UNDER THE ECOLOGICAL INTENSIFICATION FRAMEWORK, TILLAGE PRACTICES HAVE RECEIVED A LOT OF ATTENTION DUE TO THEIR EFFECTS ON BELOWGROUND ECOSYSTEM SERVICES AND SOIL MICROBIAL COMMUNITIES. WHILE TILLAGE IS AN IMPORTANT PART OF MODERN AGRICULTURAL SYSTEMS, ITS EFFECT ON THE ASSOCIATIONS BETWEEN SOIL MICROBES, SOIL HEALTH, AND CROP PRODUCTION ARE POORLY UNDERSTOOD. A BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF THE EFFECT OF TILLAGE ON MICROBES COULD BENEFIT AGRICULTURAL SUSTAINABILITY AND FOOD SECURITY, AS MICROBES CAN BENEFIT SOIL HEALTH AND CROP PRODUCTION. THIS WORK WILL IDENTIFY HOW TILLAGE INFLUENCE SOIL MICROBES BY ASSESSING: 1) HOW TILLAGE METHODS (E.G. NO TILL, CHISEL TILL, AND CONVENTIONAL TILL) ALTER MICROBIAL ROLES IN SOIL HEALTH AND CROP PRODUCTION, AND 2) HOW TILLAGE EFFECTS INTERACT WITH DROUGHT AND SOIL ACIDIFICATION TO INFLUENCE THE BENEFITS PROVIDED BY MICROBES TO AGRICULTURAL SYSTEMS.BY ANALYSING THE DNA OF SOIL MICROBES, AS WELL AS SOIL HEALTH METRICS, WE WILL FIRST ASSES HOW DIFFERENT TILLAGE METHODS EFFECT THE ABILITY OF MICROBES TO PROMOTE SOIL HEALTH AND CROP PRODUCTION. THEN, WE WILL GROW CORN PLANTS IN A GREENHOUSE USING SOIL COLLECTED FROM NO TILL AND CONVENTIONALLY TILLED PLOTS. THESE PLANTS WILL BE SUBJECTED TO EITHER DROUGHT OR SOIL ACIDIFICATION TREATMENTS, AND WE WILL AGAIN USE DNA METHODS TO ASSESS HOW TILLAGE INFLUENCES THE ABILITY OF MICROBES TO PROMOTE CROP PRODUCTION DURING STRESSFULL CONDITIONS.RESULTS FROM THIS WORK HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO BENEFIT SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE PRACTICES AND FOOD SECURITY, BY IMPROVING OUR UNDERSTANDING OF HOW SOIL MICROBES PROMOTE SOIL HEALTH AND CROP PRODUCTION. FURTHERMORE, THIS RESEARCH WILL HELP PREPARE PROJECT DIRECTOR JACOB HOPKINS FOR CAREERS IN INVESTIGATING THE IMPORTANCE OF SOIL MICROBES IN AGRICULTURAL SYSTEMS.