Brief Summary of Minutes of Annual Meeting

Brief Summary of Minutes of Annual Meeting

The officers selected for 2020 at the 2019 meeting were M.S. Coyne (Chair), University of Kentucky with the secretary position was not filled during the meetings.  Due to travel restrictions imposed by the on-going COVID pandemic a virtual meeting was hosted by the University of Kentucky on July 14-15, 2020. M.S. Coyne opened the meeting on July 14, 2020 at 10:00 am.   The first order of business was a virtual preview of agriculture in Kentucky and the College of Agriculture, Food, and Environment.   Subsequently, state reports were presented for KY (Poffenbarger), WI (Ruark/Whitman), FL (Bhadha), and SD (Kumar)   followed by lunch. In the afternoon state reports from MN (Grossman), ND (Cihacek), IL (Ugarte), and an ARS report from Olk. The formal meeting was followed by an extended meet-and-greet with graduate students and post docs who were invited to sit in on the virtual meeting. The meet and greet was host by Travis Banet (UK)   

On Wednesday July 15, the meeting started at 10 am EST.  The remaining state reports for NE (Drijber), IA (Castellano), CA (Horwath), and MI (Tiemann) were given along with a second ARS presentation about the El Reno Research Station (Fortuna). Ron Turco (Purdue University) provided a powerpoint and brief talk about the procedures for renewing the multi-state project. Following this presentation there was an extend discussion of the proposal renewal and a committee consisting of Coyne, Bhadha, Cihacek, and Tiemann was appointed to prepare a working draft.

New officers were elected for 2020: Cihacek (Chair), University of North Dakota and Ugarte (Secretary) University of IL. The 2021 meeting will be held in Lincoln Nebraska at the University of Nebraska and hosted by Rhae Drijber at a date to be determined. The meeting was adjourned at 4 pm by M.S. Coyne. 

“NCERA 59's Reflections on Soil Health and Soil Quality” was based on content being developed for a jointly authored paper that was published in 2019. The title of the paper is “Developments in Soil Quality and Health: Reflections by the Research Committee on Soil Organic Matter Management” published in Frontiers in Environmental Science.

Other Accomplishments by State      

FL:

Bhadha et al. recently completed a two-year Southern Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SSARE) project related to on-farm study (OS18-114) “Assisting Vegetable Growers in Florida with Soil Health Evaluation Associated with Cover Cropping/Green Manure Practice During Summer.” Results showed that cover crops provide a myriad of soil health benefits, such as: increasing soil organic matter; increasing water holding capacity; decreasing soil pH, thereby improving nutrient efficiency and microbial activity; increasing soil protein content, thereby storing more nitrogen and making it available to plants through mineralization. In some cases increasing phosphorus, one of the most important nutrients for plants next to nitrogen. Bhadha was recently funded by Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, Specialty crop Block Grant to continue this effort with multiple collaborative growers.

KY:      

Short-term economic benefits of conservation agriculture can compensate for lack of soil quality improvement

Conservation agriculture has been marketed to farmers as a sustainable way to increase soil productivity and buffer the effects of anticipated fluctuations in both climate and fuel and fertilizer prices. Despite US Farm Bill financial incentives promoting the use of conservation practices such as no-tillage (NT) and cover crops (CC) among farmers, widescale adoption of CC in the US, in particular, remains low due to the lack of information that quantifies not only soil improvements but also the associated management costs to the farming operation. These practices may take years of consistent management to show measurable soil quality improvement. Conversely, costs associated with CC planting and management must be incurred immediately before the accrual of any benefits. Current research has largely focused on the soil quality benefits of CC without considering short-term implementation costs. To help fill this knowledge gap, soil properties, cash crop yield, and annual production costs were evaluated in a three-year maize/soybean study comparing a conservation system to a conventional production system. The control system included frequent tillage and control of winter weeds with a residual soil herbicide. We compared five different conservation systems including no-tillage and cover crops to the conventional system. We found a lack of consistent improvement in soil properties or crop yield in the conservation systems over the three-year period. We determined that the economic benefits of substituting NT and CC for expensive conventional inputs were much greater than the modest soil property improvements observed.  We also found that the greatest resource benefit was reduction in estimated soil erosion rates. These results demonstrate that conservation agriculture has the potential to decrease overall production cost while decreasing the risk of accelerated soil erosion during expected weather extremes associated with climate change, potentially making both farming operations and agroecosystems more resilient.

Breeding Effects on Root Phenology in Maize Hybrids.

Of four hybrids tested in a preliminary study, two were era hybrids (years of commercialization 1936 and 2014), and the other two were a brown midrib hybrid and its non-mutated counterpart (bm and nbm, respectively). As compared to the recent hybrid, the earlier hybrid was taller, had both greater above and belowground mass, more nodal roots, more total root length, and shallower crown root angles. The root system of the early hybrid was about 60% larger than that of the recent hybrid, as measured by root length and root biomass. The consistency of the relationship between the era hybrids across multiple growth stages, particularly with respect to root mass and crown root angle, does suggest a difference in both total carbon deposition via the roots and the distribution of that carbon in the soil profile.

