SAES-422 Multistate Research Activity Accomplishments Report

Sections

Status: Approved

Basic Information

Participants

Alford, Shannon sralfor@clemson.edu Clemson U; Atkins, Micheal atkins2@clemson.edu Clemson U (virtual); Chim, Bee bee@okstate.edu OK St U; Davis, Jessica Jld0084@auburn.edu Auburn U; Drescher, Gerson gldresch@uark.edu U of AR; Edralin, Don don.edralin@ncagr.gov NC DA; Farmaha, Bhupinder bfarmah@clemson.edu Clemson U; Filippi, John jfilippi@uada.edu U of AR; Finch, Bronc bfinch@uada.edu U of AR; Florence, Robert RFLOREN2@UTK.EDU U of TN; Forrest, Sam forres@clemson.edu Clemson U (virtual); Gatiboni, Luke luke_gatiboni@ncsu.edu NC St U; Grove, John jgrove@uky.edu U of KY; Gruener, Chandler chg0039@auburn.edu Auburn U; Herron, Cindy cherro@uark.edu U of AR; Hicks, Kristin Kristin.hicks@ncagr.gov NC DA; Kariuki, Solomon s.kariuki@uky.edu U of KY (virtual); Keppler Bochnak, Angelique amvrk@ufl.edu U of FL; Khulal, Aarati aaratik@vt.edu VT; Lessl, Jay jlessl@uga.edu U of GA; Majs, Franta fmajs@ufl.edu U of FL; McCray, Barbara barbara.mccray@okstate.edu OK St U; Mengez, Gabriela ga020@uark.edu U of AR; Morris, Ashley aam009@uark.edu U of AR; Mylavarapu, Rao raom@ufl.edu U of FL; Olson, Greg golson@agcenter.lsu.edu LSU; Othieno, Aron aothien@okstate.edu OK St U; Parvej, Rasel mrparvej@missouri.edu U of MO (representative from NCERA-013); Pena-Yewtukhiw, Eugenia Yewtukhiw@mail.wvu.edu WV U; Reed, Vaughn vr401@msstate.edu MS St U; Singh, Rajveer rajveers@uark.edu U of AR; Slaton, Nathan nslaton@uark.edu U of AR; Smith, Ana amosmith@uada.edu U of AR; Sotomayor, David david.sotomayor@upr.edu U of PR; Vieira, Leandro lvieira@agcenter.lsu.edu LA St U; Villines, Cheri cvilline@uark.edu U of AR; William, Tabitha tabithaw@uark.edu U of AR

SERA-IEG-6-NIMSS-Report-2026_FINAL.pdf

SERA6 Business Meeting Minutes

Collaborative Projects and Publications

  • Discussion of SERA6 white papers and need to update- considering the closure of the MS St U soil-testing laboratory and other threats to operations

Public Agricultural Services/Soil Testing Laboratories: their value and contributions in the Land Grant University

  • Soil Test Terminology Committee Report: Vaughn Reed and Bronc Finch leading; presentation provided during joint plenary session
  • Discussion of need to generate and implement survey to stakeholders regarding support of public agricultural service laboratories (Bronc Finch-U of AR and Greg Olson-LSU will lead)
  • Discussion to update plant tissue sufficiency ranges (Kristin Hicks-NC DA and Jessica Davis- Auburn U will lead)
  • Decision to develop groundwater report (Bee Chim- OK St U and Jay Lessl- UGA will lead)
  • Administrative Update
    • Research Administrative Advisor- Nathan Slaton
  • State Reports: AL, AR, FL, GA, KY (virtual), LA, MS, NC, OK, PR (oral), SC, TN, TX, VA, WV (not received)

 Business Items

  • Election of new SERA6 secretary for 2-year term
    • Reed Vaughn MS St U was elected
  • Reminder to register on NIMSS (QR code provided)
  • Reminder to sign up for email listserv
  • Decide on 2026 meeting site
    • Established State Rotation- AR,GA,OK,SC,AL,TN,(WV-2026),TX,MS,NC,VA,LA,KY,FL
    • Because no representative was present from TX, we decided on MS. We will return to TX in 2028 or 2029, as 2028 is a national joint meeting year, which should be hosted by the NECC1012 group.
  • Installation of next SERA6 Chair- Robert Florence (University of TN)
  • Group photo: Photos are available at https://soillab.tennessee.edu/2026-pictures

 

