Brief Summary of Minutes of Annual Meeting

Summary of Minutes of Annual Meeting: NCERA 59 Meeting Minutes June 27-28, 2011. Recorded by Rhae Drijber, edited by Larry Cihacek Monday, June 27, 2011 Morning Session: " Introductions by current and new members. Need to update current membership. Individuals that have not attended for several years need to be asked whether they still want to participate. " Discussion of 2010 minutes. " Discussion of renewal acceptance " State reports: submit to Larry by the third week of August. Use template to format. " Updates by members: o Larry: Handed out his state report. Discussed his research on water soluble C in soils planted to grass species used for biofuel production and its relationship to C sequestration. Two new positions released at ND State. o Ann Marie: Overview of her projects of relevance to this committee. Organic vegetable cropping systems research with amendments. Examined N and C pools as well as ammonia oxidizers. Introduced her new graduate student Chelsea and the research she will be conducting on Dave Huggins field experiment in the Palouse. o Will: Review published in SBB on N utilization by microbes. Relationship of C/N ratio to N uptake into humic substances. Instrumentation focus. Carbon sequestration and greenhouse gas emissions. Delta project. o Rhae: Updated committee on mycorrhizal function in high yield maize-soybean systems. Long-term N rate trial did not show suppression of AMF biomass or diversity despite application rates up to 300 kg/ha. o Stephen: Research on long-term sustainable cropping systems on the Pendleton experimental station. o Matt: Took over for Teri Balser. Extension focus on N management. o Michelle: E-extension/E-organic. Partner with SC083 organic group for symposia on organic ag. Current research on indicators and mechanisms. Focus on long-term experimental systems. Marsden farming system trials. o Debra: Plant biomass removal rates, tillage, nutrient removal (S and micronutrients). Cover crops. Tried rye after corn for N capture/erosion control  no go due to establishment issues. Ways to manage alfalfa not being used for hay due to reduced animal component. Soil C increasing under forest in MN but decreasing under cropping. o Ron: Biomass studies and biology. Water quality. Denitrification in surface waters and soluble C, also in drain tiles. Pesticide degradation studies. Pathogen survival in artificial turf. Nanometals. Afternoon Session: " Afternoon Tour of Organic Systems trial http://www.puyallup.wsu.edu/soilmgmt/ and Low Input Development (LID) Stormwater Program http://www.puyallup.wsu.edu/stormwater/ " Return to meeting room at 3:15 PM " Update on Washington: Ron Turco Discussion of Ideas for Collaboration " Method book? " Indicators-white paper on dynamic properties " Water soluble C & N lab comparison (Larry) " Symposia for 2012 " Symposia for 2011: Several members of our committee are presenters in the Doran symposium " Rhae will take the lead on a review paper linking measures of active C and N to microbial processes. What do we currently know? Tuesday, June 28, 2011 Morning Session: 2012 Meeting: " Next years meeting in Fargo during the week of June 18, 2012. Secondary date during the week of June 25, 2012. " Possibility of meeting with another committee in the future? Continuing Discussion on Collaboration/Projects " Methods book support from ASA. What methods have been significantly changed and or are new since the brown volumes. " The committee then spent the remainder of the morning flushing out an outline for the book. Vision for book: Provide in one volume details on linkages between methods and concepts Section 1: Concepts in SOM " Historical perspective " Recap of existing reviews/books etc, including brown volumes " Whats new, whats changed " Function/relevance Section 2: Methods " Chemical " Physical " Biological " Whole soils/spectroscopic Section 3: Function/Relevance " C-Pool dynamics " Food webs " Interactions among element cycles " Diversity " Controls on NPP " Physical roles (sorption) " SOM & environment " Integration and future SOM work (needs) Flushing out of Methods Section: Chemical methods: " Wet chemical " Combustion " Colorimetric " Volumetric " Physical methods: " Aggregation " Fractions " Density " Biological methods: " Fatty acids, biomarkers " DNA (lots) " CFIM " Plate counts " Enzymes " QPCR " RT " 454 " Biochips " Mineralization Instrumentation: " Mass spec " NMR " FTIR " Calorimetry " Pyrolysis Time Line: Today: June 28, 2011 October 16, 2011: San Antonio: " Have outline flushed out by doing prior investigation into existing books, reviews, papers etc. Preliminary thoughts on authors June 2012: Fargo " Draft of section 1 for discussion Oct/Nov 2012: Cincinnati " Authors selected and given time lines June 28, 2013: Nebraska " First drafts due prior to meetings " Discussion of drafts at NE meeting Ron looking into a share-point software Late Morning: " Field trip to Low Impact Storm Water Program. Afternoon: Trip to Seattle ANNUAL REPORTS: Institution: UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA-DAVIS; Committee Representative: WILLIAM R. HORWATH Introduction: My activities have addressed objectives 1 and 2. I continue