MN:

Cover crops are feasible in high tunnel environments across multiple climates and regions and soils that include cover crops show measurable improvements in nitrogen cycling and microbial activity

Grossman contributed to  a database of recommended NRCS Soil Health Indicators and Associated Laboratory Procedures (NRCS Soil Health Technical Note No. 450-03), one of 18 institutions involved in the national effort. This work collected data gathered via sampling from long-term systems differing in management on a single soil type in our upper Midwest region. The work will continue to sample sites to determine temporal variation related to the recommended measures. Grossman also led a large multi-regional (MN, KY, and KS) project investigating the effect of cover crops on soil biological activity, nutrient pools (especially N) and organic matter pools (Gutknecht also a collaborator). New projects have been funded to determine the effect of summer cover crops on soil N pools and beneficial insect habitat. Cates’ MN Office for Soil Health has developed farmer outreach materials on organic matter and water-holding capacity, and spoke about the importance of organic matter and soil health at ~40 events in the region.

The Gutknecht laboratory has led soil health and soil carbon storage/processing research components of understanding the environmental benefits of a perennial grain crop, Intermediate Wheatgrass. This research included demonstrating soil health benefits of this perennial grain crop, as well as research underway on tracking carbon through those systems and root decomposition and turnover experiments being completed in summer 2020. Gutknecht has recently joined the central management team of a USDA SAS CAP project on intermediate wheatgrass where a central component is synthesizing carbon cycling and carbon storage in this perennial crop.

ND:    

N mineralization from long-term no-till crop residues. Several iterations of N mineralization have been conducted including characterization of N mineralization rates from selected drop residues, N mineralization characterization from mixed residues and effects of repeated residue applications over simulated growing seasons. Current studies include incubating residues of corn soybean and wheat in simulated common crop rotations over three simulated “growing seasons” with or without cover crop (15 % radish) residues in the wheat or soybean phases of the crop rotations. This work is generally complete and the data is being summarized and analyzed.  In future work, the focus will be on N mineralization of soybean residue and components of that residue (leaves, petioles, stems, pods).

N mineralization from farmer soil samples. PMN evaluations have been completed and the soil samples are being characterized for textural analysis to attempt to relate soil physical property effects on PMN of North Dakota soils.

N mineralization in integrated crop-grazing systems. No data is being reported for this reporting cycle. However, data continues to be collected for the ninth and tenth (2019) cropping seasons and previously collected is being summarized.

SD:     

 Inclusion of cover crops and grazing with no-till enhanced the soil health parameters.

Cover crops, diverse rotations, and no-till systems are the key components of conservation agricultural systems and improve soil biodiversity, soil organic matter, and nutrient cycling. It is well documented in the literature the benefits of cover crops and grazing on soil health, however, research evaluating how soil health improved through the influence of soil microbial communities remains limited and need attention. Integrating livestock into cropping systems to grazed cover crops may enhance soil health through improved soil biodiversity. The present study was conducted in South Dakota at three different locations. We investigated the impacts of cover crops and grazing on microbial community structure (MCS) under different cropping systems using phospholipid fatty acid (PLFA) analysis. Cover crop treatments and no cover crop controls with and without grazing were compared.  The results showed that cover crops with grazing (total biomass, 5855 ng g^-1; Actinomycetes biomass, 622  ng g^-1) had a higher PLFA content in soil than no cover crops (control). Soil biological activity varied with the treatment and significantly recorded higher PLFAs under cover crops with grazing. This study provides a clear link between cover crops, grazing, soil microbial communities, and soil health. This may pave the way for better management of the soil biodiversity (soil microbiome) to enhance sustainable soil health through incorporating cover crops and grazing in the cropping system.

TN:

Soil health comparison: We found that Haney and Cornell soil health tests did not differentiate long-term management effects on soil properties in southeast region.

Texture x moisture study: We found that different textured soils (sandy, loamy, clayey) have different moisture optima for maximum microbial respiration of SOC and these soils accumulate osmolytes under drought conditions.

Cover crop study: We found no difference in SOC after 5 years of cover cropping compared to no cover cropping in corn-soybean systems. Cover crop species also had no effect on SOC in Tennessee croplands which experience hot and humid climatic conditions.

WI:

We found that winter rye does not increase microbial necromass contributions to soil organic carbon in continuous corn silage in North Central USA – with both Ruark and Whitman as co-authors, and just accepted in the Soil Biology and Biochemistry journal.

We have made strong progress on understanding wildfire effects on soil C cycling, including working on prescribed fires in WI, as well as simulating wildfires in intact cores from the boreal forest of northern Canada, tracking CO₂ fluxes and microbial community changes. Whitman was also awarded the Soil Ecology Society Early Career award.

