** AWARDS ISSUED PRIOR TO JANUARY 20, 2025, WERE FUNDED UNDER PREVIOUS ADMINISTRATIONS AND MAY NOT REFLECT THE PRIORITIES AND POLICIES OF THE CURRENT ADMINISTRATION.** THE U.S. MIDWEST, A VITAL AGRICULTURAL HUB CONTRIBUTING SIGNIFICANTLY TO THE NATION'S ECONOMY, PRIMARILY RELIES ON MONOCULTURE CORN OR SIMPLE CORN-SOYBEAN ROTATIONS. WHILE THESE SYSTEMS ARE HIGHLY PRODUCTIVE, THEIR HEAVY DEPENDENCE ON CHEMICAL INPUTS, LIMITED DIVERSITY, AND WINTER FALLOW PRACTICES HAVE LED TO ADVERSE CONSEQUENCES INCLUDING DECLINING SOIL ORGANIC CARBON (SOC) STORAGE, DETERIORATING WATER QUALITY, REDUCED BIODIVERSITY, AND INCREASED GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS. THIS PROJECT AIMS TO INVESTIGATE WHETHER INCORPORATING KURA CLOVER, A PERENNIAL LEGUME CROP WELL-SUITED FOR THE MIDWEST, CAN IMPROVE SOC STORAGE AND SOIL HEALTH BY ENHANCING PLANT C INPUTS AND MICROBIAL FUNCTIONS IN CORN PRODUCTION SYSTEMS. LEVERAGING A LONG-TERM FIELD TRIAL IN WEST-CENTRAL INDIANA, WE WILL EXAMINE THE EFFECTS OF THE KURA CLOVER LIVING MULCH SYSTEM ON (1) THE QUANTITY, QUALITY, AND VERTICAL DISTRIBUTION OF PLANT C INPUTS; (2) THE SIZE, STRUCTURE, AND FUNCTIONS (MICROBIAL C USE EFFICIENCY) OF SOIL MICROBIAL COMMUNITY; AND (3) SOC STORAGE, COMPOSITION AND SOIL HEALTH INDICATORS. FIELD AND LAB OBSERVATIONS COMBINED WITH PROCESS-BASED MODELING WILL BE UTILIZED TO ELUCIDATE HOW PLANT C INPUT TRAITS AND SOIL MICROBIAL ATTRIBUTES INFLUENCE THE VARIATIONS IN SOC QUANTITY AND COMPOSITION. THIS PROJECT, LED BY AN INTERDISCIPLINARY TEAM SPECIALIZING IN SOIL HEALTH, CROP ECOPHYSIOLOGY, MICROBIAL ECOLOGY, AND AGROECOSYSTEM MODELING, DIRECTLY ADDRESSES AFRI PRIORITIES (A1401 SOIL HEALTH) BY UNRAVELLING SOIL BIOGEOCHEMICAL PROCESSES LINKED TO C SEQUESTRATION UNDER MANAGEMENT PRACTICES AND PROVIDING EVIDENCE FOR PERENNIAL KURA CLOVER LIVING MULCH SYSTEMS AS A VIABLE STRATEGY TO ENHANCE SOIL MICROBIAL FUNCTIONING, C SEQUESTRATION, AND ECOSYSTEM SERVICES IN THE MIDWEST CORN PRODUCTION SYSTEMS.