Michigan State University researchers have received a $750,000 grant from USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture to evaluate soil health changes from intensive rainfall and/or drought.
The project will be led by Alexandra Kravchenko, a professor in the Department of Plant, Soil and Microbial Sciences. Her research primarily delves into understanding the processes that drive soil carbon sequestration and greenhouse gas emission.
The research team includes:
Sarah Evans, associate professor and microbial ecologist in the Department of Integrative Biology and the K. Kellogg Biological Station. Andrey Guber, professor in the Department of Plant, Soil and Microbial Sciences, who specializes in soil physics, hydrology and modeling transport of microbes in soil.
James Moran, an associate professor in the departments of Integrative Biology, and Plant, Soil and Microbial Sciences, who studies nutrient exchange in soil. The group will explore the effects summer weather patterns of extreme droughts and intensive rainfalls have on soils in Midwest corn, soybean and wheat production systems. Kravchenko said these shifts in extreme weather they are already occurring.
According to the National Weather Service, many areas of Michigan experienced one of the driest months of May on record, stunting the progress of many crops across the state.
“There is a lot of research on climate change and agriculture, but there are few reliable quantitative assessments of the implications of drought or excess moisture on soil health,” Kravchenko said.
“This is due in part to the significant expense of field-scale precipitation simulations, as well as the variety of management practices used by farmers. To generate a more comprehensive understanding of the issue, we’re looking at the problem under different management techniques and rainfall scenarios.”
Researchers are focusing on the two primary determinants of soil health: structure and organic matter.
Soil structure refers to the arrangement of soil particles and is the driver of how easily water and air can move therein.
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Soil organic matter is all of the living and dead material within soil that is decomposed by microbes, helping to stabilize soil structure, fertilize the soil, and feed soil organisms.
The four-year research project will be initiated at the W.K. Kellogg Biological Station, home to a Long-Term Ecological Research (LTER) program, which is part of a nationwide network established by the National Science Foundation to better understand the ecology of U.S. cropping systems.
The team will use rainout shelters from an established LTER project that began in 2021 to create controlled precipitation conditions.
Researchers are investigating conventional tillage and no-till management — the two tillage practices most common in the Midwest — and comparing them with “old field” land, areas that were previously farmed but have been left to grow herbaceous annual vegetation.
Source: michiganfarmnews.com
Photo Credit: Michigan State University
Categories: Michigan, Crops