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NORTH CAROLINA COTTON

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The field used to represent cotton production in North Carolina is located in the Piedmont/Coastal Plain. According to the 1997 Census of Agriculture, North Carolina is ranked 5th among the major cotton producing states in the U.S. Most cotton is grown in the coastal plain region and approximately 3 percent in the Piedmont. Cotton is planted in the early Spring (mid-April) and harvested beginning in October. Continuous cotton is practice is much of the region and cotton is gradually replacing land once cultivated in tobacco. Row spacing is generally 38-inches with 3-4 plants per foot row. Row canopies tend to be very close to 100 percent, while the canopy between rows is much less. All cotton is defoliated in North Carolina prior to harvesting. Conventional tillage is the dominant practice, but, conservation tillage, no-till and strip-till practices are gaining in popularity in the region. The crop is rarely grown under irrigation, approximately 5 percent. The soil selected to simulate the field is a Boswell fine sandy loam. Boswell fine sandy loam is a fine, mixed, active, thermic Vertic Paleudalfs. Very little of the soil is in cotton and most remains in woodland or pasture. Boswell fine sandy loam is a deep, moderately well drained, moderate to rapid runoff, very slowly permeable soils formed in marine fluviatile deposits of acid clayey sediments. These soils have a high shrink-swell potential. They are located on nearly level to steep uplands of the Southern Coastal Plain. Slopes are generally between 1 to 17 percent. The soils are of large extent in the Southern Coastal Plain region. Boswell fine sandy loam is a Hydrologic Group D soil.

Table 1.
PRZM 3.12 Climate and Time Parameters for the Piedmont/Coastal Plain of North Carolina - Cotton
ParameterValueSource
Starting Date January 1, 1950Meteorological File - Montgomery, AL (W13895)
Ending Date December 31, 1983Meteorological File - Montgomery, AL (W13895)
Pan Evaporation Factor (PFAC) 0.75PRZM Manual Figure 5.1 (EPA, 1998)
Snowmelt Factor (SFAC) 0.15 cm C- 1PRZM Manual Table 5.1 (EPA, 1998)
Minimum Depth of Evaporation (ANETD) 17.0 cmPRZM Manual Figure 5.2 (EPA, 1998)

Table 2.
PRZM 3.12 Erosion and Landscape Parameters for the Piedmont/Coastal Plain of North Carolina - Cotton
ParameterValueSource
Method to Calculate Erosion (ERFLAG) 4 (MUSS)PRZM Manual (EPA, 1998)
USLE K Factor (USLEK) 0.34 tons EI-1*FARM Manual, Table 3.1 (EPA, 1985)
USLE LS Factor (USLELS) 1.3 Haan and Barfield, 1978.
USLE P Factor (USLEP) 1.00PRZM Manual (EPA, 1998)
Field Area (AFIELD) 172 haArea of Shipman Reservoir watershed (EPA, 1999)
NRCS Hyetograph (IREG) 3PRZM Manual Figure 5.12 (EPA, 1998)
Slope (SLP) 6%Selected according to QA/QC Guidance (EPA, 2001)
Hydraulic Length (HL) 600 mShipman Reservoir (EPA, 1999)

* EI = 100 ft-tons * in/ acre*hr


Table 3.
PRZM 3.12 Crop Parameters for the Piedmont/Coastal Plain of North Carolina - Cotton
ParameterValueSource
Initial Crop (INICRP) 1Set to one for all crops (EPA, 2001)
Initial Surface Condition (ISCOND) 1Set to default for fallow surface prior to planting
Number of Different Crops (NDC) 1Set to crops in simulation - generally one
Number of Cropping Periods (NCPDS) 34Set to weather data. Meteorological File - Montgomery, AL (W13895)
Maximum rainfall interception storage of crop (CINTCP) 0.2 PRZM Table 5.4 (EPA, 1998)
Maximum Active Root Depth (AMXDR) 60 cmPRZM Input Collator; (Burns, 1992); PRZM Table 5.9 (EPA, 1998)
Maximum Canopy Coverage (COVMAX) 98PRZM Input Collator, PIC (Burns, 1992)
Soil Surface Condition After Harvest (ICNAH) 3Residues left on field until following year or cover crop is planted.
Date of Crop Emergence
(EMD, EMM, IYREM)
01/06 Usual Planting and Harvest Dates for US Field Crops (USDA, 1984)
Date of Crop Maturity
(MAD, MAM, IYRMAT)
01/08
Date of Crop Harvest
(HAD, HAM, IYRHAR)
01/11
Maximum Dry Weight (WFMAX) 0.0Set to "0" Not used in simulation
SCS Curve Number (CN) 92, 89, 90 Gleams Manual Table; Fallow SR/CT/poor, Cropping and Residue = Row Crop SR/CT/poor condition (USDA, 1990)
Manning's N Value (MNGN) 0.014 RUSLE Project, PB8CTCTC, actually for Columbia, SC cotton, conv till (USDA, 2000)
USLE C Factor (USLEC) 0.228 - 0.748 RUSLE Project; PB8CTCTC, actually for Columbia, SC cotton, conv till (USDA, 2000)

