** AWARDS ISSUED PRIOR TO JANUARY 20, 2025, WERE FUNDED UNDER PREVIOUS ADMINISTRATIONS AND MAY NOT REFLECT THE PRIORITIES AND POLICIES OF THE CURRENT ADMINISTRATION.** OUR ABILITY TO MEET FOOD DEMANDS OF A GROWING HUMAN POPULATION DEPENDS ON HEALTHY SOILS THAT CAN SUSTAIN CROP PRODUCTION AMIDST CHANGING CLIMATIC CONDITIONS. SOIL HEALTH IS ACHIEVED THROUGH THE STABILIZATION AND EFFICIENT RECYCLING OF SOIL ORGANIC CARBON (SOC) AND NITROGEN (N) WITHIN AGROECOSYSTEMS. THIS CAN BE ACCOMPLISHED THROUGH THE COMBINED IMPLEMENTATION OF CONSERVATION TILLAGE AND COVER CROPS (CCS),WHICHINNATELY ADDRESSES ALL FOUR SOIL HEALTH MANAGEMENT PRINCIPLES. ACKNOWLEDGING THE PIVOTALROLE ROOTS PLAYS IN SOC STORAGE AND STABILIZATION, THERE EXISTS ASIGNIFICANT OPPORTUNITY TO ENHANCESOIL HEALTH BY INTEGRATING CCS WITH IMPROVED ROOTS TRAITS. HOWEVER, VARIATION INSHOOT VERSUS ROOT BIOMASS PARTITIONING, ROOT ARCHITECTURE, AND CHEMICAL CHARACTERISTICS AMONG CCS HAVE BEEN INSUFFICIENTLY STUDIED, AND THEIR INFLUENCE ON SOC AND N ACCUMULATION IN BOTH LABILE AND STABLE POOLS REMAINS UNCLEAR. THIS PROJECTWILL ADVANCE OUR MECHANISTIC UNDERSTANDING OF HOW CC FUNCTIONAL TYPES AND LITTER TRAITS IMPACT SOIL HEALTH WITHINCLIMATE-SMART AGRICULTURAL SYSTEMS. SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES INCLUDE: 1) INVESTIGATE HOW GRASS VS. LEGUME CCS DIFFER IN TERMS OF BIOMASS PARTITIONING, ROOT ARCHITECTURE, AND LITTER CHEMICAL RECALCITRANCE; 2) DETERMINE INTERACTIVE EFFECTS OF CC FUNCTIONAL TYPES, LITTER TRAITS, AND SOIL MINERALOGY IN BUILDING SOC AND N IN LABILE AND STABLE POOLS UNDER FUTURE CLIMATE WARMING; AND 3) QUANTIFY THE RELATIVE CONTRIBUTION OF RHIZODEPOSITION AND DECOMPOSING LITTERS IN BUILDING SOC AND N BY DEPTH IN LABILE AND STABLE POOLS.