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** AWARDS ISSUED PRIOR TO JANUARY 20, 2025, WERE FUNDED UNDER PREVIOUS ADMINISTRATIONS AND MAY NOT REFLECT THE PRIORITIES AND POLICIES OF THE CURRENT ADMINISTRATION.** MUTUALISMS ARE A KEY BIOTIC INTERACTION THAT UNDERLIE THE MAINTENANCE OF BIODIVERSITY AND MULTIPLE ECOSYSTEM FUNCTIONS IN GRAZING LANDS. IN PARTICULAR, LEGUME PLANTS PARTNER WITH BACTERIA CALLED RHIZOBIA IN A CLOSE BENEFICIAL RELATIONSHIP. RHIZOBIA LIVING WITHIN LEGUME ROOTS CAN OBTAIN NITROGEN (N) FROM THE ATMOSPHERE AND PROVIDE IT TO THEIR LEGUME HOSTS IN A USEABLE FORM, A METHOD OF OBTAINING N THAT MOST OTHER PLANTS DO NOT HAVE ACCESS TO. THE FIXATION OF N FROM THE ATMOSPHERE THROUGH THE LEGUME-RHIZOBIA PARTNERSHIP COMPRISES THE LARGEST NATURAL SOURCE OF N INTO GRAZING LANDS, PROMOTING HEALTHY FORAGE PRODUCTION AND SOIL HEALTH. LEGUMES ARE THE THIRD MOST DIVERSE FAMILY OF PLANTS ON EARTH, WITH MANY LEGUME SPECIES COMMONLY FOUND ACROSS AGROECOSYSTEMS. YET, THE VAST DIVERSITY WITHIN THIS PLANT FAMILY IS OFTEN OVERLOOKED, WHICH CAN LEAD TO INEFFICIENT OR INEFFECTUAL MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES IN GRAZING SYSTEMS. LEGUME SPECIES EXIST ALONG A SPECTRUM FROM SPECIALISTS TO GENERALISTS IN THEIR PREFERENCES FOR RHIZOBIAL PARTNERS. SPECIFICALLY, SOME LEGUME SPECIES ARE EXPECTED TO BE ABLE TO PARTNER WITH A WIDE RANGE OF RHIZOBIAL BACTERIA, WHILE OTHERS FORM MORE SPECIFIC ASSOCIATIONS WITH JUST ONE OR A FEW BACTERIAL TYPES. THEORY AND LIMITED DATA INDICATE THAT THESE PARTNERSHIP PREFERENCES CAN HAVE DRAMATIC IMPACTS ON THE ABILITY OF DIFFERENT LEGUME SPECIES TO GROW TOGETHER, BUT THESE PATTERNS REMAIN POORLY CHARACTERIZED IN GRAZING SYSTEMS.IN THIS SEED GRANT, WE AIM TO COMBINE FIELD AND GREENHOUSE DATA TO UNDERSTAND THE MECHANISMS DRIVING LEGUME-RHIZOBIA COEXISTENCE IN CATTLE PASTURES ACROSS NORTH CAROLINA. THE PROJECT TEAM WILL INCLUDE THE PROJECT DIRECTOR, ONE GRADUATE STUDENT, AND TWO UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS. WE WILL FIRST DETERMINE THE RHIZOBIAL PARTNERS ASSOCIATED WITH FIVE COMMON SPECIES OF PASTURE LEGUMES ACROSS FIVE NORTH CAROLINA DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE FIELD STATIONS. THIS WILL ALLOW US TO DETERMINE WHERE THESE LEGUME SPECIES EXIST ALONG A GRADIENT OF SPECIFICITY FOR RHIZOBIAL PARTNERS. THEN WE WILL DETERMINE WHETHER LEGUME SPECIFICITY IMPACTS THE ABILITY OF THESE SPECIES TO GROW TOGETHER AND THEIR LANDSCAPE DISTRIBUTIONS. FINALLY, WE WILL DELVE INTO THE MECHANISMS UNDERLYING THE LEGUME DISTRIBUTION PATTERNS WE OBSERVE IN THE FIELD THROUGH MECHANISM GREENHOUSE STUDIES. RESULTS OF THIS WORK WILL BE DISSEMINATED TO SCIENTIFIC AUDIENCES THROUGH PEER-REVIEWED PUBLICATIONS, AS WELL AS TO SHAREHOLDERS AT FIELD DAYS ORGANIZED BY THE NORTH CAROLINA DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE FIELD STATIONS WHERE THE WORK WILL BE CONDUCTED. TOGETHER, THIS INFORMATION WILL IDENTIFY KEY MECHANISMS DRIVING LEGUME SPECIES INTERACTIONS AND LAY THE GROUNDWORK FOR A FUTURE FULL PROPOSAL TO USDA NIFA THAT EXPLICITLY LINKS THESE INTERACTIONS TO THE CRITICAL N INPUTS THAT THESE SPECIES PROVIDE. OVERALL, THIS KNOWLEDGE GAINED THROUGH THIS WORK WILL DIRECTLY IMPROVE OUR UNDERSTANDING OF THE DRIVERS OF NITROGEN AVAILABILITY IN GRAZING LANDS OF THE SOUTHERN UNITED STATES, WHICH WILL IMPR,OVE OUR ABILITY TO PROMOTE SUSTAINABLE LAND MANAGEMENT FOR CATTLE PRODUCERS IN THE REGION.

