Algorithm-based exploration of double cropping with oilseed crops

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Author:
Wang, Emmy
Graduate Program:
Agricultural and Environmental Plant Science
Degree:
Master of Science
Document Type:
Master Thesis
Date of Defense:
April 21, 2026
Committee Members:
Armen R. Kemanian, Thesis Advisor/Co-Advisor
Daniela Carrijo, Committee Member
Armen Kemanian, Program Head/Chair
Paul Griffin, Committee Member
Keywords:
digital twin
crop models
agroecosystem models
decision support tool
pennycress
sustainable aviation fuel
winter crop phenology
Abstract:
Oilseed crops present an opportunity to significantly contribute to demand for sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) feedstock as break crops grown during the winter fallow period of diverse crop rotations. While this approach avoids further land use change in developing new fields and may offer ecosystem services through cover cropping, there is also risk of additional greenhouse gas release due to increased machinery use, tillage, and nitrogen fertilizer application. It remains unclear which regions in the US are suitable for production. We applied the agroecosystem model Cycles coupled with an autonomous crop sequence builder, Cycles-A, to identify tradeoffs between feedstock production, carbon intensity, and existing agriculture to locate geographic and economic boundaries where oilseeds perform best in the system. We compared simulations of a generic crop rotation with and without pennycress (Thlaspi arvense L.), a cold-hardy oilseed crop with favorable SAF oil composition. Incorporating pennycress into the rotation led the model to favor more winter cropping with shorter-season summer crops to optimize profit. In high pennycress yield areas, summer crop planting was shifted toward soybean at the expense of corn, reducing fertilizer demand and increasing nitrogen fixation, which lowered N₂O emissions relative to baseline. These combined benefits converge spatially within the Great Lakes region in the simulation, which is consistent with experimental reports. The results of this research will inform future biofuel production strategies and provide a detailed, county-level analysis of regions most suitable for scaling up winter oilseed crop cultivation.