Funding and facilities:

FL:

Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. $154,452. “Examining Regenerative Farming Practices to Benefit Specialty Crop Growers”.

Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. $10,000. “Application of horse bedding as a soil amendment: Leachability and soil-health assessment on mineral soils”.

USDA-Southern SARE. $15,000. “Assisting vegetable growers in Florida with soil health evaluation associated with cover cropping/green manure practice during summer”.

Dr. Bhadha’s research and outreach program is based out of the University of Florida-Everglades Research and Education Center (EREC), located in Belle Glade, Florida. The research center houses several full time faculty, postdocs, and graduate students working on a myriad of topics related to agronomy, plant breeding, soil science, water quality, crop nutrition and entomology. The Soil, Water, and nutrient Management Laboratory in located at the EREC and is one which focusses on addressing soil sustainability issues within the region. The lab is equipped with an inductively coupled plasma - optical emission spectrometer (ICP-OES, Agilent-5110) used for elemental analyses; a Carbon/Nitrogen analyzer (Shimadzu TOC-L) used to analyze total organic carbon and total nitrogen analyses; a discrete analyzer (SEAL AQ400 Multi-Chemistry Analyzer) capable of analyzing over 200 analytes. In addition, the lab is also equipped with full wet chemistry capabilities to conduct benchtop preparation, and analyses.

KY:      

Funding for the corn root project was provided by USDA-NIFA grant number 2019-67019-29401.

We constructed a large-format imaging platform that consists of a ~2' wide x 5' long clear box backlit with LED lights and a camera mounted above. The system enables us to float entire corn root systems in the box and image from above. This imaging system is a major improvement over traditional small-format (~8.5" x 11") root scanning protocols, which require taking individual scans of portions of root systems.

MN:

New Facilities and Equipment: Grossman’s lab has constructed an aggregate stability instrument capable of analyzing multiple samples. Gutknecht’s lab has acquired a LiCOR 6800 for assessing photosynthetic carbon inputs into agricultural systems, and has built three large field scale (1m³) isotope labeling chambers for tracing soil carbon through plant-soil systems. Cates’ Soil Health Lab has also built capacity to test soil aggregation, potentially mineralizable carbon, and water-extractable carbon and nitrogen.

Two new grants were secured in 2020:

Award: USDA Nat'l Inst. of Food & Agriculture, "2019 North Central Region Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) Program". Project: ($200,000) Grossman, J. M. (Principal), Pfeiffer, A. C. (Co-Investigator), "Grossman: Summer Cover Crop System Management", (November 1, 2019 - October 31, 2022).

Award: USDA NATURAL RESOURCES CONSERVATION SVC, "Maximizing Summer Cover Crop Conservation Benefits for Improved Vegetable Production". PI: Julie Grossman. Research. Project: ($987,226) Grossman, J. M. (Principal), Rogers, M. A. (Co-Investigator), "Maximizing Summer Cover Crop Conservation Benefits for Improved Vegetable Production", (April 10, 2020 - February 28, 2023).

Gutknecht lab efforts were driven by multiple recently funded grants:

Award: USDA Nat'l Inst. of Food & Agriculture Sustainable Agricultural Systems Coordinated Agricultural Project program “Developing and deploying a perennial grain crop enterprise to improve environmental quality and rural prosperity.” Project: ($10,000,000) Jungers, J.M (Principal) with 47 collaborating investigators of whom J. Gutknecht is in the core management team (August 2020-July 2025)

Award: Forever Green Initiative: Production Scale Deployment of Forever Green Cropping Systems: Agronomic, Economic, and Environmental Aspects. Project ($301,000) Gamble, J (Principal) with co-PIs Jungers J., Gutknecht, J., Sheaffer, C., and Gesch, R., (January 2020-December 2024)

Award: USDA Nat'l Inst. of Food & Agriculture. Perennial crops to improve soil health and sustain yields for climate extremes. Project ($500,000) Gutknecht J.L.M (Principal), with co-PIs Jacob Jungers, Craig Sheaffer, Mitch Hunter, and Chris Fernandez. (March 2019-February, 2024)

Award: USDA-NRCS Conservation Innovation Program. Measuring Soil Health in the Upper Midwest to Improve Water Quality. Project ($907,106) Lewandowski, A. (Principal) with Co-PIs Dean Current, Holly Dolliver, Joe Magner, Matt Drewitz, Jessica Gutknecht, Nicholas Jelinski, and Lucy Levers. (August 2018-July 2021)

ND:    

Funding for research has been obtained from the North Dakota State Board of Agricultural Research and Extension (SBARE) corn, soybean and wheat commodity committees as well as the ND Corn Council, ND Soybean Council, and ND wheat Commission.