*Attachment includes 1) Program/Agenda for joint meeting of scientific presentations with poster session

Print-Program-5.5-x-8.5--SERA-6--MASTPAWG-(1).pdf

Accomplishments

OUTCOMES

Agricultural Analysis for Stakeholders and Researchers: Thirteen reporting laboratories (AL, AR, FL, GA, KY, LA, MS, NC, OK, SC, TN, TX, & VA) provided routine soil analysis on 760,599 soil samples for clients and researchers including fertilizer and lime recommendations on a large percentage of the samples (stakeholder or non-research samples). Analyses were also completed on 47,015 water samples, 52,337 plant samples, 30,292 forage and feed samples, and 19,249 byproduct/manure samples, facilitating sound nutrient management, animal health, and water quality (Appendix, Figure 1 & Table 2).

OUTPUTS

Manure DB: Seven state institutions from SERA6 (University of Arkansas, University of Georgia, University of Florida, North Carolina Department of Agriculture, Oklahoma State University, Clemson University, and Stephen F Austin University) have provided data for the national Manure DB project (http://manuredb.umn.edu/). This project partners with laboratories and universities that analyze manure to create a manure nutrient database in collaboration with the Minnesota Supercomputing Institute. The project is ongoing as datasets are requested for continuing years.

 

FRST Project: The current NRSP-11 Project evolved from the FRST Project, and its formation was catalyzed by SERA-6 members at the annual meetings held in Athens, GA, and Raleigh, NC. The NRSP11 is composed of over 100 individuals representing more than 40 land-grant institutions, USDA scientists and administrators, and members of the ag and soil testing industry. Many of the FRST collaborators are members of one of the four existing multi-state soil testing projects: NCERA-13, NECC-1012, SERA-6, and WERA-103. The four regional soil testing groups are represented on the FRST/NRSP11 executive committee. SERA-6 is represented on the NRSP11 executive committee by Dr. Luke Gatiboni (regional lead) and Nathan Slaton (Overall Project Lead). Official members of NRSP11 from the South Region include Gerson Drescher (University of Arkansas), Bhupinder Farmaha (Clemson), Bronc Finch (University of Arkansas), Luke Gatiboni (North Carolina State University), John Grove (University of Kentucky), David Kissel (retired, University of Georgia), Jay Lessl (University of Georgia), Rao Mylavarapu (University of Florida), Deanna Osmond (retired, North Carolina State University), Nathan Slaton (University of Arkansas), Ana Morales-Ona Smith (University of Arkansas), & Jim Wang (Louisiana State University), but many other members participate.  The South Region has representatives on the Lime survey Committee [Nathan Slaton, Frank Sikora (retired, R), Deanna Osmond (R)], lime calibration committee [Shannon Alford, Luke Gatiboni, David Kissel (R), Deanna Osmond (R), Vaughn Reed, Nathan Slaton], Sulfur Minimum Dataset Committee (Luke Gatiboni, Deanna Osmond (R), Nathan Slaton] Calibration Committee, and Soil Test Survey Committee (Luke Gatiboni, Deanna Osmond (R), Nathan Slaton].  

 

Listserv: The SERA6 groups maintain an active listserv to support laboratory operations and personnel decisions. The listserv is hosted by UGA and updated annually, to maintain current participants. In 2025, 28 topics were discussed amongst the laboratories using the listserv. (Appendix, Table 1)

 

Website: SERA6 has maintained a website for its members and the public to access for decades, hosted by Clemson University, the University of Georgia, and currently the University of Tennessee. All publications, minutes, photos, and lab/member lists have been migrated to the new platform as of 2026.  Event details and updates for the upcoming 2027 winter mid-year and summer annual meeting will be posted on the website.

The website address for the new webpage is live at https://soillab.tennessee.edu/sera-6/.