processes affecting the stability and maintenance of carbon and nitrogen in soils. I have used a number of analytical methods including physical fractionation and pyrolysis mass spectrometer/isotope ratio mass spectrometer, differential scanning calorimeter and enzyme turnover and production to follow the fate of soil carbon and nitrogen. During the last year we concluded a number of studies on soil enzymes with a specific emphasis on proteases. Microorganisms are able to utilize nitrogen (N) from a wide range of organic and mineral compounds. We published a series of papers on the regulation of the enzyme systems involved in the acquisition of N and proposed a conceptual model on the factors affecting the relative importance of organic and mineral N uptake. Most of the N input into soil is in the form of polymers, which first have to be broken down into smaller units by extracellular enzymes. The small organic molecules released by the enzymes can then be taken up directly or degraded further and the N taken up as ammonium (NH4+). When NH4+ is available at high concentrations, the utilization of alternative N sources, such as nitrate (NO3-) and organic molecules, is generally repressed. In contrast, when the NH4+ availability is low, enzyme systems for the acquisition of alternative N sources are de-repressed and the presence of a substrate can induce their synthesis. These mechanisms are known as N regulation. It is often assumed that most organic N is mineralized to NH4+ before uptake in soil. This pathway is generally known as the mineralization-immobilization-turnover (MIT) route. An advantage of the MIT route is that only one transporter system for N uptake is required. However, organic N uptake has the advantage that, in addition to N, it supplies energy and carbon (C) to sustain growth. Recent studies have shown that the direct uptake of organic molecules can significantly contribute to the N nutrition of soil microorganisms. We hypothesize that the relative importance of the direct and MIT route during the decomposition of residues is determined by three factors, namely the form of N available, the source of C, and the avail- ability of N relative to C. The regulation system of soil microorganisms controls key steps in the soil N cycle and is central to determining the outcome of the competition for N between soil microorganisms and plants. More research is needed to determine the relative importance of the direct and MIT route in soil as well as the factors affecting the enzyme systems required for these two pathways. Major findings: 1. Ammonium, an important nitrogen (N) source for microorganisms, is assimilated via two major pathways; one route is catalyzed by glutamate dehydrogenase (GDH), while the other mechanism involves two enzymes, glutamine synthetase (GS) and glutamate synthase (GOGAT). With increasing C to N ratios from 5 to 120, GS activity doubled, while C to N ratios higher than 120 did not further increase GS activity. In contrast, GDH activity decreased by 13% with increasing C to N ratios from 5 to 200. The GDH to GS activity ratio in soil may therefore yield valuable information about the availability of N relative to C at a specific time. 2. A large proportion of the nitrogen (N) in soil is in the form of proteinaceous material. Its breakdown requires the activity of extracellular proteases and other decomposing enzymes. During this substrate induced phase, the addition of glucose but not NHþ4 resulted in protease repression, indicating that the level of protease synthesis was determined by the need for C rather than N. The results emphasize the close links between the microbially mediated cycles of organic C and N. 3. Soil microorganisms can use a wide range of nitrogen (N) compounds. When organic N sources are degraded, microorganisms can either take up simple organic molecules directly (direct route), or organic N may be mineralized first and taken up in the form of mineral N (mineralizationimmobilization turnover [MIT] route). Our results suggest that in contrast to what is proposed by many models of soil N cycling, both the direct and MIT routes were operative, with the direct route being the preferred route of residue N uptake. Up to 62% of N uptake was attributed to directly assimilating organic N. An important implication of these findings is that when the direct route is dominant, gross N mineralization underestimates the amount of N made available from the residue. Relevant Publications: Geisseler D, WR Horwath, RG Joergensen and B Ludwig. 2010. Pathways of nitrogen utilization by soil microorganisms - A review. Soil Biology & Biochemistry. 42: 2058-2067. Geisseler, D, Horwath WR, Scow KM. 2011. Soil moisture and plant residue addition interact in their effect on extracellular enzyme activity. Pedbiologia. 54: 71-78. Mailapalli DR, Wallender WW, Burger M, Horwath WR. 2011. Effects of field length and management practices on dissolved organic carbon export in furrow irrigation. Agriculture Water management. 