SD:     

New facilities include a MIDI to analyze phospholipid fatty acid (PLFA)

TN:

Optimizing plant-soil-microbial interactions through crop diversification to enhance sustainability in southeastern croplands. PI: Jagadamma, S; Co-PIs: Lee, J., Duncan, L.A., McClure, A., Raper, T.B., Kivlin, S. USDA-NIFA Foundational Program, 09-2020 to 08-2024 ($500,000).

Demonstrating the impacts of cover crops for soil health and farm profitability in Tennessee. PI: Jagadamma, S; Co-PIs: Walker, F., Singh, S., Duncan, L., McClure, M., Upendram, S. Tennessee Department of Agriculture, 10-2019 to 09-2023 ($341,493).

Evaluation of cover crop species and planting dates on cotton productivity and soil health. PI: Jagadamma, S; Co-PI: Walker, F., Duncan, L., and Raper, T. Cotton Incorporated, 01-2020 to 12-2020 ($11,129).

Row crop production under climate change – assessment of sustainable management practices and soil additives in sand deposited fields. PI: Lee, J; Co-PI: Jagadamma, S. USDA-Agricultural Research Service, 09-2019 to 08-2020 ($103,704).

 WI:

 The Whitman lab purchased a Mac Pro for high-performance computing with microbial genomics analyses

 Activities (Outreach and Presentations):

FL:

South Florida Legislative Delegation tour. “Best management practices in the Everglades Agricultural Area”. Field tour of subsidence post. December 13, 2019. (26 attendees)

Farm City Luncheon, Central Palm Beach County Chamber of Commerce. “Sustainable Agriculture in the EAA”. Demonstration/Display. November 20, 2019. (110 attendees)

Everglades Research and Education Center, Open House. “Growing with Nature”. Demonstration/Display. November 7, 2019. (162 attendees)

Third Annual Florida Rice Growers’ Training “Benefits of cultivating flooded rice in South Florida”. August 21, 2019. (52 attendees)

South Florida Fair. ‘Discover the Outdoors’. January 18-February 3, 2019. (5000 attendees)

International Society of Sugar Cane Technologist Entomology Workshop 2018 Field Tour. “Soil Health and Sustainability”. December 5, 2018 (26 attendees)

Agricultural Retailers Association Conference & Expo 2018 Field Tour. “Farming in the EAA”. November 29, 2018. (40 attendees)

KY:    

Presentation at ASA Southern Section meeting (Jan 31). Title: Are Cover Crops Worth It? Assessing Soil Benefits and Production Costs in a Corn/Soybean Rotation in Northwestern Mississippi. Author list: Jacobs, A.A., R. Stout-Evans, J. Allison, E. Ramona Garner, and R.L. McCulley.

Poffenbarger, H.J., and J.H. Grove. Effects of long-term no-till on optimal nitrogen fertilization practices for corn. American Society of Agronomy Annual Meeting, San Antonio, TX, November 2019.

MN:

Rakkar, M. K., Sheaffer, C., Jungers, J., Gutknecht, J., Grossman, J. M. , Bergquist, G., Li, F., ASA-CSSA-SSSA International Annual Meeting, "Impact of Perennial and Annual Organic Transition Systems on Profitability and Soil Health Indicators," San Antonio, Texas. (November 13, 2019).

Blair, H., A. Cates, J. Gutknecht, N. Jelinski, A. Lewandowski, M. Kocher, and M. Lafferty. Assessing Regional Variability In Soil Health Indicators: A Meta-Analysis. Poster presentation, Minnesota Water Resources annual Conference, Saint Paul, Minnesota, October 15-16, 2019.

Gutknecht, J., G. Bergquist, D. Wyse, C. Sheaffer, T. Crews, G. de Oliveira, N. Brunsell, J. Jungers. The carbon budget, sustainability, and viability of a novel perennial agroecosystem. Oral presentation, Ecological Society of America annual meetings, Louisville, KY, August 12-16, 2019.

Wills, S., Grossman, J. M. , ASA-CSSA-SSSA International Annual Meeting, "Incorporating Soil Biological Indicators into Soil Survey: Microbial Community Structure and Enzymatic Activity," San Antonio, Texas. (November 12, 2019).

And 21 additional authors

Wauters, V. , Grossman, J. M. , Paulo, P., Anne, P., ASA-CSSA-SSSA International Annual Meeting, "Summer Cover Crop Growth and Effect on Soil Quality in Upper Midwest Vegetable Rotations," San Antonio, Texas. (November 12, 2019).

Grossman, J. M. , Small Grains Conference, "Growing Your Own Nitrogen through Cover Crops," Practical Farmers of Iowa, Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin. (August 16, 2019).

Poster

Gieske, M. F., Grossman, J. M. , Pfeiffer, A., Shrestha, D., Al-Zubad, A., Li, F., Rivard, C. L., Jacobsen, K., Gutknecht, J. L., ASA-CSSA-SSSA International Annual Meeting, "Cover Crop Effects on Soil Health in Organic High Tunnels," San Antonio, Texas. (November 12, 2019).

