Brief Summary of Minutes of Annual Meeting

Christina Hamilton provided federal updates to the group and encouraged the group to look the Ag Innovation. For anyone who is not affiliated with an Agricultural Experimental Station but wants to join this multi-state project, Christina can add a member to the project. The project was renewed and will run from October 1, 2025 to September 30, 2030. The next renewal preparation will start in 2029. The unique strength of this multi-state project is to develop and employ advanced molecular and microscopic tools to characterize and quantify the physical, chemical, biological, and morphological properties and processes of particulate matters in soil, air, and water systems. The team members also develop new sampling, analytical, and measurement tools for studying soil, environmental, and agricultural systems. The group discussed ideas of leveraging archived soil samples in long-term experimental stations across the US for new research. The group should continue to explore and pursue collaboration ideas and opportunities. The group will continue to leverage the ASA-CSSA-SSSA International Annual Meeting to hold symposia and topical sessions to reach broader scientific audience.

The investigators of this multistate research project carry out basic and applied research on physical, chemical, and biological processes in soils, as well as meaningful outreach activities to enhance agricultural productivity and protect human and ecosystem health. The key feature of our group is the focus on microscale mechanisms underlying these processes, the use of advanced analytical techniques (many of them synchrotron-based), and development of new instruments/devices. In the past year the investigators investigated on the impact of long-term no till (NT) on soil hydro-physical properties, microbial water quality, sustainable phosphorus (P) recovery, iron biogeochemistry in agricultural watershed, fate and transport of environmental contaminants, soil wind erosion, and soil evaporation.

Some state-specific research activities are highlighted below to demonstrate the work of this group.

At University of Missouri Dr. Stephen Anderson’s group evaluated the changes in soil hydro-physical properties and soil macropore characteristics derived by X-ray computed tomography (XCT) to a depth of 40 cm, as influenced by the duration [short-(5-yr) and long-(30 yr) term] of NT practice on a previously conventionally-tilled (CT) soil. The treatments included: CT, initiated in 1991; long-term NT (LTNT),1991; and short-term NT (STNT), 2016 established on silty clay loam soil (Udic Haplustolls). Four replicated intact soil cores were collected from each treatment at 0–10, 10–20, 20–30, and 30–40 cm depths. Data showed that the LTNT stored 23% more SOC stock in the 0–40 cm depth as compared to the CT. The LTNT also increased the total nitrogen (TN) stock, soil water retention (SWR), plant available water (PAW) content, and saturated hydraulic conductivity (Ksat) to the depth of 40 cm as compared to the CT. The LTNT increased the XCT-derived soil macroporosity [pores with > 500 μm equivalent cylindrical diameter (ECD)] and pore connectivity up to 20 cm than the CT. However, the STNT implementation increased the SWR at - 0.6, - 5, and - 30 kPa, pore connectivity, and Ksat only for the 0–10 cm depth than the CT. In addition, PAW showed a high correlation with SOC content [Pearson correlation coefficient (δ) = 0.71], and Ksat was highly correlated with the modulus of XCT-derived Euler-Poincar´e characteristic (a measure of local connectivity; δ = 0.61). The study highlighted that pore connectivity and Ksat in surface soil (0–10 cm) were most responsive to the implementation of NT on a previously tilled soil. Data suggest that a longer duration of NT implementation was required to improve the SOC and soil hydro-physical parameters to a deeper soil profile (0–40 cm).

At Auburn University, Dr. Yucheng Feng’s group examined the persistence of host-associated genetic markers in freshwater sediment using laboratory microcosms and quantitative polymerase chain reactions (qPCR). Monitoring microbial water quality has traditionally focused on the water column. Sediment, however, has been shown to be a reservoir for fecal bacteria in aquatic environments, and the persistence of genetic markers in sediment remains understudied. This research constructed sediment microcosms in sentinel chambers and spiked them with sewage, cattle feces, or poultry litter to determine their decay patterns. The genetic markers used in the experiments included bacterial and mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) markers associated with humans (HF183 and HcytB), cattle (CowM3 and QMIBo), and chickens (LA35 and Chicken-ND5), as well as the general Bacteroidales marker AllBac. The results showed that all markers followed either a first-order or biphasic decay pattern, and all host-associated bacterial markers decayed more rapidly than their corresponding mtDNA markers. Additionally, the general marker AllBac remained stable throughout the experiment and showed greater persistence than host-associated bacterial markers. The inactivation of cultivable E. coli was significantly and positively correlated with most markers except for cattle-associated mtDNA. Furthermore, the time to reach one log reduction for E. coli from cattle feces and poultry litter was significantly longer than that from sewage.

At Kansas State University, the group of Dr. Ganga Hettiarachchi carried out student training activities on synchrotron-based X-ray techniques and basic and applied research. First, a few graduate research assistants at Kansas State University gained hands-on experience in synchrotron-based X-ray techniques and data collection at the Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Lightsource (SSRL) and the upgraded Advanced Photon Source (APS).  This training and experience enhance their capabilities and enable them to broaden their expertise in advanced techniques in soil and environmental biogeochemistry.