98: 29-37. Institution: UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS; Committee Representative: MICHELLE WANDER This year work completed that is of interest to the committee has been conducted in the Marsden plots in central Iowa. This was a MS project conducted by Patricia Lazicki. At this site crop yields and input use efficiency have been increased by the use of longer and more diversified rotations and reduced chemical inputs. We sampled roots and soil parameters at multiple dates and two depths in all cropping phases, in order to quantify changes in physical, chemical and biological soil quality indicators and root responses associated with tillage and cropping factors in a conventional and two LEI rotations of different lengths and including different legume species. Improvements in soil quality indicators and plant productivity were expected to be driven by the amount and placement of organic residues and to fluctuate with tillage and cropping phase. On a system basis, particulate organic carbon (POM-C) and potentially mineralizable nitrogen (PMN) were increased in both LEI rotations relative to a two year (2-yr) corn (Zea mays L.) -soybean (Glycine max L.) rotation. Biologically labile organic matter fractions were highly stratified in the 2-yr rotation compared to the LEI rotations and the lower depth of the 2-yr rotation was consistently depleted. Corn roots followed a similar pattern, being concentrated in the top depth in the 2-yr rotation while more fully exploring the profile in the LEI rotations. Low C:N ratios in the soybean roots in the LEI rotations suggest greater N availability in the LEI soybean phase. Soil parameters did not differ between LEI rotations even though the 3-yrrotation included red clover (Trifolium pratense L. instead of alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.), a shorter rotation length, and significantly greater mean annual organic inputs than did the 4-yr rotation. Corn yield in the 3-yr LEI rotation was significantly higher than that achieved in the 2-yr conventional rotation, and soybean yield in the 4-yr rotation was higher than that in the 2-yr rotation. Seasonal sampling showed that 1) soil parameters fluctuated during the growing season but did not increase in response to particular cropping phases and 2) that the stratification observed in the 2-yr rotation was consistent over time for both corn and soybean. The practice most responsible for increasing soil quality and plant performance in the LEI rotations appeared to be the deep incorporation of compost and green manures prior to corn production. This practice benefited both corn and soybean, primarily by increasing the amount and distribution of nutrients available to roots as evidenced by greater POM-C and PMN levels in the subsoil. Relevant Publications: Witzling, L., M.Wander. and E. Phillips. 2011. Testing and educating on urban soil lead: A case of Chicago community gardens. The Journal of Agriculture, Food Systems, and Community Development . doi:10.5304/jafscd.2010.012.015. Yoo, G., Yang X. and M. Wander. 2011. Influence of soil aggregation on soil organic carbon sequestration: A preliminary model of SOC protection by aggregate dynamics. Ecological Engineering. Wander M.M. 2011. Sustainable agriculture in the Great Lakes region; In: Ecosystem Health and Sustainable Agriculture II. Christine Jakobsson (ed). Baltic University Press pp. 263-271. Feher, S. and M.M. Wander. 2011. Assessment of sustainable land use. In: Ecosystem Health and Sustainable Agriculture III. Christine Jakobsson and Jeff Levengood. (eds.) Baltic University Press. Additional Outcomes: Founding member and continuing participant in eOrganics leadership team. Member of the Leonardo Academys Sustainable Agriculture Standard development committee charged with crafting an innovative standard that provides a clear, continuous improvement framework for advancing sustainable agriculture practices. Institution: UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA; Committee Representative: RHAE DRIJBER My research program aims to quantify microbial community structure and function using newer biochemical (i.e. lipids) and molecular approaches in both natural and agroecosystems. Ecosystems under study include intensively managed cropping systems, organic agriculture and rangelands. Current projects include: " Spatial and temporal dynamics of arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi in high production corn systems. Our research confirms carbon allocation to AM fungi from corn during the reproductive stages of growth. Evidence suggests a role in P acquisition given a significant proportion of P is taken up from the soil during this period. We have recently developed a combined DGGE-Cloning Method to elucidate AM ribotypes significant to this process. Current research is focused on the impact of N and P rate on the diversity and colonization rate of roots by AM fungi in field-grown maize and soybean. " Cover crops are becoming increasing attractive to farmers in Nebraska for soil conservation and nutrient supply. For organic farmers, weeds are the number one issue and cover crops may play a role in weed suppression. To investigate this we are examining several cover crop mixtures and methods/timing of termination on weed establishment and control in an organically managed field. We are also investigating the role of the soil microbial community in weed suppression. " Soil biology