Grossman has developed new relationships with Tribal land grant colleges in Minnesota in both research and outreach capacities related to soil health.

ND:    

Cihacek, L. J. and R. Alghamdi. 2020. N mineralization dynamics in no-till crop residues in the Northern Plains.  Great Plains Soil Fertility Conference Proceedings. March 10-11, 2020. Denver, CO.

Alghamdi, R. and L. J. Cihacek.  2019. Mixed crop residue contribution to soil N dynamics in long-term no-till systems. Abst. No. 225-8. ASA-SSSA-CSSA International Meetings, November 10-13, 2019.  San Antonio, TX.

Alghamdi, R. S. Datta, L. J. Cihacek, and S. Day.  2019.  Changes in Crop and Soil Mangement Patterns on High Erosion Risk Soils over 2 Decades. Abst. No. 187-1232. ASA-SSSA-CSSA International Meetings, November 10-13, 2019.  San Antonio, TX.

Cihacek, L. J., S. Mathews, and R. Alghamdi.  2019.  Will Improving Soil Health Require Estimation of N Mineralization a Part of Soil Testing for Fertilizer Recommendations?  Abst. No. 368-1025.  ASA-SSSA-CSSA International Meetings, November 10-13, 2019.  San Antonio, TX.

Landblom, D. G., S. Senturklu, L. Cihacek, R. L. Maddock, and S. I. Paisley.  2019.  Integrated Systems Synergy and Regenerative Agriculture in the Semi-Arid Region of Western North Dakota.  Abstracts of the 74^th SWCS International Annual Conference. July 28-31, 2019. Pittsburg, PA

SD:

Kumar, S. 2019. Impacts of integrated crop livetsock system on soils and environmental quality. Oral Presentation at the ASA-CSSA-SSSA. International Annual Meeting at San Diego, CA, January 6-9, 2019.

Abagandura, G., Şentürklü, S., Singh, N., Kumar, S., Landblom, D. and Ringwall, K. 2019. Impacts of crop rotation and grazing under integrated crop-livestock system on soil surface greenhouse gas fluxes. Oral Presentation at the ASA-CSSA-SSSA. International Annual Meeting at San Diego, CA, January 6-9, 2019.

Polat, A., Abagandura, G., Singh, J., Kumar, S., Osborne, S. and Snyders, S. 2019.  On-farm assessment of soil quality under integrated crop-livestock system in South Dakota. Oral Presentation at the ASA-CSSA-SSSA. International Annual Meeting at San Diego, CA, January 6-9, 2019.

Abagandura., G., Sekaran, U., Sagar, K., Bly, A., Singh, J., Dhaliwal, J., Wang, T., Kumar, S. and Farmaha, B. 2019. Response of soil biological health to short and long-term no-till systems in South Dakota. Oral Presentation at the ASA-CSSA-SSSA. International Annual Meeting at San Diego, CA, January 6-9, 2019.

TN:

Singh, S., Jagadamma, S., Walker, F., Yin, F., and Yoder, D.C. 2019. Evaluating soil health assessment approaches for the diverse agroecosystems of Tennessee. ASA-CSSA-SSSA Annual Meeting (Poster). November 10-13, San Antonio, TX.

Xu, S., Jagadamma, S., Ashworth, A., Singh, S^•., Owens, P., and Moore, P. 2019. Soil organic carbon accumulation in response to different grazing management practices. ASA-CSSA-SSSA Annual Meeting (Oral). November 10-13, San Antonio, TX.

Ceylan, S., Nouri, A., Jahromi, N.B, Lee, J., Walker, F.R., Jagadamma, S., Yoder, D.C., and Arelli, P.R. 2019. Effect of biochar application on hydro-physical properties of fluvial deposits. ASA-CSSA-SSSA Annual Meeting (Poster), November 10-13, San Antonio, TX.

Yin, X., Bansal, S., Sykes, V.R., Jagadamma, S., Lee, J., and Boyer, C. 2019. Carbon footprint and sustainability index of major cropping sequence and bio-cover systems under no-tillage. ASA-CSSA-SSSA Annual Meeting (Oral), November 10-13, San Antonio, TX.

Bansal, S., Yin, X., Savoy, H.J., Jagadamma, S., Lee, J., and Sykes, V.R. 2019. Long-term influence of phosphorus fertilization and soil aggregation on soil organic carbon and nitrogen under no-tillage production systems. ASA-CSSA-SSSA Annual Meeting (Poster), November 10-13, San Antonio, TX.

Bansal, S., Yin, X., Sykes, V.R., Jagadamma, S., and Lee, J. 2019. Long-term influence of crop sequences, bio-covers and aggregate sizes on organic carbon and nitrogen in soil profile under no-tillage. ASA-CSSA-SSSA Annual Meeting (Poster), November 10-13, San Antonio, TX.