 

ACTIVITIES

  1. Vaughn Reed of Mississippi State University volunteered to lead a SERA6 project based on developing a proposal for universal soil test level terms for the Southern region. This project involved representation on the planning committee from 10 of the 14 states within SERA-6. The committee put together a survey of the region to gauge interest and concerns on changing our current recommendation terminology schemes represented in the region. The survey  was sent out on April 17, 2026, and was closed on May 26, 2026. The survey was sent out across the US and scientific community of North America, and we received 91 responses, 34% of which were from the SERA-6 region. This committee is still ongoing and plans to make a recommendation to the SERA-6 working group this coming fall, as well as submitting a peer-reviewed manuscript outlining the results.
  2. Soil Depth Study: Ten states (AR, FL, GA, LA, MS, NC, OK, TN, VA, & WV) contributed 62 total soils for the Soil Sample Depth Project coordinated by NRSP11 and led by Dr. Steve Culman (Oregon State Univ). A manuscript is being developed with all contributors as co-authors.
  3. Lime Calibration Study: Thirteen states (AL, AR, FL, GA, KY, LA, MS, NC, SC, TN, TX & VA) collected 40 soils (33% of total soils) for the national lime calibration trial coordinated by NRSP11 and led by Dr. Amy Shober, University of Delaware, & Bob Miller, ALP). The study is being coordinated and performed at the University of Arkansas’ Marianna Soil Test Laboratory. Several SERA6 laboratories are contributing to the effort to characterize the soil’s chemical and physical properties to ensure their state’s lime requirement procedures are represented in the final database and perform pilot trials to establish the protocol with preliminary data (see sub-bullet). In addition to soil collection, SERA-6 members and laboratories have been prominently involved in NRSP11 research including the lime calibration project where 148 soils were characterized for a suite of routine soil test properties and buffer pH methods used in the Southern Region by Auburn University, Clemson University, LSU AgCenter, University of Arkansas, University of Georgia, and the University of Kentucky.
    1. Bee Chim (Oklahoma State Univ) and David Hardy/Don Edralin (North Carolina) led pilot trials to collect information comparing the effect of soil mass (scooped vs weighed soil samples) on soil pH and modified-Mehlich buffer pH, respectively. Results will be reported at the 2026 annual meeting.
  4. NRCS CIG: In 2023, NRSP11 received funding from NRCS totaling nearly $1.5 million for an umbrella project ($630,861) led by scientists at the University of Arkansas (Slaton) and NC State University (Gatiboni, Buol, and Osmond) and from SERA-6 participants lead by Dr. Jim Wang (LSU AgCenter, $437,996). The Southern CIG project will mature in January 2027.
  5. Bourns, M. (Purdue), Shober, A.L. (Univ. Delaware), Gatiboni, L. (North Carolina State Univ.), Reed, V. (Mississippi State Univ), & Slaton, N. (Arkansas). (2025, submitted) PARTNERSHIP: Lime Logic - Standardizing lime recommendations to improve soil health and build agricultural productivity. Funding Opportunity USDA-NIFA-AFRI-011134. Purdue University Lead Institution. $866,866 (Not funded)

Impacts

  1. • The most tangible short-term impact of the SERA6 workgroup to stakeholders is the collective service provided to the agricultural industry in the Southern region. Collectively, the thirteen (13) reporting SERA6 laboratories provided soil testing for more than 760,000+ soil samples, 47,000+ water and forage samples, 52,000+ plant samples, and 19,000+ byproduct/manure samples. (Appendix, Figure 1 & Table 2). SERA6 members are major contributors to their institution/agency’s agricultural research, Extension, and service efforts. Many state labs provide additional testing for soilless media, feed, and other sample types such as fertilizer, nematodes, microbiological, soil health, and research.
  2. • The mid- to long-term impact of SERA6 is evident from its impact on the analytical methods used in scientific reporting. The 2014 publication entitled “Soil Test Methods from the Southeastern United States” has been cited 162 times since it was first published, and 27 times in 2025. (Soil Test Methods from the Southeastern United States - Google Scholar). Scientists routinely use the methods in this manual or use it to cite the methods used by the SERA6 service laboratories that provide analytical data on byproduct, plant, soil, & water samples. Likewise, another publication from 1994 “Reference Sufficiency Ranges for Plant Analysis in the Southern Region of the United-States” has been cited 290 times since it was published, including 22 in 2025 (reference sufficiency ranges for plant analysis in... - Google Scholar). Both publications represent foundational work from research and Extension scientists participating in SERA6. The Zhang et al (2021) manuscript on variations in soil test recommendations in the USA has been cited 31 times since publication, including 9 times in 2025.
  3. • The faculty and staff working the SERA6 laboratories are highly collaborative, and the group collectively serves as resources for one another with interactions at the SERA6 annual meeting, SERA6 LISTSERV, and NRSP11 committees. The members help each other troubleshoot lab problems, communicate about equipment performance and durability, lab supplies & services, discuss new technology and methods, and position vacancies. Evidence of the impact is that 15 of the 15 states in the Southern Region were represented at the annual meeting, and one representative from the NCERA-13 always attends as an envoy.
  4. • The faculty and staff of the SERA6 laboratories aim to collaborate on a national level as well as regional. To this end, the 2026 annual plenary sessions comprised a joint meeting with MASTPAWG (Mid-Atlantic Soil-Testing and Plant Analysis Workgroup) and NRSP11 membership, along with attendees from commercial laboratories.