has been overlooked in the forensic science arena in lieu of soil chemical and physical soil properties. To address this lack we are investigating whether high throughput DNA analysis and microbial fatty acid fingerprinting of soil microbial communities may be useful to crime scene investigation. A first step in this process is establishment of robust sampling and storage protocols that will hold up in a court of law. " Recent completion of a Grassland Destabilization Experiment (GDEX), http://sandhills-biocomplexity.unl.edu , attributed short-term geomorphic stability of the Nebraska Sand Hills to below ground processes, where root detritus, soil organic matter (SOM) and microbial activity persisted into the third and fourth years of the study. This resilience could not be explained by extensive soil aggregation or large pools of stabilized SOM, both absent from this ecosystem. Rather, it appears to be a legacy of the former grassland root system. " Vulnerability of soil organic matter to temperature changes: exploring constraints due to substrate decomposability and microbial community structure. This NSF funded project examines the impact of temperature on the decomposability of soil organic matter fractions. Our research indicates that the temperature sensitivity of SOM decomposition increases with decreasing SOM lability. Furthermore, shifts in microbial community composition are consistent among soils spanning several latitudes and cropping systems indicating similar adaptive processes to temperature across wide geographical regions. Relevant Publications: Higo, M., K. Isobe, D.-J. Kang, K. Ujiie, R.A. Drijber, R. Ishii. 2010. Inoculation with arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi or crop rotation with mycorrhizal plants improves the growth of maize in limed acid sulfate soil. Plant Production Science, Vol. 13, pp.74-79. Okalebo, J., Yuen, G.Y., Drijber, R.A., Blankenship, E., Eken, C., Lindquist, J. 2011.Biological suppression of velvetleaf (Abuliton theophrasti) in an Eastern Nebraska soil. Weed Science 59:155-161. Haddix, M.L., Plante, A.F., Conant, R.T., Paul, E.A., Six, J., Steinweg, M.J., Magrini-Bair, K., Drijber, R.A., Morris, S.J. 2011. The role of soil characteristics on temperature sensitivity of soil organic matter. Soil Science Society of America Journal 75:56-68. Tian, H., Drijber, R.A., Niu, X.S., Zhang, J.L., Li, X.L. 2011. Spatio-temporal dynamics of an indigenous arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal community in an intensively managed maize agroecosystem in north China. Applied Soil Ecology 47:141-152. Additional Outcomes: Chair of S3: Soil Biology and Biochemistry in the Soil Science Society of America. Organizer of S3 program for the SSSA annual meetings in Long Beach, CA, October 31-November 4, 2010. Institution: NORTH DAKOTA STATE UNIVERSITY; Committee Representative: LARRY CIHACEK During 2009, a study was initiated on evaluating contribution of individual mixed grassland plant species to soil carbon sequestration when the grassland is utilized for biofuels production at locations in southeastern, central and western North Dakota. Eight individual grass and forb species were evaluated at the southeastern North Dakota location; six mixed species compositions were evaluated at the central North Dakota site; and three species were evaluated in western North Dakota. Soils were evaluated to a depth of 1m for total organic C as well as water soluble organic C (WSOC). Initial results indicate that up to 7 % of the total organic C in soils is WSOC. Cool season species and forbs tend to have more WSOC in the profile than warm season species (Table 1). Additional work evaluating field note data in relation to SOC from 1163 selected sample sites collected in a previous study from over 1400 sites across the northern Great Plains was conducted using regression analysis of vegetation, slope and aspect factors with soil OC data. Initially, the data used eight (8) classes of vegetation, four (4) slope classes, and nine (9) aspect classes. A first level analysis allowed combining the data into our (4) vegetation classes, two (2) slope classes, and five (5) aspect classes (Table 2). Further analysis of the data indicated that the highest SOC values could be found at sites that had only cool season grasses present, a slope on < 3 %, and little or no distinct slope aspect (Tables 3, 4, and 5) Impacts: This research will be used in models to 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: Mahli, S. S., R. L. Lemke, M. A. Liebig, B. McConkey, J. J. Schoenau, L. J. Cihacek, and C. Campbell. 2010. Management strategies and practices for increasing storage of organic C and N in soil in cropping systems in the Northern Great Plains of North America. pp. 325-284. In S. S. Mahli, Y. Gan, J. J. Schoenau, R. L. Lemke and M. A. Liebig (eds.), Recent Trends in Soil Science and Agronomy Research in the Northern Great Plains of North America. Research Signpost Press, Kerala, India. Institution: OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY; Committee Representative: RICHARD DICK 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, methane oxidation in wetlands, and impacts of long-term use of glyphosate on microbial communities and functions. 