**AWARDS ISSUED PRIOR TO JANUARY 20, 2025, WERE FUNDED UNDER PREVIOUS ADMINISTRATIONS AND MAY NOT REFLECT THE PRIORITIES AND POLICIES OF THE CURRENT ADMINISTRATION.** NITROGEN OXIDES (NOX) EMITTED FROM AGRICULTURAL SOILS ARE A LEADING SOURCE OF AIR POLLUTION, ESPECIALLY IN RURAL COMMUNITIES. ONE POTENTIAL STRATEGY TO MITIGATE NOX EMISSIONS IS TO AMEND SOILS WITH BIOCHAR. WHILE BIOCHAR HAS BEEN SHOWN TO INCREASE SOIL CARBON, REDUCE SOIL GREEHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS, AND IMPROVE CROP YIELD, LITTLE IS KNOWN ABOUT THE POTENTIAL OF BIOCHAR TO CURB SOIL NOX EMISSIONS. THE OBJECTIVE OF THIS PREDOCTORAL FELLOWSHIP RESEARCH PROJECT IS TO TEST WHETHER BIOCHAR APPLICATION REDUCES SOIL NOX EMISSIONS THROUGH A TWO-YEAR FIELD STUDY AT AN ALMOND ORCHARD IN CALIFORNIA'S CENTRAL VALLEY. WE WILL ALSO INVESTIGATE THE MICROBIAL MECHANISMS THROUGH WHICH BIOCHAR INFLUENCES NOX EMISSIONS, AND THE OPTIMAL BIOCHAR FEEDSTOCK AND APPLICATION RATE FOR NOX MITIGATION. THE AFRI PRIORITY AREA FOCUS OF THIS PROJECT IS BIOENERGY, NATURAL RESOURCES AND ENVIRONMENT AS I WILL TEST THE POTENTIAL OF BIOCHAR TO MITGATE NOX POLLUTION FROM AGRICULTURAL SOILS. THIS PROJECT WILL ALSO ADDRESSPREDOCTORAL FELLOWSHIP GOALS BY SUPPORTING A PHD CANDIDATE DETERMINED TO ADDRESS AGRICULTURAL CHALLENGES THROUGH VALUE-ADDED INNOVATION, AS BIOCHAR PRODUCTION CREATES A VALUABLE PRODUCT OUT OF AGRICULTURAL WASTE. THIS PROJECT IS RELEVANT TO THE AFRI EWD STRATEGIC GOAL 4: FACILITATE RURAL PROSPERITY AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND STRATEGIC GOAL 5 STRENGTHEN THE STEWARDSHIP OF PRIVATE LANDS THROUGH TECHNOLOGY AND RESEARCH AS IT TESTS THE POTENTIAL OF BIOCHAR, A NOVEL TECHNOLOGY, TO REDUCE SOIL NOX EMISSIONS, WHICH COULD HELP DEVELOP A CIRCULAR ECONOMY BASED ON THE CONVERSION OF ORCHARD BIOMASS INTO BIOCHAR, WHILE CREATING JOBS AND IMPROVED AIR QUALITY IN RURAL COMMUNITIES.