Ricketts MONet Request
EMSL Project ID
60923
Abstract
Switchgrass is a potential bioenergy feedstock and has adapted to a wide range of environments by exhibiting a variety of trait combinations that has resulted in multiple ecotypes across its range. The most divergent ecotypes are the uplands and lowlands, locally adapted to the northern and southern plains, respectively. Morphological trait differences between upland and lowland ecotypes exist and contribute to survivability in a range of environments. Aboveground, uplands typically produce relatively higher numbers of short, thin stems with higher nitrogen concentrations, while lowlands produce fewer, taller, thicker stems with lower nitrogen concentrations. Belowground, uplands have more fibrous, finer root structure compared to lowlands which have courser, thicker roots. Additionally, our recent publication (Ricketts et al. 2023, GCB Bioenergy) shows that the soil environment is equally, if not more, important than climate in determining switchgrass biomass yield. Therefore, to better understand (1) how variations in the soil environment affect switchgrass growth, and (2) the effects of switchgrass production on soil health and sustainability, we aim to quantify the differences in soil structural, physical, chemical, and biological characteristics resulting from the growth of two divergently locally adapted switchgrass ecotypes grown across their native range in the United States.
We propose to collect soil samples from 3 sites across a latitudinal gradient from Illinois to Texas where 6mx6m plots of switchgrass have been established for ~7 years. The soil types differ substantially among the sites, where the Mundelein silt loam at Fermilab, IL is a somewhat poorly drained mollisol, the Mexico silt loam in Columbia, MO is a poorly drained alfisol (with a relatively shallow claypan), and the Houston Black clay in Temple, TX is a moderately well-drained, slowly permeable vertisol that exhibits notable cracking during dry periods. We will collect 7 “events” at each site (>10m distance from one another); 3 from the upland Blackwell cultivar, 3 from the lowland Kanlow cultivar, and 1 from a plant-free control zone. All samples will be collected during peak plant growth relative to each site.
The data obtained from the MONet soil program will provide us with information relevant for understanding the relationships between edaphic factors, belowground plant traits, and aboveground biomass yield in different environments. Additionally, it will provide crucial belowground context for various data collections obtained throughout the first 7 years of this project. For instance, X-ray Computed Tomography will help us to understand if/how differences in root traits affect soil pore network structure; FT-ICR-MS will help to identify potential differences in soil carbon inputs from the two ecotypes; microbial biomass data will enable us to better interpret 16S rRNA amplicon relative abundance data between sites; and the metagenomics and soil enzyme data from these root-associated bulk soil samples will supplement previously collected rhizosphere samples taken from these same plots to analyze microbial functional capacity. Overall, this data will provide us with a broader contextual framework for understanding plant-soil-microbial interactions in switchgrass and inform how genotype-by-environment (GxE) interactions might affect soil carbon dynamics/sequestration potential.
Project Details
Project type
MONet
Start Date
2023-05-19
End Date
N/A
Status
Active
Released Data Link
Team
Principal Investigator
Co-Investigator(s)
Team Members