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. Institution: THE PENNSYLVANIA STATE UNIVERSITY; Committee Representative: DOUGLAS D. ARCHIBALD My activities in this area focus on improving and applying spectral analytical techniques for analysis of soil organic matter and related materials for agricultural and ecological studies that must assess large numbers of specimens. A part of this effort is analysis of total soil organic carbon by visible, NIR and FTIR analysis conducted in the lab or field. Another part applies laboratory spectroscopic techniques to characterize soil fractions, organic and inorganic, derived by simple extraction procedures. The lab contributed to Ecology grad student M. Goebel's publication on the nature of tree root decomposition and turnover, and worked with him to develop some efficient FTIR techniques to characterize the molecular variation in his large collection of decomposed root tissue from a litter-bag study. Similarly, the lab worked with Ecology grad student J. Moon to finalize and apply analytical protocols and programming for integrating robotic-pipetting, gravimetric-analysis and microplate-FTIR to enable semi-automated high-throughput analysis of polar extractables from soil. One of the benefits of this approach is that this soil assay seems to provide a good estimate of labile organic matter content. Agronomy grad student V. Duraisamy presented analysis of the depthwise variation in bulk density in a large set of soil cores from a long-term cropping systems trial in central Pennsylvania. The soil archive, data sets and methods are now poised for a comprehensive evaluation of the effects of the applied cropping systems on C and N distribution. With the help of undergrad S. Meckler the lab applied lessons from this work toward the design and detailed specification of a mobile field lab that integrated a portable FTIR, a handheld optical spectrometer, GPS devices, barcoding and databases for rapid and inexpensive at-site assessment of the depthwise distribution of soil carbon and other nutrients in soil cores taken for landscape studies and carbon crediting. Significantly, a component of this achieved a low-cost paperless system for logging field sample identities, depths and GPS positions into a database that can also be populated with data from automated lab analyzers. The scheme was proposed to The Rodale Institute and their scientists, including E. Viglione and A. Grantham, worked with us to demonstrate the system and refine it for initial application in their long-term Farming System Trial in Kutztown, Pennsylvania. The technical findings were presented twice at meetings, are described in three articles in The Rodale Institute's 'New Farm' web magazine, and helped fulfill the final component Pennsylvania Energy Development Authority, PA Department of Environmental Protection grant received by The Rodale Institute. Relevant Publications: 1. M. Goebel, S. E. Hobbie, B. Bulaj, M. Zadworny, D. D. Archibald, J. Oleksyn, P. B. Reich and D. M. Eissenstat. "Decomposition of the finest root branching orders: Linking carbon and nutrient dynamics belowground to fine root function and structure." Ecological Monographs 81[1], 89-102. 2011. 2. "Making carbon crediting really work for farmers, Part 2. Mobile field lab to measure soil carbon," by Elaine Viglione, New Farm Magazine (The Rodale Institute, 4-14-2010, www.rodaleinstitute.org/20100414_Making_carbon_crediting_really_work_for_farmers). 3. "Making carbon crediting really work for farmers, Part 3. Making in-field carbon measurement a reality," by Elaine Viglione, New Farm Magazine (The Rodale Institute, 7-28-2011, www.rodaleinstitute.org/20100728_making-carbon-crediting-really-work-for-farmers-part-3). 4. "Making carbon crediting really work for farmers, Part 4. Streamlining the data, lessons learned, taking the lab to farms," by Elaine Viglione and Christi Gabriel, New Farm Magazine (The Rodale Institute, 12-01-2010, www.rodaleinstitute.org/20101201_making-carbon-crediting-really-work-for-farmers-part4). Institution: PURDUE UNIVERSITY; Committee Representative: RONALD TURCO Report: Our recent work has continued on artificial subsurface drainage as it is commonly used in Midwestern agriculture. Artificial subsurface drainage in cropland creates pathways for nutrient movement into surface water; quantification of the relative impacts of common and theoretically improved management systems on these nutrient losses remains incomplete. This study was conducted to assess diverse management effects on long-term patterns (19982006) of NO3, NH4, and PO43 loads (L). We monitored water flow and nutrient concentrations at subsurface drains in lysimeter plots planted to continuous corn (Zea mays L.) (CC), both phases of cornsoybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] rotations (corn, CS; soybean, SC), and restored prairie grass (PG). This long-term study suggests a controlling role for the time of manure addition on nutrient losses. Our results indicated that annually repeated, fall-applied liquid swine manure creates an unfavorable environmental scenario for manure disposal in subsurface-drained cropland. Manure management options that