Second, the team at Kansas State University, together with collaborators from the Civil Engineering Department, continued their investigations of recovered P and N fertilizers from real and synthetic swine wastewater. In addition to characterizing recovered nutrient products using synchrotron-based X-ray absorption near-edge spectroscopy, this work extended to greenhouse experiments to test the usability of the recovered phosphate-based nutrient products as a nutrient source for vegetables and to reduce bioaccessibility of toxic metals in urban soils. The team scaled up the nutrient recovery process for greenhouse experiments. Subsequent characterization of the recovered product showed that the Ca-based products have moderate solubility (less soluble than conventional fertilizers and more soluble than stable Ca phosphates, such as hydroxyapatite). The product was identified as a mixture of octacalcium phosphate and struvite. Findings also showed that the product was effective as a fertilizer source and helped reduce Pb concentrations in plants.

In another study that focuses on understanding the crucial role of changing the chemistry of iron (Fe) in soil in small-scale agricultural watersheds that were under different phosphorus management practices with or without cover crops, the Kansas State team collected iron speciation (XANES) data at the NSLS-II to examine the effects of long-term cover crop growth on soil Fe and its subsequent effects on soil P.

Furthermore, the Kansas State University Team and their Collaborators at Indiana University conducted research at the Advanced Photon Source to obtain Pb speciation of dust samples collected from 34 homes, thereby integrating speciation of dust Pb to better understand differences between total and bioaccessible Pb.

At Michigan State University (MSU) Dr. Wei Zhang’s group studied the fate and transport of environmental contaminants in soil, water, and plant systems. Specifically, his group investigated the interactions of infectious proteinaceous particles (prions, new groups of emerging contaminants) with mode geosorbents using molecular dynamics. The group investigated the crop uptake of mixed metal(loids) (crop metallomes) as influenced by various soil amendments and under various soil water conditions. The group also studied the fate and transport of PFAS in soil, water and plant systems using modeling approaches.

At University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, the group of Dr. Yuri Arai studied soil wind erosion. Specifically, they designed and fabricated the prototype of the wind erosion and soil particle collectors for field experiments. The custom-made apparatus withstands the windspeed up to 33 mph. and effectively collect soil particles as well as biomass (e.g., corn husks and stems). The mass of windborne soil particles in a 1-L bottle can be as high as ten grams per storm event. The windborne particles are suspended as high as 80 cm above the ground. Seven wind erosion-soil particle apparatuses were installed at the buffer zone in the IL agricultural field.  The experiments were conducted in the spring (April-May 2025), following snowmelt and spring rain events. Samples were collected at every 20cm increment in height above the ground. Sample collections were completed for each windstorm event (i.e., every 1-2 weeks) until the field is covered with crop (e.g., V1-V3 for corn). All seven apparatus effectively collected soil particles and biomass samples, 0.5-10 g per event, suggesting the significant quantity of surface soils have been transported in spring. Because late harvest and early arrival of snow and icy weather, the deployment of the apparatus in the fall was not possible. The team plans to repeat the experiment in spring 2026, and modern chemical analysis of soil samples will be followed. 

At University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, Guzman’s group developed a new micro lysimeter, coupled with an environmental chamber and instruments including a camera, relative humidity and temperature sensors, temperature control, and a set of tensiometers. Additionally, a new soil core container was developed and 3D-printed to enable CT scanning of 10 cm-diameter soil cores and to study the development of desiccated soil cracks. Their results indicated that the rate of soil water transfer to the atmosphere is strongly linked to the development of the soil-structure component associated with desiccated soil cracks. On the one hand, soil cracks increase water loss during Phase I; on the other hand, they induce a countereffect in the remaining stages, inhibiting capillary-driven water from deeper layers and reducing the cumulative evaporation depth. Reduced capillarity and increased air intrusion caused by soil cracks lead to faster surface desiccation and prolonged soil-water retention in deeper soil layers, intensifying the hydrologic imbalance along the soil profile.

Peer-reviewed:

1. Al-Awwal, N., S. Mahdi, M. El-Dweik, S.H. Anderson, and T. Wuliji.   Viable E. coli O157:H7 detection based on Föster Resonance Energy Transfer (FRET) system using FITC and TRITC conjugates as molecular probes.  MethodsX 14:103406. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mex.2025.103406
2. Cercioglu, M., R.P. Udawatta, and S.H. Anderson.   Use of cover crops for sustainable management of soil conditions and health.  Soil Security 18:100177.  doi.org/10.1016/j.soisec.2025.100177
3. Lord, S., K.S. Veum, J.D. Wood, J.R. Thomas, S.H. Anderson, K. Clark, and L.L. Sullivan.   Soil nutrients influence floristic distribution and quality across remnant and degraded grasslands.  Restoration Ecology  33, No. 7, e70127. doi: 10.1111/rec.70127.
4. Meinert, J., K. Clark, and S.H. Anderson.   Developing and assessing new curriculum for Missouri future soil evaluators. Natural Sciences Education 54:e70013.  https://doi.org/10.1002/nse2.70013
5. Ren, W. and Feng. 2025. Differential decay of host-associated bacterial and mitochondrial DNA markers in sediment microcosms. Water Res. (accepted)
6. Galloway, L. A., A. V. Gamble, E. A. Guertal, Feng, and Z. Ogles. 2025. Potential of ammonium thiosulfate and potassium thiosulfate to inhibit nitrification in soils. Soil Sci. Soc. Am. J. 89:e70053. https://doi.org/10.1002/saj2.70053
7. Wekumbura, C., G.M. Hettiarachchi, W. Hargrove, Q. Ma, M. Newville, A. Lanzirotti, and C. Sobin. 2025. Mitigating lead bioaccessibility in metal(loid)s contaminated alkaline soils using soil amendments: Evaluating efficacy using in vitro bioaccessibility, sequential extraction, and synchrotron techniques, Journal of Haz. Mat. 497, 139742, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhazmat.2025.139742.
8. de Oliveira Demarco, J., S. Hutchinson, P. Parameswaran, G. Hettiarachchi, and Moore, Trisha. 2025. Removal of antibiotics from swine wastewater using an environmentally friendly biochar: performance and mechanisms. ACS Omega. 10: 7711-7721. https://10.1021/acsomega.4c07266.
9. Gamage, K.H.H., G.M. Hettiarachchi, N.O. Nelson, K. Roozeboom, G. Kluitenberg, P. Tomlinson, and D. Presley. 2025. Phosphorus and cover crop management practices affect phosphorus speciation in soils and eroded sediments. Soil Sci. Soc. Am. 54:382-396. https://10.1002/jeq2.20677.
10. Stewart, R.D., M. Flury, H. Ajami, R.G. Anderson, T.R. Green, Y. Jin, A. Patrignani, R. Shillito, W. Zhang, N.R.A. Najm, …, F. Zhang. 2025. Emerging issues and research opportunities in vadose zone processes. Vadose Zone Journal, 24, e70030. https://doi.org/10.1002/vzj2.70030

Presentations/Abstracts:

1. Anderson, S.H., and R.P. Udawatta. 2025. Improving soil health with agroforestry.  North American Agroforestry Conference Abstracts.  23-25 July, Columbia, Missouri.
2. Anderson, S.H., and R.P. Udawatta.   Agroforestry for improving soil health.  2025 CANVAS International Meeting Abstracts.  9-12 November, Salt Lake City, Utah.
3. Anderson, S.H.   Water movement in soils.  Missouri Smallflows Organization Conference Abstracts.  20-22 January, Columbia, Missouri.
4. Anderson, S.H. 2025. Water movement in soils in relation to onsite wastewater treatment systems. Missouri Smallflows Organization Conference Abstracts.  20-22 January, Columbia, Missouri.
5. Li, C., Q. Cao, Z.D. Hayden, K. Steinke, H. Li, and W. Zhang. 2025. Can soil amendments influence metallome in carrots (Daucus carota subsp. sativus)? ASA, CSSA, SSSA International Annual Meeting, CANVAS 2025, Salt Lake City, UT. November 9-12 (oral presentation).
6. Cao, Q., H. Li, K. Steinke, Z.D. Hayden, C. Li, and W. Zhang. 2025. Carrot metallome is primarily controlled by growth stage rather than soil water conditions. ASA, CSSA, SSSA International Annual Meeting, CANVAS 2025, Salt Lake City, UT. November 9-12 (oral presentation).
7. Benedict, A., Q. Yuan, H. Li, J. Bartz, and W. Zhang. 2025. Prion protein sorption to model mineral surfaces: A molecular dynamics study. ASA, CSSA, SSSA International Annual Meeting, CANVAS 2025, Salt Lake City, UT. November 9-12 (oral presentation).
8. Zhang, W. 2025. Environmental contaminants in soil, water, and plant systems: One health perspective. ASA, CSSA, SSSA International Annual Meeting, CANVAS 2025, Salt Lake City, UT. November 9-12 (oral presentation).
9. Li, R., J. Yi, H. Li, and W. Zhang. 2025. Predicting bioconcentration factors and concentrations of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances in plants using machine learning. ASA, CSSA, SSSA International Annual Meeting, CANVAS 2025, Salt Lake City, UT. November 9-12 (oral presentation).
10. Zhang, W. 2025. Research trends on environmental contaminants: One health perspective. 2025 International Workshop on Agro-Environmental Health, Nanjing, China, October 11-14 (invited oral presentation).
11. Zhang, W. 2025. Environmental contaminants in soil, water, and plant systems: One health perspective. Workshop on advancing tropical agriculture resilience and sustainable development in southeast Asia, Sanya, China, July 1-4 (invited oral presentation).
12. Zhang, W. 2025. PFAS in agriculture: what you should know. Great Lakes Crop Summit 2025, Mount Pleasant, MI, January 30, 2025.

 Extension/outreach:

Zhang, W. 2025. PFAS in agriculture: what you should know. Great Lakes Crop Summit 2025, Mount Pleasant, MI, January 30, 2025.