Mitigating Drought in Maize:
Integrated irrigation &
soil management
Fall 2013 - Fall 2016
As part of a USDA Conservation Innovation Grant, we explored biochar and manure as tools for farmers to alleviate stress under limited irrigation conditions.
Cool MAMMOTH Microbes: Using designed biochar to inoculate soil with plant growth promoting bacteria
Spring 2016 - Fall 2016
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We use metagenomic analysis of soil DNA to test CoolPlanet CoolTerra biocarbon as inoculum carrier for plant growth promoting bacteria (MAMMOTH P from Growcentia).
The Sticking Point:
How nutrient cycling enzymes adsorb to
biochar and soil
Summer 2016
We developed a combination of laboratory analyses to examine the activity of adsorbed extracellular enzymes responsible for nutrient cycling in soil.
Infiltrating Dryland Ag: Increasing soil water uptake and storage with organic amendments
Fall 2016 - Present
For my NIFA Pre-Doctoral Fellowship, this experiment tests the effects of biochar, super absorbent polymer, and manure on soil structure in rain-fed agriculture.
Counting Carbon:
Biochar impacts on soil carbon sequestration over three years in a temperate agricultural system
Fall 2013 - Fall 2016
Using a sophisticated Bayesian statistical approach, we integrate soil moisture, carbon content,
microbial parameters, and carbon dioxide fluxes to
examine the amount of carbon sequestered.
Scaling Soil Health:
Mapping soil biogeochemistry in irrigated desert agriculture
Summer 2018 - Present
We collaboration with the Universidad Nacional de San Agustin in Arequipa, Peru to design rapid field assessments of soil biogeochemistry to inform maps of soil health and management. We will implement portable X-Ray florescence analysis of elemental content and correlation visible near infrared field spectroscopy with soil properties to estimate soil physicochemical characteristics.