PARENT SESSION
PS1 - Wildlife Toxicology
Sunday, 17 November 2002
8:00 AM to 6:30 PM
Exhibit Hall
(P015) Assessing Tillage Systems on Food, Habitat, and Reproductive Success of Bobwhite Quail.
Eggert, Derek*,1, Frederick, James1, Bowerman, William, 1 Clemson University, Pendleton, SC, USA
ABSTRACT- In the past decade, many farmers in South Carolina have adopted conservation tillage practices because of its numerous advantages over traditional tillage practices. Conservation tillage can provide farmers with greater crop profitability, less contaminant run-off, cheaper equipment cost, and less top-soil erosion, however, it does require the use of more herbicides and insecticides. In recent years, bobwhite quail (Colinus virginianus) populations have declined in the Southeastern U.S. Since quail inhabit many agricultural areas, we decided to study the affect of tillage and herbicides and insecticides use on food availability, habitat quality, and reproductive success of northern bobwhite quail. We studied conservation tillage versus traditional farming systems on five split-plots at the Pee Dee Research and Education Center. The study area included five replicate plots, each of which were split in half allowing one side for conservation tillage and the other traditional tillage. Each plot included a transitional zone and wooded habitat. Plots were mapped using GPS and data transferred to a GIS, and are divided into four sampling areas: conversation tillage, traditional tillage, transitional zone, and wooded habitat. Quail were counted and recorded if found present in these areas. Insects and vegetative samples were also randomly collected in these areas to help provide other possible explanations of habitat use among northern bobwhite quail. Results of this study will allow farmers to institute methods that both allow for agricultural profit as well as benefit quail populations.
Key words: bobwhite quail, conservation tillage, habitat, reproductive success