NCERA_temp59: Soil Organic Matter: Formation, Function and Management
(Multistate Research Coordinating Committee and Information Exchange Group)
Status: Under Review
NCERA_temp59: Soil Organic Matter: Formation, Function and Management
Duration: 10/01/2026 to 09/30/2031
Administrative Advisor(s):
NIFA Reps:
Non-Technical Summary
Soil organic matter (SOM) is the foundation of soil quality and soil health. This Committee, founded in 1952, in the only multi-state committee in the U.S. investigating how management practices affect the nature and genesis of SOM and how this alters soils’ biological, physical, and chemical function. Scientists involved in this committee to are involved in a broad range of research activities studying SOM in relation to C and N cycling, priming effects, soil aggregation, microbial communities, free-living organism N fixation and soil health indicators.. The Committee encourages exchange of ideas and methodologies as well as collaborative research on specific topics involving SOM. Annual meetings allow the members to provide updates on their research and research findings as well as to observe ongoing research at different locations. Members also actively participate in various professional society meetings, organizing SOM related reporting sessions, and act as subject matter experts on SOM.
Statement of Issues and Justification
Soil organic matter (SOM) is the foundation of soil quality and soil health. New knowledge and practices that improve the management and maintenance of SOM and SOM-dependent processes also provide the foundation of healthy farms, communities, and environments. The complex biological, geophysical, and chemical processes involved in SOM formation and function require exploration by interdisciplinary and collaborative teams. Founded in 1952, NCERA-59 remains the only multi-state committee in the U.S. investigating how management practices affect the nature and genesis of SOM and how this alters soils’ biological, physical, and chemical function. Research and extension activities require full integration to promote knowledge use to increase soil’s capacity to resist and recover from stress; capture and retain biological life-supporting matter including carbon (C), nitrogen (N) and essential nutrients; filter, retain and transport water; and support healthy plant and animal life. Activities conducted by this committee advance our ability to promote and conserve soil’s regulating and provisioning ecosystem services including C sequestration, soil nutrient cycling, N use efficiency, and water retention. NCERA-59’s research and outreach efforts are important to raise awareness and protect soil resources, reduce environmental impacts from agricultural activity, promote soil quality and soil health. To work to these goals, the committee will continue to explore how amendments, crop rotation and diversification of the cropping sequence, tillage, and drainage affect the genesis, composition, reactivity, function and stability of different components of SOM.
Scientists from outside the North Central Region regularly participate in the annual meeting of this committee, which broadens the scope and relevance of our work due to the diversity of their knowledge and scientific skills. This allows us to consider site and system-specific aspects of organic matter management. Research activities continue to explore organic matter composition (Zhou et al., 2015) and stabilization (Throckmorton et al., 2015; Silva et al., 2015); and are actively investigating C and N cycling and their influence on priming (Castellano et al., 2015; Schmidt et al., 2016), aggregation (Blanco-Canqui et al., 2015), microbial communities (Rudisill et al., 2016; Zhang et al., 2016; Wooliver et al., 2022, 2025b), and free living organism N fixation (Smercina et al., 2019a, b). Linkages to plant-soil interactions are being made through exploration of N release from cover crops and crop residues (Jani et al., 2015; Alghamdi and Cihacek, 2021; Alghamdi et al., 2021; 2022), disease suppression (Marzano et al., 2015), the effects of mycorrhizal associations on P and N nutrition (Duan et al., 2015), the ability to resist and recover from stress (Lazicki, et al., 2023, 2025; Wooliver et al., 2025a) and of plant growth promoting bacterial and humic acid on root growth and crop yield (Canellas et al., 2015; Santos et al. 2024). In addition to this, group members remain committed to information application by improving and applying process models (Necpalova et al., 2015; Qin et al., 2016) and soil health indicators and their quantitative integration (Veum et al., 2012; Dose et al., 2015; Ugarte and Wander, 2013; Ugarte et al., 2014; Cates et al., 2016; Singh et al., 2023; Santos et al. 2025). A collaborative paper by group members highlights the concerns and needs for collaborative efforts in evaluating soil quality/soil health indicators and to direct focus on those indicators that need refinement and standardization (Wander, et al., 2019).