Jahromi, N.B., Lee, J., Johnsen, M., Fulcher, A., Nouri, A., Walker, F.R., Jagadamma, S., and Arelli, P.R. 2019. Biochar as soil amendment to improve flooded sandy soil for corn production. ASA-CSSA-SSSA Annual Meeting (Poster), November 10-13, San Antonio, TX.

Bansal, S., Yin, X., Singh, S., Jagadamma, S., Sykes, V.R., and Lee, J. 2019. Crop sequence diversity and bio-covers under no-tillage affect greenhouse gas emissions. ASA-CSSA-SSSA Annual Meeting (Poster), November 10-13, San Antonio, TX.

WI:

Whitman, T. (June 2020). TBD. Canadian Soil Science Society annual meeting, Charlottetown, PEI, Canada. Invited keynote.

Whitman, T. (February 2020). TBD. Ecology and evolutionary biology seminar, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO. Invited talk.

*Berry, T. and Whitman, T. (January 2020). Using R to Analyze Large Datasets from Analytical Instruments. Data Science Research Bazaar, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI. Poster presentation.

*Price, J., Willis, A. and Whitman, T. (January 2020). Accounting for uncertainty in the read-to-OTU classification problem improves the quality of microbiome analysis. Data Science Research Bazaar, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI. Poster presentation.

*Zeba, N., *Berry, T., and Whitman, T. (December 2019). Long term effects of pyrogenic carbon ageing on carbon mineralization by soil microbes. American Geophysical Union annual meeting, San Francisco, CA. Poster presentation.

Whitman, T. (December 2019). Soil microbes and wildfires. Biogeochemistry, environmental science, and sustainability seminar, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY. Invited talk.

*Woolet, J., Unzicker, C., McWhirter, H., Tanck, S., Helwig, J., Johnson, Y., Baxter, C., Venkateshwaran, M., and Whitman, T. (November 2019). Belowground drivers of prescribed fire impacts on vegetation in restored prairies. Association for Fire Ecology conference, Tucson, AZ. Poster presentation.

Whitman, T. (November 2019). Effects of fresh and pyrogenic organic matter additions on soil carbon fluxes: Bacterial and fungal responses. Soil Science Society of America Meeting, San Antonio, TX. Invited talk.

Whitman, T. (May 2019). Dark matter. Soil Ecology Society meeting, Toledo, OH. Invited talk – Early Career Award.

Whitman, T. (May 2019). Next Frontiers in Soil Ecology panel. Soil Ecology Society meeting, Toledo, OH. Panelist.

*West, J., A.M. Cates, Y. Rui, L. Deiss, M.D. Ruark, and T. Whitman. (May 2019). Microbial contributions to soil carbon under winter rye cover crop in continuous silage corn. Soil Ecology Society meeting, Toledo, OH. Oral presentation.

Whitman, T. (May 2019). Analyzing soil microbial community sequencing data with the CHTC. HTCondor Week Conference, Madison, WI. Invited talk.

Whitman, T. (May 2019) Notes from the underground. Milwaukee Microbiology Society. University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee. Milwaukee, WI. Invited talk.

Zegler, C. and M.D. Ruark (Feb 2020). Quantifying soil health. 2020 Wisconsin Cover Crops Conference, 20 Feb. 2020.

Ruark, M.D. and G. Richardson. 2019. Biological indicators of soil health in Wisconsin. Discovery Farms Workshop, 2 April 2019.

Public outreach at Wis. Science Festival: Designed and ran “What lives in the soil?” booth for public including children and parents, Univ. of Wisconsin-Madison (October 2019).

There were 31 published or accepted peer-reviewed publications in which one or more committee members were co-authors (See Appendix 2 for details).

FL: 6

KY: 6

MN: 5

ND: 2

SD: 3

TN: 5

WI: 4

The publications occurred in the following journals:

Agricultural Systems

Agriculture

Agriculture, Ecosystems, and Environment

Agronomy Journal

Applied Soil Ecology

Communications in Soil and Plant Analysis

Ecosphere

European Journal of Soil Science

Forests

Forest Ecology and Management

Geoderma

Journal of Plant Nutrition

Land Degradation and Development

New Forests

Nutrient Cycling in Agroecosystems

Peer J.

