SAES-422 Multistate Research Activity Accomplishments Report

Sections

Basic Information
Additional Info

Status: Approved

Basic Information

Project No. and Title: NCERA_OLD59 : Soil Organic Matter: Formation, Function and Management (new project)
Period Covered: 10/01/2007 to 09/01/2008
Date of Report: 10/15/2008
Annual Meeting Dates: 06/22/2008 to 06/26/2008

Brief Summary of Minutes of Annual Meeting

Legacy attachment file:

[Minutes]

Met jointly with NCERA-3, "Soil Survey". Among the outcomes that occurred in 2007 was the awarding of additional funding from U.S.A.I.D. as part of the SANREM-CRSP for a multi-country comparison of soil quality measurements focusing on soil organic carbon fractions. From 2006 through June 2008, approximately 10540 acres of cropland, undisturbed native grassland and CRP of a wide range of age classes were sampled for carbon (C) in the surface 30-cm of the soil. Research has revolved around biodiversity and structure of microbial communities applied in a variety of settings that have included C sequestration in forest and ag soils, shrub-crop systems of West Africa, and natural suppression of soil borne diseases. Some of these are related to manipulations of organic inputs and rhizosphere dynamics. Research is proceeding on tracking 13C through methanotrophs during methane oxidation in wetlands. Studies on microbial controls on C sequestration and developing methods to track 13C into lipid biomarkers are in process. Organizing Committee Chair of the conference - Enzymes in the Environment: Ecology, Activity and Applications, July 15-19, 2007, Viterbo, Italy.

Impacts

Models are being developed to describe the rate of C sequestration in grasslands in each of these areas. These models will demonstrate the C sequestration potential of soils across the region with respect to the effects of climatic gradients (both temperature and rainfall) on C accretion.
This information will aid in establishing more accurate carbon credits for grasslands that will assist scientists, public policy makers, government and non-government agencies and land owners and operators in making land management decisions related to utilizing soils and land areas for sequestering C to mitigate global climate change.

Publications

Cihacek, L. J., and K.A. Jacobson. 2007. Effects of soil sample grinding intensity on carbon determination by high-temperature combustion. Commun. Soil Sci. Plant Anal. 38(13):1733-1739. Conant, R.T., R.A. Drijber, M.L. Haddix, W.J. Parton, E.A. Paul, A.F. Plante, J. Six, and J.M. Steinweg. 2008. Sensitivity of organic matter decomposition to warming varies with its quality. Global Change Biology 14:868-877. Fang, M., P.P. Motavalli, R.J. Kremer, and K.A. Nelson. 2007. Assessing changes in soil microbial communities and carbon mineralization in Bt and non-Bt corn residue-amended soils. Applied Soil Ecology 37:150-160. Goyne, K.W., H.J. Jun, S.H. Anderson, and P.P. Motavalli. 2008. Phosphorus and nitrogen sorption to soils in the presence of poultry litter-derived dissolved organic matter. J. Environ. Qual. 37:154-163. Kandeler, E., and R.P.Dick. 2007. Soil enzymes: Spatial distribution and function in agroecosystems. In G. Benckiser and S. Schnell (eds) Biodiversity in Agricultural Production Systems. CRC Taylor Francis. 2007. Chapter 15. p.263-287. Lee Y.B., N. Lorenz, L. K. Dick, and R. P. Dick. 2007. Cold storage and pretreatment incubation: Effects on soil microbial properties. Soil Sci. Soc. J. 71:12991305. Liang, Z, R.A. Drijber, D.J. Lee, I.M. Dwiekat, S.D. Harris, and D.A. Wedin. 2008. A DGGE-cloning method to characterize arbuscular mycorrhizal community structure in soil. Soil Biology & Biochemistry 40:956-966. Miller, G., M. Mamo, R. Drijber, C. Wortmann, and R. Renken. Sorghum growth, root responses, and soil solution aluminum and manganese in pH stratified sandy soil. Accepted by Journal of Plant Nutrition and Soil Science, July 2007. Moore-Kucera, J., and R. P. Dick. 2008. A pulse-chase method to 13Carbon-label douglas-fir seedlings for decomposition studies. Soil Science. 173:46-53. Motavalli, P.P., J. Aguilera, C. Valdivia, M. Garcia, E. Jimenez, J.A. Cusicanqui, and R. Miranda. 2007. Changes in soil organic C and N due to climate change and socioeconomic factors in potato-based cropping systems in the Bolivian Highlands. Agron. Abstr., American Society of Agronomy, Madison, WI. [non-paginated CD-ROM]. Ochiai, N., M. L. Powelson, F. J. Crowe, and R.P. Dick. 2008. Green manure effects on soil quality in relation to suppression of verticillium wilt of potatoes. Biology and Fertility of Soils. 91:400-406. Quincke, J.A., C.S. Wortmann, M. Mamo, T. Franti, and R.A. Drijber. 2007. Occasional tillage of no-till systems: Carbon dioxide flux and changes in total and labile soil organic carbon. Agronomy Journal 99:1158-1168. Quincke, J.A., C.S. Wortmann, M. Mamo, T. Franti, R.A. Drijber, and J.P. Garcia. 2007. One-time tillage of no-till systems: Soil physical properties, phosphorus runoff, and crop yield. Agronomy Journal 99:1104-1110. Unger, I.M., R.M. Muzika, P.P. Motavalli, and J. Kabrick. 2008. Evaluation of continuous in situ monitoring of soil changes with varying flooding regimes. Comm. Soil Sci. Plant Anal. 39(11 & 12), 1600-1619.

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