North Carolina Coastal Plain, USA
A new AgNUE supersite representing southeastern U.S. row crop systems in the Piedmont region.
Status:
New complete supersite
Lead institution:
North Carolina State University
Soil type:
Ultisol
Supersite lead:
Alex Woodley
Why the supersite?
The Coastal Plain is a warm, humid belt of sandy farmland across eastern North Carolina, one of the main row-crop regions of the southeastern United States. Its soils were carried east off the Appalachian Mountains over millions of years and built up into a broad plain, now cut by slow rivers draining to the coast. Long, hot summers and mild winters give a long growing season, with fields of maize, soybean and cotton worked between stands of pine. Here the supersite will help AgNUE study nitrogen mitigation on well-drained soils, where nitrogen is lost mainly through nitrate leaching. It is one of two North Carolina sites representing distinct physiographic regions, paired with the Tidewater supersite, and is well suited to testing precision nitrogen management, cover crops, enhanced-efficiency fertilisers and other emerging mitigation approaches.
What this site helps AgNUE compare
Paired with the poorly drained Tidewater supersite, this site lets AgNUE test the same crops and nitrogen management across two contrasting drainage regimes, one dominated by leaching and one by denitrification. That comparison shows how long growing seasons, double-cropping, high-biomass cover crops and advanced nitrogen management influence nitrogen use and losses across the region.
Warm, humid subtropical climate
The site has a warm, humid subtropical climate, with a mean annual temperature around 16 °C, high annual rainfall and a long frost-free season. It is the only humid subtropical climate in the AgNUE network. These warm, wet conditions drive strong nitrogen losses and rapid residue and cover-crop turnover, making the region an important setting for testing mitigation under a climate the rest of the network does not cover.
Long-season double-cropping
The long growing season makes double-cropping possible, including winter wheat followed by soybean.
High-biomass cover crops
Warm winters support high cover-crop biomass and substantial nitrogen inputs from legumes.
Precision and enhanced-efficiency nitrogen
Supports precision nitrogen application, enhanced-efficiency fertilisers, improved placement and emerging mitigation approaches.
From supersites to impact
A shared pathway across the AgNUE platform.
Explore images from the supersite
Dive into a selection of images revealing the agricultural landscapes and research activities at our Sinderhoeve supersite.
Discover our other supersites
There are 12 supersites connected to the AgNUE platform. Explore them here.