PLOS One

Science of the Total Environment

Scientific Reports

Soil Biology & Biochemistry

Soil Science Society of America Journal

Soil & Tillage Research

Soil Systems

Sustainable Agriculture Research

FL

Joaquin S. Alvarado, Mabry J. McCray, John E. Erickson, Hardev S. Sandhu, and Jehangir H. Bhadha. 2019. Sugarcane biomass yield response to phosphorus fertilizer on four mineral soils as related to extractable soil phosphorus. Communications in Soil Science and Plant Analysis. 50: 2960-2970. https://doi.org/10.1080/00103624.2019.1689260​

Nan Xu, Jehangir H. Bhadha, Abul Rabbany, and Stewart Swanson. 2019. Soil health assessment of two regenerative farming practices on sandy soils. Sustainable Agriculture Research. 8: 61-71. https://doi:10.5539/sar.v8n4p61​

Zhongsheng Zhang, Jian Jim Wang, Xianguo Lyu, Ming Jiang, Jehangir H. Bhadha, and Alan Wright.  2019. Impacts of land use change on soil organic matter chemistry in the Everglades, Florida - a characterization with pyrolysis-gas chromatography–mass spectrometry.  Geoderma.  338: 393-400. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geoderma.2018.12.041

Odiney Alvarez, Timothy A. Lang, Jehangir H. Bhadha, Mabry J. McCray, Barry Glaz, and Samira H. Daroub.  2018. Biochar and mill ash improve yields of sugarcane on a sand soil in Florida.  Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment.  253: 112-130. http://doi.org/10.1016/j.agee.2017.11.006

Susanna G. Orndorff, Timothy A. Lang, Jehangir H. Bhadha, Mabry J. McCray, and Samira H. Daroub.  2018. Sugarcane by-products used as soil amendments on a sandy soil: Effects on sugarcane crop nutrition and yield.  Journal of Plant Nutrition.  41: 928-942. https://doi.org/10.1080/01904167.2018.1428750

Jehangir H. Bhadha, Raju Khatiwada, Salvador Galindo, Nan Xu, and Jay Capasso. 2018. Evidence of soil health benefits of flooded rice compared to fallow practice.  Sustainable Agriculture Research.  7: 31-41. https://doi.org/10.5539/sar.v7n4p31

Jehangir H. Bhadha, Jay Capasso, Raju Khatiwada_(P), Stewart Swanson, and Christopher LaBorde.  2017. Raising soil organic matter content to improve water holding capacity.  University of Florida IFAS EDIS Publication. SL447.

Jehangir H. Bhadha, Jay Capasso, Robert Schindelbeck, and Allan Bacon. 2017. Tools for Evaluating Soil Health.  University of Florida IFAS EDIS Publication.  SL443.

KY

Poffenbarger, H.J., Olk, D.C., Cambardella, C., Kersey, J., Liebman, M., Mallarino, A., Six, J. and Castellano, M.J., 2020. Whole-profile soil organic matter content, composition, and stability under cropping systems that differ in belowground inputs. Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment, 291, p.106810.

Wade, J., Culman, S.W., Logan, J.A., Poffenbarger, H., Demyan, M.S., Grove, J.H., Mallarino, A.P., McGrath, J.M., Ruark, M. and West, J.R., 2020. Improved soil biological health increases corn grain yield in N fertilized systems across the Corn Belt. Scientific reports, 10(1), pp.1-9.

Dement, W.T., Z.J. Hackworth, J.M. Lhotka and C.D. Barton. 2020. Plantation development and colonization of woody species in response to post-mining spoil preparation methods: A 19-year evaluation. New Forests doi:10.1007/s11056-019-09769-y

Fritz, Ken M., Greg J. Pond, Brent R. Johnson and Chris D. Barton. 2019. Coarse particulate organic matter dynamics in ephemeral tributaries of a Central Appalachian stream network. Ecosphere: 10(3):e02654. 10.1002/ecs2.2654. https://doi.org/10.1002/ecs2.2654

Sena, Kenton, Jian Yang, Alysia Kohlbrand, Tyler Dreaden and Christopher Barton. 2019. Landscape variables influence Phytophthora cinnamomi distribution within a forested Kentucky watershed. Forest Ecology and Management: 436 39-44. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foreco.2019.01.008

Sena, Kenton, Carmen Agouridis, Jarrod Miller and Chris Barton. 2018. Spoil type influences soil genesis and forest development on Appalachian surface coal mine ten years after placement. Forests, 9, 730: doi:10.3390/f9120780

MN

Ginakes, P., *Grossman, J., Baker, J., & Sooka-sanguan, T. (2020). Living mulch management spatially localizes nutrient cycling in organic corn production. Agriculture, 10(6), 243.

Perrone, S., *Grossman, J., Liebman, A., Sooksa-ngua, T., & Gutknecht, J. (2020). Nitrogen fixation and productivity of winter annual legume cover crops in Upper Midwest organic cropping systems Nutrient Cycling in Agroecosystems, 117, 61–76.

Roper, W., Duckworth, O., Grossman, J., & Israel, D. (2020). Rhizobium leguminosarum strain combination effects on nodulation and biological nitrogen fixation with Vicia villosa. Applied Soil Ecology, 103703.

Ginakes, P., *Grossman, J., Baker, J., & Sooksa-nguan, T. (2020). Tillage intensity influences nitrogen cycling in organic kura clover living mulch. Nutrient Cycling in Agroecosystems, 116(1), 71-82. doi: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10705-019-10025-0

Rusch, H., Coulter, J. A., Grossman, J., Johnson, G., Porter, P., & Garcia y Garcia, A. (2020). Towards sustainable maize production in the US upper Midwest with interseeded cover crops. PLOS One, 15(4), e0231032.

