** AWARDS ISSUED PRIOR TO JANUARY 20, 2025, WERE FUNDED UNDER PREVIOUS ADMINISTRATIONS AND MAY NOT REFLECT THE PRIORITIES AND POLICIES OF THE CURRENT ADMINISTRATION.** CURRENT AGRICULTURAL PRACTICES OFTEN LEAD TO REDUCTIONS IN SOIL C CONTENT AND SOIL HEALTH. SOIL MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES THAT AIM TO IMPROVE SOIL ORGANIC MATTER CONTENT USE LONG-TERM PRACTICES SUCH AS NO TILL AND ORGANIC MANURE ADDITIONS. THERE IS A GREAT NEED TO IMPROVE SOIL MANAGEMENT PRACTICES WITH THE GOAL TO INCREASE SOIL C CONTENT: A BENEFIT FOR FARMERS AS WELL AS FOR SOCIETY BY SEQUESTERING LARGE AMOUNT OF CO2 FROM THE ATMOSPHERE.MODERN TECHNIQUES SUCH AS ANALYSES OF GENOMES AND TRANSCRIPTS FROM MICROBES REVEAL A VERY COMPLEX BEHAVIOR OF MICROBES IN SOIL COMMUNITIES. SINCE SOIL MICROBES ARE IMPORTANT FOR SOIL ORGANIC MATTER FORMATION AND DEGRADATION, WE WILL TRY TO MANIPULATE MICROBES IN INTACT SOIL COMMUNITIES TO STIMULATE MICROBES THAT EAT PLANT MATERIALS, BUT DISCOURAGE MICROBES THAT EAT OTHER MICROBES. TO DIFFERENTIATE BETWEEN THESE GROUPS OF MICROBES, VERY PRECISE AND FREQUENT MEASUREMENTS OF MICROBES IN SOIL COMMUNITIES ARE REQUIRED. USING MODERN TECHNIQUES, WE ARE ABLE, FOR THE FIRST TIME, TO ACHIEVE DETAILED VIEW OF MICROBIAL ACTIVITIES AT VERY HIGH TEMPORAL RESOLUTIONS. THIS INFORMATION IS FOUNDATIONAL TO DEVELOPING NEW SOIL MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS.WE WILL CONDUCT EXPERIMENTS WITH SOIL FROM TEXAS COTTON PRODUCTION SYSTEMS. THESE SOILS HAVE VERY LOW C CONTENTS AND ARE EXTREMELY VULNERABLE FOR WIND AND WATER EROSION. IF WE ARE ABLE TO IMPROVE SOIL ORGANIC MATTER CONTENT OF THESE SOILS, WE WILL REDUCE WIND AND WATER EROSION, IMPROVE SOIL HEALTH, AND STIMULATE COTTON CROP PRODUCTIVITY.

Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff AZ

Investigators