could probably optimize plant N use, and hence decrease the LNO3, include manure sidedressing. It also remains unknown if a reduced application rate of fall manure could result in environmental effects comparable to that of manure additions at sidedress or preplant. In our study, however, the N management aspects of corn-based systems including UAN application timings and rates and the N source (manure vs. UAN) did not impact the LNO3outcome. Likewise, relative to continuous corn, cornsoybean rotations did not represent any advantage for diminishing the LNO3. This suggests the need for additional mitigation strategies to achieve any further improvements in water quality results such as the use of nitrification inhibitors, winter cover crops, more complex crop rotations, and multifunctional landscapes. Furthermore, because our study demonstrated that, in general, drainage flow is a major determinant of how much NO3 is lost from cropped fields, controlled drainage management could, in principle, also be implemented as a supplementary method for reducing drainage flow and hence decreasing nutrient losses. Relevant Publications: Habteselassie, M., M. Bischoff, B. Applegate, B. Reuhs, and R. F. Turco. 2010. Understanding the role of agricultural practices in the potential colonization and contamination by E. coli in rhizosphere of fresh produce. Journal of Food Protection. 73: 2001-2009. Hernandez-Ramirez, G., S. M. Brouder, M. D. Ruark, and R. F. Turco. 2011. Nitrate, phosphate, and ammonium loads at subsurface drains: agroecosystems and nitrogen management. Journal of Environmental Quality 40: 1-12. Institution: WASHINGTON STATE UNIVERSITY; Committee Representative: ANN-MARIE FOTUNA This year my work addressed NCERA-59 objectives 1, 2 and 3. My research at WSU integrates microbial ecology, molecular biology, biogeochemistry and long-term ecosystems management. My program objectives contribute to: the development of novel cropping systems and land-use managements that maintain and promote efficient cycling of N and C; provide management guidelines to growers that improve N use efficiency and management by integrating information on microbial community structure and function; and utilize molecular techniques to study soil processes at field and ecosystem scales. These efforts will contribute to greater acreage in sustainable managements: no-till, mixed cropping and perennial systems, more efficient use of wastes and organic amendments resulting in a measurable reduction in waste and improvements in N use. My basic research will improve our understanding of the microbiology of N cycling, which may lead to further reductions in N losses and increased nitrogen use efficiency. Research funded via a USDA-STEEP grant focused on nutrient cycling, nitrogen use efficiency and carbon storage (objective 1). My research incorporates measurements of soil quality and nitrogen indexes with geospatial information collected annually for ten years at reference sites across landscape position under direct seed and varying alternative rotation managements. This research determines which land-use and management practices have the greatest impact on soil quality and nitrogen cycling. An additional cover crop project that included a masters student focused on predicting nutrient release from mixtures of rye and hairy vetch cover crops (objective 2) in situ and via potentially mineralizable nitrogen in laboratory incubations. I have conducted additional cross-disciplinary research via a masters students project that includes faculty from Animal Science. We looked at pathogen loading/die off, nitrogen use efficiency in forage systems receiving digested and undigested dairy waste, as well as, provide estimates of gaseous loss of ammonia and nitrous oxide (objective 1). The research was funded through the Natural Resource Conservation Service and the Dairy Association. This experiment provided valuable research and information that growers could utilize. Relevant Publications Additional Outcomes: Committee on Organic & Sustainable Agriculture, ASA, ACS238 (work with Michelle Wander on this committee and NCERA059) Institution: UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN-MADISON; Committee Representative: TERI BALSER " Soil carbon and feedbacks to climate change. We are interested in the role of microbial communities in soil carbon turnover and sequestration. We have projects in California, Wisconsin and in Borneo looking at the importance of microbial community structure and activity in carbon cycling. In addition, we have an ongoing project to study the role of temperature stress in determining microbial utilization of soil carbon. We have a postdoctoral researcher and two current PhD candidates focused in this area. " Ecology of nitrogen cycling. We study microbial community control over nitrogen cycling in terrestrial systems such as restored wetlands, and tropical and temperate forests. Study sites have included the UW Arboretum, in California and in the Hawaiian Islands. This work will contribute information about the mechanistic basis of nitrogen cycling in perturbed ecosystems. In the future, we hope to expand the work further to include additional Wisconsin sites in wetland, agronomic, and