Wander, M., Cihacek, L., Coyne, M., Drijber, R., Grossman, J., Gutknecht, J., L., Horwath, W., Jagadamma, S., Olk, D., Snapp, S., Tiemann, L., & Turco, R. (2019). Developments in Agricultural Soil Quality and Health: Reflections by the Research Committee on Soil Organic Matter Management. Frontiers in Environmental Science, section Soil Processes.

ND

Yellajosula, G., L. Cihacek, T. Faller, and C. Schauer. 2020. Soil carbon change due to land conversion to grassland in a semi-arid environment.  Soil Sys. 4, 43; doi:10.3390/soilsystems4030043.

De, M., J. A. Riopel, L. J. Cihacek, M. Lawrenko, R. Baldwin-Kordick, S. J. Hall, and M. D. McDaniel. 2020. Soil health recovery after grassland restoration. Evidence from a 40-year chronotoposequence.  Soil Sci.  Soc. Am. J. 84:568-586. doi:10.1002/saj2.200037.

Wander, M. M., L. Cihacek, M Coyne, R. Drijber, J. Grossman, J. L. Gutknecth, W. Horwath, S. Jagadamma, D. Olk, S. Snapp, L. Tiemann, and R. Turco. 2019. Developments in agricultural soil quality and health: Reflections by the Research Committee on Soil Organic Matter Management. Frontiers Environ. Sci. 7:109.  doi:10.3389/fenvs.2019.00109.

Cihacek, L. J. and R. Alghamdi. 2020. N mineralization dynamics in no-till crop residues in the Northern Plains.  Great Plains Soil Fertility Conference Proceedings. March 10-11, 2020. Denver, CO.

SD

Singh, J., and S. Kumar. 2020. Seasonal changes of soil carbon fractions and enzyme activities in response to winter cover crops under long-term rotation and tillage systems. European Journal of Soil Science. (In Press).

Lai, L., and S. Kumar. 2020. A global meta-analysis of livestock grazing impacts on soil properties. PLOS One (In Press).

Sekaran, U., S. Sandhu, Y. Qiu, S. Kumar, and J. Gonzalez. 2020. Biochar and manure addition influenced soil microbial community structure and enzymatic activities at eroded and depositional landscape positions. Land Degradation and Development. 31:894-908.

TN

Singh, S., Nouri, A., Singh, S., Anapalli, S., Lee, J., Arelli, P., and Jagadamma, S. 2020. Soil organic carbon and aggregation in response to thirty-nine years of tillage management in the southeastern US.Soil & Tillage Research 197: 104523.

Bansal, S., Yin, X., Savoy, H.J., Jagadamma, S., Lee, J., and Sykes, V. 2020. Long-term influence of phosphorus fertilization on organic carbon and nitrogen in soil aggregates under no-till corn-wheat-soybean rotations. Agronomy Journal DOI: 10.1002/agj2.20200

Li, Y., Li, Z., Chang, S.X., Cui, S., Jagadamma, S., Zhang, Q., and Cai, Y. 2020. Residue retention promotes soil carbon accumulation in minimum tillage systems: Implications for conservation agriculture. Science of The Total Environment DOI: 0.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.140147

Xu, S., Ottinger, S.L., Schaeffer, S., DeBruyn, J.M., Stewart, Jr, C.N., Mazarei, M., and Jagadamma, S. 2019. Effects of field-grown transgenic switchgrass carbon inputs on soil organic carbon cycling. Peer J 7: e7887.

Li, Y, Li, Z., Cui, S., Jagadamma, S., and Zhang, Q. 2019. Residue retention and minimum tillage improve physical environment of the soil in croplands: A global meta-analysis. Soil & Tillage Research 194: 104292. 

WI

*Woolet, J. and T. Whitman. (2020) Pyrogenic organic matter effects on soil bacterial community composition. Soil Biology and Biochemistry, 141, 107678.

Whitman, T., Whitman, E., *Woolet, J., Flannigan, M.D., Thompson, D.K., Parisien, M.-A. (2019) Soil Bacterial and Fungal Response to Wildfires in the Canadian Boreal Forest Across a Burn Severity Gradient. Soil Biology and Biochemistry, 138, 107571.

Zegler, C.H., M.J. Renz, G.E. Brink, and M.D. Ruark. 2020. Assessing the importance of plant, soil, and management factor affecting organic pastures using regression tree analysis. Agricultural Systems 180, 102776.

Diederich, K.M., M.D. Ruark, K. Krishnan, F.J. Arriaga, and E.M. Silva. 2019. Increasing labile soil carbon and nitrogen fractions require a change in system, rather than practice. SSSAJ 83:1733-1745.