Grants, Contracts & Other Resources Obtained

Publications

Multi-Institution Collaborative Publications

  1. Bourns, M., Buol, G., Spargo, J. T., Gatiboni, L., Yost, M. A., Slaton, N. A., & Osmond, D. L. (2025). The Fertilizer Recommendation Support Tool: A relational database and decision interface tool. Agricultural & Environmental Letters, 10, e70016. https://doi.org/10.1002/ael2.70016  
  2. Jones, J. D., Miller, R. O., Spargo, J. T., Sikora, F. J., Rakkar, M. K., Slaton, N. A., & Osmond, D. L. (2025). Assessment of soil pH and lime requirement methods and recommended lime rates for six reference soils across U.S. land grant institutions. Soil Science Society of America Journal, 89,e70116. https://doi.org/10.1002/saj2.70116 
  3. Lyons, S.E., Arnall, D.B., Ashford-Kornburger, D., Brouder, S.M., Christian, E., Dobermann, A., Haefele, S.M., Haegee, J., Helmers, M.J., Jin, V.L., Margenot, A.J., McGrath, J.M., Morgan, K.T., Murrell, S.T., Osmond, D.L. Pelster, D.E., Slaton, N.A., Vadas, P.A., Ventera, R.T., Volenec, J.J., & Wagner-Riddle, C. (2025). Field trial guidelines for evaluating enhanced efficiency fertilizers. Soil Science Society of America Journal, 89,https://doi.org/10.1002/saj2.20787
  4. Bourns, M.A., Osmond, D.L., Slaton, N.A., Spargo, J.T., Gatiboni, L., Lacey, C., Sawyer, D., & Yost, M. (2025). Stakeholder engagement with soil testing: Practices and perspectives in U.S. agriculture[Data set]. Ag Data Commons.  https://doi.org/10.15482/USDA.ADC/29656808    
  5. Ortel, C. C., Roberts, T. L., Hoegenauer, K. A., Slaton, N. A., Ross, W. J., Purcell, L. C., & Parvej, M. R. (2026). Development of calibrated in-season corrective potassium applications for irrigated soybean. Agronomy Journal, 118,https://doi.org/10.1002/agj2.70380  
  6. Bourns, M., Osmond, D., Slaton, N.A., Spargo, J.T., Gatiboni, L., Lacey, C., Sawyer, D., & Yost, M. (2026). Stakeholder engagement with soil testing: practices and perspectives in U.S. agriculture. Agronomy Journal, 118, e70379. https://doi.org/10.1002/agj2.70379
  7. Sinclair, T. R., Jafarikouhini, N., Turner, L., Gatiboni, L., Phillips, S., Diaz, D. R., … Margenot, A. (2025, September 8). Triple super phosphate impact on maize transpiration and root hydraulic conductance on drying soils collected from six locations in the United States. PLANT AND SOIL. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-025-07851-3
  8. Bourns, M., Osmond, D., Slaton, N., Gatiboni, L., Spargo, J., & Yost, M. (2025). Stakeholder Perspectives on Soil Test-Based Fertilizer Recommendations. FRST Fact Sheet #10. https://soiltestfrst.org/resources/how-stakeholders-view-soil-testing
  9. Bourns, M., Slaton, N., Osmond, D., Gatiboni, L., Spargo, J., & Yost, M. (2026). Stakeholder Insights on Soil Sampling and Fertilizer Management Practices Stakeholder Insights on Soil Sampling and Fertilizer Management Practices. FRST Fact Sheet #11. https://soiltestfrst.org/resources/how-stakeholders-view-soil-sampling/ 
  10. Singh, R., Miller, R., Spargo, J., Kissel, D., Shober, A., Gatiboni, L., & Slaton, N. (2026). Soil pH Response to Lime Source and Incubation Period: A Pilot Study to Guide a National Lime Calibration Project. FRST Fact Sheet #12. https://soiltestfrst.org/resources/pilot-study-to-guide-a-national-lime-calibration-project/
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