forest soils receiving external N input. " Global and ecological change research. We have a variety of projects ongoing that address current issues in global and ecological change. We are investigating the impacts of invasive plant species in wetlands, an invasive insect in forests of the Northeast U.S., the importance of plant and microbial diversity in urban rain garden functioning, and the effects of elevated CO2 and nitrogen deposition on carbon cycling in invaded wetlands and grassland ecosystems. " Collaborative research and visiting scholars program. We are committed to interdisciplinary research, and to the inclusion of microbiological detail in large-scale ecological research. Toward that end we are active collaborators with research groups around the world, and we invite students and postdocs to visit us in Madison to learn lipid analysis and microbial techniques. Our lab wiki site (http://balserlab.wikispaces.com/) explains more. PUBLICATIONS Erika Offerdahl, Teri Balser, Clarissa Dirks, Kathryn Miller, Jennifer Momsen, Lisa Montplaisir, Marcy Osgood, Karen Sirum, Mary Pat Wenderoth, Brian White, William B. Wood, Michelle Withers, Robin Wright, 2011. Meeting Report: Society for the Advancement of Biology Education Research (SABER). CBE-Life Sciences Education, 10(1): 11-13 2011. Liang, C., T. Balser, 2011. Correspondence: Microbial production of recalcitrant organic matter in global soils: Implications for productivity and climate policy. Nature Reviews Microbiology 9, 75 | doi:10.1038/nrmicro2386-c1

Ammonium is assimilated via two major pathways by microorganisms; one utilizing glutamate dehydrogenase (GDH) and the other utilizing glutamine synthease (GS) and glutamate synthase (GOGAT) as catalysts. The GDH to GS activity ratio in soil may yield valuable information on the availability of N relative to C at a specific point in time. (CA) Repression of protease by addition of glucose (but not NH4) to a soil system indicates that protease synthesis is determined by microbial need for C rather than N. (CA) When organic soil N sources are degraded, microorganisms take up N either directly in simple organic molecules (direct route) or mineralization of organic N as mineral N (mineralization-immobilization-turnover [MIT]). Although both routes are operative, the direct route appears to be the preferred route with up to 62% of N uptake being due to direct assimilation of organic N. Measurement of gross N mineralization may underestimate the amount of N Available from crop residue. (CA) Improved soil quality and plant performance appeared to be influenced by deep incorporation of compost and green manures prior to corn production in low input production systems. Greater POM-C and PMN levels were observed in the subsoil of corn-soybean production systems (IL) Long-term, annual, fall applied liquid swine manure applications created unfavorable environmental conditions in subsurface drained cropland with in-season manure side dressing and controlled drainage management appearing to be potential nutrient control practices. (IN) Corn plants allocate carbon to AM fungi during the reproductive stages of growth and the AM role in P acquisition appears to play a role. (NE) Short-term geomorphic stability of the Nebraska Sand Hills can be attributed below ground processes where root detritus, soil organic matter (SOM) and microbial activity persist up to 3 to 4 years and appears to be a legacy of the former grassland root system and not to extensive soil aggregation or large pools of stabilized SOM. (NE) Soil evaluation in restored grasslands for potential biofuels production across three sites to a depth of 1 m indicated that water soluble organic carbon can make up to 7% to the total SOC in the soil profile. (ND) Evaluation of field notes and laboratory data using statistical techniques 1163 select native or restored grassland sites indicated that the highest SOC values could be found at sites that had only cool season grass species present, a slope < 3%, and little or no distinct slope aspect. (ND) Evaluated, developed and applied robotic-pipetting, gravimetric-analysis and microplate-FTIR methodology for semi-automated high-throughput analysis of polar extractables from soil providing a good estimate of labile SOM content. (PA) Designed and developed specification of a mobile field lab that integrated a portable FTIR, a handheld optical spectrometer, GPS devices, bar-coding and databases for rapid and inexpensive at-site assessment studies and carbon crediting. Components of this design can be applied to a low cost paperless system of logging field samples into a database that can be used with data from automated lab analyzers. (PA) Evaluated soil quality and nitrogen indexes with geospatial information collected over ten years at reference sites across landscapes under direct seeding and alternative rotation managements for identifying land-use and management practices having the greatest impact on soil quality and nitrogen cycling. (WA) Developed predictions of nutrient release from mixtures of rye and hairy vetch crops in situ and potentially mineralizable nitrogen in laboratory incubations. (WA) Evaluated role of microbial communities in soil carbon turnover and sequestration and the role of temperature stress in determining microbial utilization of soil C. (WI) Evaluated microbial community control over N cycling in terrestrial systems such as restored wetlands and tropical and temperate forests as well as systems experiencing perturbation. (WI) Evaluated the impacts of invasive plant species in wetlands, invasive insects in Northeastern U. S. forests, plant and microbial diversity in urban rain garden functioning and effects of elevated CO2 and N deposition on C cycling in invaded wetlands and grassland ecosystems. (WI) Chair of Division S-3, Soil Science Society of America. (NE) Organizing Committee Chair of: Enzymes in the Environment: Ecology, Activity and Applications, July 17-21, 2011, Frankfurt Germany. (OH)

