Other Field Operations provide users the opportunity to enter details about other field operations included in their management. This includes any tillage or cultivation events occurring during the growing season, crimp, mow, herbicide, or burning events. To include a field operation, click Add Field Operation, select the practice from the dropdown menu, and enter the operation date.
Field Operation | Description |
Growing Season Cultivation | Weeds are killed and turned into the soil surface layer. Users should enter a growing season cultivation event if a cultivator is used during the crop growing season. |
Mow | 50-60% of standing live and dead plant biomass is cut and left lying as surface residue. The standing live plant is left alive to continue growing. |
Crimp | 100% of the standing live and dead plants are cut, chopped, and incorporated into surface residue. The standing live plant is killed in the process. |
Broad-Spectrum Herbicide | Entering an herbicide event will result in terminating all standing crops within the defined field. Herbicide events should not be used for applying herbicide to kill only weeds between crop rows. |
Burn Event | If a user elects to include a burning event, they will then be prompted to enter a burn date. While COMET-Farm will allow users to select to burn during a growing season, they will receive a warning as this action will result in the termination of their standing crop. Burn events should only be used for a fire burn event. |
Tillage (No, Reduced, Intensive) | If a tillage event occurs during the growing season, please select No, Reduced, or Intensive Tillage and the date. Tillage events added through Other Field Operations will be applied as the highest intensity within a category (e.g., selecting Reduced Tillage applies Reduced Tillage (V)). If a tillage event occurs within the growing season of any crop, this will result in a crop growth disruption by the simulation of all aboveground live biomass being transferred to either standing dead, surface litter, or the topsoil. Adding a tillage event during the growing season is only recommended if a user is tilling a fallow crop or if the tillage event was used to turn a crop in. |