$300,000FY2024National Institute of Food and AgricultureUSDA

University Of North Carolina At Greensboro

Investigators

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** AWARDS ISSUED PRIOR TO JANUARY 20, 2025, WERE FUNDED UNDER PREVIOUS ADMINISTRATIONS AND MAY NOT REFLECT THE PRIORITIES AND POLICIES OF THE CURRENT ADMINISTRATION.** MUTUALISMS ARE A KEY BIOTIC INTERACTION THAT UNDERLIE THE MAINTENANCE OF BIODIVERSITY AND MULTIPLE ECOSYSTEM FUNCTIONS IN GRAZING LANDS. IN PARTICULAR, LEGUME PLANTS PARTNER WITH BACTERIA CALLED RHIZOBIA IN A CLOSE BENEFICIAL RELATIONSHIP. RHIZOBIA LIVING WITHIN LEGUME ROOTS CAN OBTAIN NITROGEN (N) FROM THE ATMOSPHERE AND PROVIDE IT TO THEIR LEGUME HOSTS IN A USEABLE FORM, A METHOD OF OBTAINING N THAT MOST OTHER PLANTS DO NOT HAVE ACCESS TO. THE FIXATION OF N FROM THE ATMOSPHERE THROUGH THE LEGUME-RHIZOBIA PARTNERSHIP COMPRISES THE LARGEST NATURAL SOURCE OF N INTO GRAZING LANDS, PROMOTING HEALTHY FORAGE PRODUCTION AND SOIL HEALTH. LEGUMES ARE THE THIRD MOST DIVERSE FAMILY OF PLANTS ON EARTH, WITH MANY LEGUME SPECIES COMMONLY FOUND ACROSS AGROECOSYSTEMS. YET, THE VAST DIVERSITY WITHIN THIS PLANT FAMILY IS OFTEN OVERLOOKED, WHICH CAN LEAD TO INEFFICIENT OR INEFFECTUAL MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES IN GRAZING SYSTEMS. LEGUME SPECIES EXIST ALONG A SPECTRUM FROM SPECIALISTS TO GENERALISTS IN THEIR PREFERENCES FOR RHIZOBIAL PARTNERS. SPECIFICALLY, SOME LEGUME SPECIES ARE EXPECTED TO BE ABLE TO PARTNER WITH A WIDE RANGE OF RHIZOBIAL BACTERIA, WHILE OTHERS FORM MORE SPECIFIC ASSOCIATIONS WITH JUST ONE OR A FEW BACTERIAL TYPES. THEORY AND LIMITED DATA INDICATE THAT THESE PARTNERSHIP PREFERENCES CAN HAVE DRAMATIC IMPACTS ON THE ABILITY OF DIFFERENT LEGUME SPECIES TO GROW TOGETHER, BUT THESE PATTERNS REMAIN POORLY CHARACTERIZED IN GRAZING SYSTEMS.IN THIS SEED GRANT, WE AIM TO COMBINE FIELD AND GREENHOUSE DATA TO UNDERSTAND THE MECHANISMS DRIVING LEGUME-RHIZOBIA COEXISTENCE IN CATTLE PASTURES ACROSS NORTH CAROLINA. THE PROJECT TEAM WILL INCLUDE THE PROJECT DIRECTOR, ONE GRADUATE STUDENT, AND TWO UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS. WE WILL FIRST DETERMINE THE RHIZOBIAL PARTNERS ASSOCIATED WITH FIVE COMMON SPECIES OF PASTURE LEGUMES ACROSS FIVE NORTH CAROLINA DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE FIELD STATIONS. THIS WILL ALLOW US TO DETERMINE WHERE THESE LEGUME SPECIES EXIST ALONG A GRADIENT OF SPECIFICITY FOR RHIZOBIAL PARTNERS. THEN WE WILL DETERMINE WHETHER LEGUME SPECIFICITY IMPACTS THE ABILITY OF THESE SPECIES TO GROW TOGETHER AND THEIR LANDSCAPE DISTRIBUTIONS. FINALLY, WE WILL DELVE INTO THE MECHANISMS UNDERLYING THE LEGUME DISTRIBUTION PATTERNS WE OBSERVE IN THE FIELD THROUGH MECHANISM GREENHOUSE STUDIES. RESULTS OF THIS WORK WILL BE DISSEMINATED TO SCIENTIFIC AUDIENCES THROUGH PEER-REVIEWED PUBLICATIONS, AS WELL AS TO SHAREHOLDERS AT FIELD DAYS ORGANIZED BY THE NORTH CAROLINA DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE FIELD STATIONS WHERE THE WORK WILL BE CONDUCTED. TOGETHER, THIS INFORMATION WILL IDENTIFY KEY MECHANISMS DRIVING LEGUME SPECIES INTERACTIONS AND LAY THE GROUNDWORK FOR A FUTURE FULL PROPOSAL TO USDA NIFA THAT EXPLICITLY LINKS THESE INTERACTIONS TO THE CRITICAL N INPUTS THAT THESE SPECIES PROVIDE. OVERALL, THIS KNOWLEDGE GAINED THROUGH THIS WORK WILL DIRECTLY IMPROVE OUR UNDERSTANDING OF THE DRIVERS OF NITROGEN AVAILABILITY IN GRAZING LANDS OF THE SOUTHERN UNITED STATES, WHICH WILL IMPR,OVE OUR ABILITY TO PROMOTE SUSTAINABLE LAND MANAGEMENT FOR CATTLE PRODUCERS IN THE REGION. · GrantIndex