the first year showed that the cool-season grasses used between 40 and 45 inches of water to maintain optimal growth and an acceptable appearance. "The warm-season grasses, on the other hand, maintained an acceptable appearance with about 60 percent of that or about 25 inches of water."

Smeal says although all of the data from a second year of study have not yet been analyzed, a similar pattern is emerging.

At lower levels of irrigation, the grass color may not be quite as good and the growth rate may be slower, he explains. "A slower growth rate might actually be a benefit, because some of these grasses might need less frequent mowing."

As part of the project, researchers are taking photos of the different grasses under varying irrigation levels. "In the future, the photos are going to be put on the World Wide Web so people interested in managing irrigations on turf grass can compare the different options," Smeal says.

NMSU research helps diverse clients

Water worries: No matter the size of their operation, most agricultural producers in the Four Corners rely on irrigation for survival. Michael O'Neill (below) says water quality and quantity are important issues.

With a client list that includes one of New Mexico's largest agricultural operations as well as some of the smallest and poorest producers, Michael "Mick" O'Neill has a lot of collaborating to do.

As the new superintendent of NMSU's Agricultural Science Center at Farmington, O'Neill's first few months on the job have been devoted to getting to know the diverse needs of the region.

"One strength I've seen is the tremendous working collaboration we have with NAPI, the Navajo Agricultural Products Industry," he says. "Since it is one of the biggest agricultural producers in the state, we have a great opportunity to seed our research into an agricultural production system."

Over the years, the center also has helped other large-scale, traditional farmers of the Four Corners area who produce crops such as corn, alfalfa and wheat in the fertile river valley.

"In addition, the center serves the area's poor farmers," O'Neill says. "These small operators have the ability to diversify more easily than larger operators. They can try things like grapes or fruit trees or even some exotic crops."

Although the clients are diverse, O'Neill says one issue they must all keep in mind is the future of water quality and quantity in the Four Corners. "There is an abundant water supply with the San Juan River, but that abundance is a bit in doubt because of plans for future partitioning of the water."

O'Neill sees a need for greater monitoring of irrigation. "Limited monitoring of irrigation results in really inefficient water use. Over-irrigating leads to the potential for leaching nitrates and other pollutants into the greater groundwater system."

While O'Neill says he's still assessing the needs of the agricultural community, he already has some ideas for the future. "I'd like work at the science center to go beyond crop variety trials," he says. "We should focus on more on-farm research, working closely with Cooperative Extension Service agents and their clients."

O'Neill looks forward to investigating how forestry may play a part in agriculture in the Four Corners.

"We have experimented with a number of fruit trees-apples, apricots, nectarines, peaches and pearsÑand some pines and other trees right here at the center," he says. "I think there is tremendous opportunity for Christmas tree production in this area. There is also a need to investigate using trees along arroyos to help control soil erosion."

If there is room for forestry in the region, O'Neill's experience as a senior scientist with the International Centre for Research in Agroforestry in Embu, Kenya, may come in handy.

"I was stationed in a small research station on the slopes of Mount Kenya," he says. "We were dealing with trees for soil conservation and fertility, trees for fodder for livestock, and trees for fruit, wood products and timber."

Of course, he would have to adapt his knowledge to fit the environment. "In the tropics, you obviously don't get the freezes in the winter that we experience in Farmington," he says.

Getting the edge on weeds

Bumper crop: Timing is everything for Rick Arnold, who tries to weed out trouble from corn fields at NMSU's Agricultural Science Center at Farmington.

Rick Arnold is always trying to beat the system. As a pest management specialist at NMSU's Agricultural Science Center at Farmington, he looks for ways to give crops the edge over weeds.

A well-timed strategy is in order with weeds like lambsquarter, which grows fast and guzzles water, or grasses like green foxtail, which thrives in agricultural fields and along roadsides.

"What I try to do is control both grasses and broadleaf weeds with different treatment combinations, including those applied before planting, before plants emerge and after plants emerge," Arnold says. "We want to get good yields without getting injury in the crops."

To study the best weed control methods, Arnold tends dozens of research plots each year. This year, he had six trials in corn alone that included 16 treatments replicated three times each. Other crops he studies include alfalfa, potatoes, onions, pumpkins, pinto beans and sweet corn.

In corn, Arnold has found that an early preemergent grass herbicide followed by a postemergent herbicide to clean up broadleaf weeds usually does the trick. "If we can control the weeds until the corn is waist high, then the canopy covers them and we no longer have a weed effect that causes yield losses," he explains. "So we beat the system."

But sometimes Arnold's job is tougher, especially in the case of his nemesis-black nightshade. The annual weed grows 6 to 24 inches tall and produces black berries that can become mixed during harvest with commodities like pinto beans, decreasing crop quality and value.

"We have a tremendous amount of black nightshade," he says. "There has been a really bad infestation on the NAPI lands, simply because black nightshade is hard to get out of pinto beans."

NAPI, the Navajo Agricultural Products Industry, encompasses 63,000 acres of irrigated land in San Juan County known as the Navajo Indian Irrigation Project (NIIP). The science center actually is located on NAPI land, seven miles southwest of Farmington.

"In pinto beans and potatoes, weed control is difficult because the canopy doesn't close quickly," Arnold says. "But if we can control the weeds for eight weeks, especially on a vining-type plant, we can cover that row and crowd the weeds out."

Arnold has found that a combination of a preemergent herbicide followed by cultivation and a postemergent herbicide is necessary to control weeds throughout the season in pinto beans and potatoes.