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- Agricultural Irrigation Internship at the LSU AgCenter Red River Research Station
Red River Research Station, Bossier City, La.
Research Intern
Stacia L. Davis Conger, Ph.D.
State Irrigation Specialist
Assistant Professor – Irrigation Engineering
262 Research Station Drive, Bossier City, LA 71112
(318) 408-0973
sdavis@agcenter.lsu.edu
May receive mentorship from other station faculty, Changyoon Jeong and Xi Zhang, due to collaborative nature of the project.
This year’s exploratory project involves growing drip-irrigated row rice in Northwest Louisiana. Typically, rice is grown in paddies in South Louisiana or on furrows in Northeast Louisiana and either furrow-irrigated or flooded to handle weed control. These methods require significant water volumes that are becoming unavailable as drought-related pumping continues to drain groundwater resources. This project will look at varietal selection and irrigation strategies to determine whether rice can be grown in Northwest Louisiana and whether drip irrigation is a viable practice. The student will be responsible for assisting with the following, based on their schedule/availability:
In addition to these activities, the student may contribute to measuring greenhouse gas emissions, water quality, and soil health indicators in collaboration with the other station faculty. Mentorship will be provided throughout the crop season.
At the end of the project, it is anticipated that the student will have gained significant knowledge and/or experience in the following:
While I do not anticipate the student being available at harvest, it is certainly a possibility that the student can schedule talks and/or posters on this topic using what was accomplished while they were on the research station as well as following up with results after the internship concludes for more substantial scientific contribution. The student can become a co-author on any future publications involving their contributions to this project.