One of the most important functions of NCERA-59 is to provide an informal setting to exchange ideas among scientists with diverse scientific skills interested in the various roles of SOM in the functioning of ecosystems. The technical outreach component of this committee has been especially important in transferring information to its members and to the general research community, and stakeholders. In addition, many of the efforts of committee members have influenced policy at the state and local level. The committee allows early-career scientists the opportunity to interact with established scientists working across the country. Diversity of member research interests (fundamental–molecular, biochemical, chemical, microbial, physical and applied aspects of SOM dynamics) remains a strength of this group. During the current term of this project, NCERA-59 members have published over 140 refereed journal articles, 14 technical reports and participated in over 155 outreach activities and presentations related to this committee’s work.
The NCERA-59 committee will continue to promote research cooperation among its members and build on its historical mission to foster interest in and, mechanistic understanding of, how crop and soil management practices alter organic matter formation, SOM chemistry, the biological and physical reactivity of humic and non-humic substances and work to develop models and information tools that help solve problems of regional and national scope. The committee will follow up on previous high-impact activities including the production of edited books and symposia on topics of shared interest. Current plans include continuing efforts focused on cropping systems and feedbacks influencing ecological stoichiometry and associated SOM dynamics, the development of interpretive frameworks using SOM fractions as indicators of soil health and soil N supply potential, and understanding relationships between SOM and soil biology.
The NCERA-59 committee will continue to promote research cooperation among its members and build on its historical mission to foster interest in and, mechanistic understanding of, how crop and soil management practices alter organic matter formation, SOM chemistry, the biological and physical reactivity of humic and non-humic substances and work to develop models and information tools that help solve problems of regional and national scope. The committee will follow up on previous high-impact activities including the production of edited books and symposia on topics of shared interest. Current plans include continuing efforts focused on cropping systems and feedbacks influencing ecological stoichiometry and associated SOM dynamics, the development of interpretive frameworks using SOM fractions as indicators of soil health and soil N supply potential, and understanding relationships between SOM and soil biology.
Objectives
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Coordinate research collaborations and information exchange on the biochemistry, biological transformations, and physical/chemical fractions of soil organic matter (SOM). Applications of this work can: (a) improve nutrient cycling and use efficiency and soil health in cropping systems; (b) determine soil C storage potential and thresholds; (c) assess the stress and resilience of soils and soil C affected by agricultural and other anthropogenic activities; (d) Improve definition of organic matter fractions (i.e., particulate organic matter, mineral associated organic matter and/or (e) remediate degraded or contaminated soils.
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Identify and evaluate indicators that can be used to assess soils as a resource for ecosystem services including but not limited to detailed chemical characterizations of physically extracted fractions and interactions among soil microorganisms, plants and SOM
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Conduct outreach activities for stakeholders including producers, scientists, regulators, and industry personnel as well as training the next generation of scientists to promote the ecological management of soils, including practices that regenerate or sustain functionally of SOM fractions in managed and undisturbed systems.
Procedures and Activities
The following approaches will be used to accomplish the objectives of NCERA-59:
1) Accomplishment of Objectives 1 and 2 will be through: (a) annual committee meetings, each focused on one of the themes listed in Objectives 1 and 2, using actual and virtual roundtable discussions with invited external and NCERA-59 participant presentations, and field or lab tours for reporting results, information exchange and promoting the findings; (b) exploring and developing sources of funding for collaborative research opportunities on the formation, function and management of SOM across spatial scales; and, (c) members with collaborative projects or interests will summarize their work through presentations at national meetings, review papers, and other appropriate media and outreach activities.
2) We will interact with and contribute to national and international societies by co-sponsoring SOM oriented symposia and activities that emphasize research on humus chemistry, the role of SOM in C sequestration and nutrient cycling, functional fractions of SOM and their relevance in agroecosystems, biodiversity, water quality, and soil quality, health and productivity. Organizations such as the Soil Science Society of America, International Union of Soil Sciences (IUSS), International Humic Substances Society, Ecological Society of America, Soil and Water Conservation Society, and the Soil Health Institute are examples of societies or organizations that actively engage in areas directly related to the goals of NCERA-59. Many of the members of NCERA-59 are members and participants in these societies and organizations and actively engage in symposia and publications that are sponsored by these organizations. .
