Baggs MONet Request: The effects of agricultural nitrogen fertilization regimes on soil geochemistry
EMSL Project ID
60886
Abstract
Agriculture impacts the environment through several biogeochemical cycles that are relevant at local to global scales. To efficiently obtain high yielding harvests farmers are required to use management practices such as the input of synthetic fertilizers. However, synthetic fertilizers are not sustainable due to the high CO2 cost of production, requirements for non-renewable resources and unintended ecological impacts (eutrophication, water pollution). Understanding the complex environmental and resource outcomes of agricultural management decisions is extremely challenging due to the plethora of interacting factors. At Sound Agriculture we are developing science driven solutions for sustainable crop production. Our central question of interest is how does a proprietary chemical microbial activator and commercial practice synthetic Nitrogen fertilization regimens affect soil geochemistry over a field season.
We would plan to sample several plots from a single field at the start of the season before sowing and then again after harvest. One of three different treatments will be applied to each plot; 1. commercial practice N fertilization (150-220lb N/acre) , 2. 25lb/ac less than commercial practice N fertilization 3. 25lb/ac less than commercial practice N fertilization with microbial stimulants. Our proposal for the MONET call would be to have 3 collection events in May and then a further 3 collection events in September at the point of harvest. At each time point one collection event will be taken at each of the three fertilization treatments being studied. From our selected sites we will be working with farmers to gather additional data including AMF colonization of roots, shoot and root Nitrogen and Phosphorous stress marker gene expression and yield. Combined with the data from MONet this should help us to begin to unravel how management practices are affecting soil biogeochemistry and microbiome structures. Of particular interest is how the microbiome and the nutrients that they exchange with plants are affected by the fertilization regime through an agricultural field season. For instance we would like to understand how activating the microbiome compares to synthetic nitrogen in altering the flux of soil organic carbon, Nitrogen, Phosphorus and other rare minerals. Our field sample qPCR and microscopy data will allow us to see whether the differences in soil geochemistry and microbiome are visible in planta transcriptional reprogramming. Further understanding of soil chemistry and plant-microbe interactions will help us to fine tune how to promote plant growth whilst maintaining a healthy ecosystem. Through understanding the differences in nutrient flux overtime and between treatments we hope to gain a better understanding of what factors vary on this time scale and can be markers of healthy soils. We can additionally use yield data from our sites to see if there are any correlations between microbial or biogeochemical factors and yield. Finally we would like to query how management practices and the soil microbiome affect Mineral Associated Organic Matter and whether differences are perceptible over a crop season. Such information will help to inform future strategies for the integration of carbon credits into the agricultural economy.
Project Details
Project type
MONet
Start Date
2023-07-27
End Date
N/A
Status
Active
Released Data Link
Team
Principal Investigator
Team Members