Witzling, L., M.Wander. and E. Phillips. 2011. Testing and educating on urban soil lead: A case of Chicago community gardens. The Journal of Agriculture, Food Systems, and Community Development . doi:10.5304/jafscd.2010.012.015. Yoo, G., Yang X. and M. Wander. 2011. Influence of soil aggregation on soil organic carbon sequestration: A preliminary model of SOC protection by aggregate dynamics. Ecological Engineering. Wander M.M. 2011. Sustainable agriculture in the Great Lakes region; In: Ecosystem Health and Sustainable Agriculture II. Christine Jakobsson (ed). Baltic University Press pp. 263-271. Feher, S. and M.M. Wander. 2011. Assessment of sustainable land use. In: Ecosystem Health and Sustainable Agriculture III. Christine Jakobsson and Jeff Levengood. (eds.) Baltic University Press. pp. Higo, M., K. Isobe, D.-J. Kang, K. Ujiie, R.A. Drijber, R. Ishii. 2010. Inoculation with arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi or crop rotation with mycorrhizal plants improves the growth of maize in limed acid sulfate soil. Plant Production Science, Vol. 13, pp.74-79. Okalebo, J., Yuen, G.Y., Drijber, R.A., Blankenship, E., Eken, C., Lindquist, J. 2011.Biological suppression of velvetleaf (Abuliton theophrasti) in an Eastern Nebraska soil. Weed Science 59:155-161. Haddix, M.L., Plante, A.F., Conant, R.T., Paul, E.A., Six, J., Steinweg, M.J., Magrini-Bair, K., Drijber, R.A., Morris, S.J. 2011. The role of soil characteristics on temperature sensitivity of soil organic matter. Soil Science Society of America Journal 75:56-68. Tian, H., Drijber, R.A., Niu, X.S., Zhang, J.L., Li, X.L. 2011. Spatio-temporal dynamics of an indigenous arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal community in an intensively managed maize agroecosystem in north China. Applied Soil Ecology 47:141-152. Mahli, S. S., R. L. Lemke, M. A. Liebig, B. McConkey, J. J. Schoenau, L. J. Cihacek, and C.Campbell. 2010. Management strategies and practices for increasing storage of organic C and N in soil in cropping systems in the Northern Great Plains of North America. pp. 325-284. In S. S. Mahli, Y. Gan, J. J. Schoenau, R. L. Lemke and M. A. Liebig (eds.), Recent Trends in Soil Science and Agronomy Research in the Northern Great Plains of North America. Research Signpost Press, Kerala, India. M. Goebel, S. E. Hobbie, B. Bulaj, M. Zadworny, D. D. Archibald, J. Oleksyn, P. B. Reich and D. M. Eissenstat. "Decomposition of the finest root branching orders: Linking carbon and nutrient dynamics belowground to fine root function and structure." Ecological Monographs 81[1], 89-102. 2011. "Making carbon crediting really work for farmers, Part 2. Mobile field lab to measure soil carbon," by Elaine Viglione, New Farm Magazine (The Rodale Institute, 4-14-2010, www.rodaleinstitute.org/20100414_Making_carbon_crediting_really_work_for_farmers). "Making carbon crediting really work for farmers, Part 3. Making in-field carbon measurement a reality," by Elaine Viglione, New Farm Magazine (The Rodale Institute, 7-28-2011, www.rodaleinstitute.org/20100728_making-carbon-crediting-really-work-for-farmers-part-3). "Making carbon crediting really work for farmers, Part 4. Streamlining the data, lessons learned, taking the lab to farms," by Elaine Viglione and Christi Gabriel, New Farm Magazine (The Rodale Institute, 12-01-2010, www.rodaleinstitute.org/20101201_making-carbon-crediting-really-work-for-farmers-part4). Habteselassie, M., M. Bischoff, B. Applegate, B. Reuhs, and R. F. Turco. 2010. Understanding the role of agricultural practices in the potential colonization and contamination by E. coli in rhizosphere of fresh produce. Journal of Food Protection. 73: 2001-2009. Hernandez-Ramirez, G., S. M. Brouder, M. D. Ruark, and R. F. Turco. 2011. Nitrate, phosphate, and ammonium loads at subsurface drains: agroecosystems and nitrogen management. Journal of Environmental Quality 40: 1-12. Erika Offerdahl, Teri Balser, Clarissa Dirks, Kathryn Miller, Jennifer Momsen, Lisa Montplaisir, Marcy Osgood, Karen Sirum, Mary Pat Wenderoth, Brian White, William B. Wood, Michelle Withers, Robin Wright, 2011. Meeting Report: Society for the Advancement of Biology Education Research (SABER). CBE-Life Sciences Education, 10(1): 11-13. Liang, C., T. Balser, 2011. Correspondence: Microbial production of recalcitrant organic matter in global soils: Implications for productivity and climate policy. Nature Reviews Microbiology 9, 75 | doi:10.1038/nrmicro2386-c1