Table 4.
PRZM 3.12 Boswell Soil Parameters for the Piedmont/Coastal Plain of North Carolina - Cotton
ParameterValue Verification Source
Total Soil Depth (CORED) 100 cm PIC (Burns, 1992) Confirmed with: NRCS, National Soils Characterization Database (NRCS, 2001)
Number of Horizons (NHORIZ) 3 (Top horizon split in two)
First, Second, and Third Soil Horizons (HORIZN = 1,2,3)
Horizon Thickness (THKNS)
  • 10 cm (HORIZN = 1)
  • 2 cm (HORIZN = 2)
  • 88 cm (HORIZN = 3)
PIC (Burns, 1992) Confirmed with: NRCS, National Soils Characterization Database (NRCS, 2001) http://soils.usda.gov/survey/nscd/ Exit EPA Disclaimer
Bulk Density (BD)
  • 1.8 g cm-3 (HORIZN = 1,2)
  • 1.7 g cm-3 (HORIZN = 3)
Initial Water Content (THETO)
  • 0.213 cm3-H2O cm3-soil (HORIZN =1, 2)
  • 0.354 cm3-H2O cm3-soil (HORIZN =3)
Compartment Thickness (DPN)
  • 0.1 cm (HORIZN = 1)
  • 1 cm (HORIZN = 2)
  • 4 cm (HORIZN = 3)
Field Capacity (THEFC)
  • 0.213 cm3-H2O cm3-soil (HORIZN = 1, 2)
  • 0.354 cm3-H2O cm3-soil (HORIZN = 3)
Wilting Point (THEWP)
  • 0.063 cm3-H2O cm3-soil (HORIZN = 1,2)
  • 0.213 cm3-H2O cm3-soil (HORIZN = 3)
Organic Carbon Content (OC)
  • 2.32% (HORIZN = 1,2)
  • 0.29% (HORIZN = 3)

Burns. 1992. Burns, L.A., (Coordinator), B.W. Allen, Jr., M.C. Barber, S.L. Bird, J.M. Cheplick, M.J. Fendley, D.R. Hartel, C.A. Kittner, F.L. Mayer, Jr., L.A. Suarez, and S.E. Wooten. Pesticide and Industrial Chemical Risk Analysis and Hazard Assessment, Version 3.0. (PIRANHA) Environmental Research Laboratory, Office of Research and Development, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Athens, GA. 1992.

EPA. 1985. Field Agricultural Runoff Monitoring (FARM) Manual, (EPA/600/3-85/043) Environmental Research Laboratory, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Athens, GA.

EPA. 1998. Carsel, R.F., J.C. Imhoff, P.R. Hummel, J.M. Cheplick, and A.S. Donigian, Jr. PRZM-3, A Model for Predicting Pesticide and Nitrogen Fate in the Crop Root and Unsaturated Soil Zones: Users Manual for Release 3.0. National Exposure Research Laboratory, Office of Research and Development, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Athens, GA.

EPA. 1999. Jones, R.D., J. Breithaupt, J. Carleton, L. Libelo, J. Lin, R. Matzner, and R. Parker. Guidance for Use of the Index Reservoir in Drinking Water Exposure Assessments. Environmental Fate and Effects Division, Office of Pesticide Programs, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington. D.C.

EPA. 2001. Abel, S.A. Procedure for Conducting Quality Assurance and Quality Control of Existing and New PRZM Field and Orchard Crop Standard Scenarios. Environmental Fate and Effects Division, Office of Pesticide Programs, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, D.C.

Haan, C.T. and B.J. Barfield. 1978. Hydrology and Sedimentology of Surface Mined Lands. Office of Continuing Education and Extension, College of Engineering, University of Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky 40506. pp. 286.

USDA. 1984. Usual Planting and Harvesting Dates for U.S. Field Crops, Statistical Reporting Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agriculture Handbook #628, pp.78.

USDA. 1990. Davis, F.M., R.A. Leonard, W.G. Knisel. GLEAMS User Manual, Version 1.8.55. USDA-ARS Southeast Watershed Research Laboratory, Tifton GA. SEWRL-030190FMD.

USDA. 2000. Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE) EPA Pesticide Project. U.S. Department of Agriculture, National Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and Agricultural Research Service (ARS).

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