3) The outreach activities described in Objective 3 will include the collection and dissemination of research findings in the form of extension publications and brochures through web-based venues, as well as outreach presentations in field-days, and producer and other stakeholder-centric meetings. The training activities described in Objective 3 will be accomplished by integrating modules relevant to this project’s objectives in the courses taught by the participants, training undergraduate and graduate students as well as postdocs in their research laboratories, and engaging those next generation professionals in outreach activities. We will coordinate NCERA-59 meetings with other appropriate multi-state committees and groups including NC-1178 that focus on agricultural practices that impact soil properties, soil quality, soil health and soil productivity.
Expected Outcomes and Impacts
- a. Exchange of ideas, information and data among participants that will result in research, publications and outreach collaborations and information delivery.
- b. Continued and increased involvement in leadership and organization of workshop and symposia at national and international meetings to promote exchange of current information to the scientific and professional community Comments: These national and international meetings include those of but are not limited to the Soil Science Society of America, Soil Ecological Society, International Humic Substance Society and Soil Health Institute.
- c. Using the annual NCERA-59 meetings to identify high impact, timely and emerging ideas for collaborative research, publications and outreach activities. Comments: These meetings can also provide linkages with other multi-state research committees and national and international organizations.
- d. Define and provide opportunities for collaborative efforts to identify potential funding streams for research and outreach activities
- e. Provide and promote committee participants as a pool of experts available as speakers and presenters of information and materials on soil organism-based processes as well as chemical, physical and biological measures of SOM and C sequestration. Comments: With continued concerns about soil process relationships with greenhouse gas sources and sinks, information developed by activities of this committee and its participants is essential to better understanding of soil processed that can contribute to the soil’s contributions to or mitigation of environmental processes.
Projected Participation
View Appendix E: ParticipationEducational Plan
The primary purpose for an NCERA multi-state research committee is to exchange information, ideas and viewpoints with a focus on a particular issue or set of issues. With the diversity of technical backgrounds of this committee’s participants, it is also a means by which to aggregate ideas, issues and skills that provides the participants a vehicle by which to develop synergies, associations and relationships to address current and developing topics on SOM formation, function and management.
Organization/Governance
NCERA59's organization and governance will follow the standard description. The offices of the Multistate Committee include the Chair, the Secretary/Vice-chair, and Secretary-elect. The Chair, Secretary/Vice-chair, and Secretary-elect will be elected by committee membership and serve for one year in that position. The Secretary will act as the Vice-chair and will assume the Chair position upon the completion of the term of the Chair. The Secretary-elect will assume the Secretary/Vice-chair position when the current Secretary/Vice-chair assumes the Chair’s position. The annual meetings will be hosted by the Chair at his/her location or at a location determined by the committee’s membership. The Secretary/Vice-chair and Chair will collate the individual state annual reports into the committee’s annual report.
Literature Cited
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Alghamdi, R., L. Cihacek, A. Daigh and S. Rahman. 2021. Post-harvest crop residue contribution to soil N availability or unavailability in North Dakota. Agrosys. Geosci. Environ.2021(4):e20221. doi: 10.1002/agg2.20221.
Alghamdi, R., L. Cihacek and Q. Wen. 2022. Simulated cropping season effects on N mineralization from accumulated no-till crop residues. Nitrogen 3(2):149-160. https://doi.org/10.3390/nitrogen3020011.
Blanco-Canqui, H., Ferguson, R.B., Shapiro, C.A.,Drijber, R.A., and D.T. Walters. 2014. Does Inorganic Nitrogen Fertilization Improve Soil Aggregation? Insights from Two Long-Term Tillage Experiments. Journal of Environmental Quality. 43:995-1003.
Canellas, L.P., S.F. da Silva, D.C. Olk, and F.L. Olivares. 2015. Foliar application of plant growth- promoting bacteria and humic acid increase maize yields. Journal of Food, Agriculture & Environment. 13: 131-138.
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