NCERA059: Soil Organic Matter: Formation, Function and Management
Annual/Termination Reports (SAES-422): [08/20/2012]
Date of Annual Report: 08/20/2012
Report Information:
Participants:
- Members Present: Fortuna,Ann Marie (annmarie.fortuna@ndsu.edu) Washington State Univ WA
- Cihacek,Larry(larry.cihacek@ndsu.edu) North Dakota State Univ, ND
- Horwath,William (wrhorwath@ucdavis.edu) Univ Calif - Davis CA
- Drijber, Rhae (rdrijber1@unl.edu) Univ Nebraska, NE
- Turco, Ronald (rturco@purdue.edu) Purdue University, IN
- Motavalli,Peter (MotavalliP@missouri.edu) Univ of Missouri, MO
- Olk, Dan (Dan.Olk@ARS.USDA.GOV) USDA-ARS, Ames IA Guests: Gabriel Aher, ND Carrie Werkmeister-Karki, ND
Brief Summary of Minutes of Annual Meeting:
Summary of Minutes of Annual Meeting:NCERA 59 Meeting Minutes June 21-22, 2012 recorded and edited by Ann-Marie Fortuna and Larry Cihacek.
Thursday, June 21, 2012
Morning Session: Introductions by current and new members. Approval of 2011 minutes. No modifications were needed.
State reports: submit to Larry by the third week of August. Use template to format.
Next years meeting site suggestions: Lincoln NE or jointly during the IUSS Carbon Conference in Madison, WI June 3-7, 2013. Date and time still need to be approved by the committee. Rhae will host.
Discussion of the potential SSSA Monograph for 30 minutes. A summary of the three discussions of the methods book outline are at the end of the minutes. Peter suggested case study additions for each method. Also suggested could be used to teach particularly in developing countries. Decided that it will not be specifically designed for teaching but the protocols and case study examples could be adapted by individual instructors.
Peter elected secretary unanimously. Incoming Chair is Rhae. Chair-elect is Will.
Ron discussed the state of Federal funds; Hatch, NIFA, NSF and more. Overall funding is flat or slightly decreasing.
Ron gave an overview of the Sosius software to be used to share drafts and edits of the proposed methods book.
Lunch Break
Afternoon Session: Updates by members: " Peter: Handed out his state report discussed denitrification, biofuels and international agriculture work. " Larry: Discussed his research on C sequestration and water soluble C in soils planted to grass species. Overview of several long-term C sequestration projects at NDSU. Discussed C credits. " Ann Marie: Overview of her projects cover crops, organic amendments, soil health and microbiology. Discussed her new program at NDSU. Examined N and C pools and their link to denitrification and nitrification. " Will: Discussed publication on water quality. " Ron: Discussed biomass studies and biology, water quality, denitrification in surface waters and soluble C, also in drain tiles, pathogen survival. " Dan: Discussed his research on humic materials for enhanced plant growth.
Additional Revision/ updating of outline/topic development
Will, Dan, Ann-Marie discuss the partitioning of SOM into physical, chemical and biological fractions. Does microbial process belong in the book. All agree yes. See outline at end for detailed list of what physical, chemical and biological measurements are included.
Briefly discussed editors author responsibilities tabled for Friday session.
Friday, June 22, 2012
Morning Session: 2013 Meeting: " Need to update current membership. Individuals that have not attended for several years need to be asked whether they still want to participate. " Names of potential early career nominees were exchanged. These included Mary Stromberger (Colorado State); Craig Rasmussen (Arizona); Stuart Grady (New Hampshire); Janice Thies (Cornell); Michael Castellano (Iowa State); Frieda Eivazi (Lincoln University, MO); Stephanie Yarwood (Wisconsin). " Matt Ruarke yet needs to fill out Appendix E. " Need to have agreed to authors for the monograph chapters and the editorial responsibilities prior to 2013 meeting.
Continuing Discussion on Collaboration/Projects " Methods book support from ASA. What methods have been significantly changed and or are new since the brown volumes. " Committee spent 8 to 10am continuing to outline the methods book. See outline. " Time Line for Book: o June 28, 2013: Nebraska o Draft outlines of each chapter due prior to meetings o Discussion of drafts at NE meeting
Morning tour: " Field trips to State of the Art greenhouse complex, NDSU Campus. " Visit historical plots and discussion of soils of the Red River Valley of the North, NDSU Campus.
Afternoon tour: " Tour SK Foods Facility (Organic grain processing facility) and discussion of management practices recommended to growers, Moorhead, MN.
Updated Book Outline June 21, 2012
Vision for book: Provide in one volume, details on linkages between methods and concepts
Title(options): Analytical Methods for the Chemistry and Function of Soil Organic Matter Analytical Methods for Understanding the Nature of Organic Matter Analytical Methods for assessing the Biological, Chemical, and Physiclal Properties of Soil Organic Matter Analytical Methods for the Biological, Chemical and Physical Properties of SOM Methods of Soil Analysis. Part 6. Soil Organic Matter
Section 1: Concepts in SOM
Chapter 1. Historical perspective a. Why study SOM b. Current Issues c. Analytical approaches d. Future needs
Chapter 2. Carbon cycle a. Defining SOM b. SOM components/fraction/pools c. Factors affecting SOM levels and composition
Chapter 3. Sampling for soil C measurement and monitoring a. Sample collection and processing b. Statistics c. Calculations d. Reporting
Section 2: Chemical Methods
Chapter 4. Total C Methods
a. Wet chemical b. Combustion c. Colorimetric d. Volumetric e. Case Studies
Chapter 5. Fractionation Methods
a. Wet chemical b. Combustion c. Colorimetric d. Volumetric e. Case Studies
Chapter 6. Characterization a. Mass spec b. NMR c. FTIR d. Calorimetry e. Pyrolysis f. Chromatography g. Case studies
Section 3. Physical Methods
Chapter 7. (Title?) a. Aggregation b. Fractions c. Density d. Case Studies
Section 4. Biological Methods
Chapter 8. Biomass Methods a. Fatty acids, biomarkers b. QPCR c. Case studies
Chapter 9. Biomass Diversity a. DNA (lots) b. RT c. 454 d. Biochips
Chapter 10. Biological Processes a. Enzymes b. Mineralization
Section 5. Other Issues
Chapter 11. Quick Methods for Field Assessment
Chapter 12. Measurement of cycling/turnover
Section 6: Interpretation/Synthesis(Chapters?) " C-Pool dynamics " Food webs " Interactions among element cycles " Diversity " Controls on NPP " Physical roles (sorption) " SOM & environment " Integration and future SOM work (needs)
Formatting: a. Review methods in the literature i. Use summary tables to compare/select methods ii. Graphics b. Explain why methods use certain steps/reagents/etc. c. Limitations/interferences/precision d. Select/recommend (one or several common/popular methods) methods for detailed discussion e. Examples or case studies
Time Line:
October 2012: Cincinnati
" Authors selected and given time lines (September) " Meeting of authors
Accomplishments:
Accomplishments: " Dissolved organic matter (DOM) is important in forming noncrystalline Fe/DOM assemblages. The non-crystalline Fe forms have greater surface area and are presumed to play an important role in stabilizing soil C against changes in pH and fluctuating redox conditions (Objective 2). (CA) " Desorption reactions releasing DOM into soil solution was an important mechanism controlling the flux of dissolved organic C in soils (Objective 3). (CA) " Over the course of a three year study of soils in biofuels biomass production systems, no significant differences were observed in the TOC or peroxide oxidizable C (POXC), with mean values ranging from 21.2 29.4 g C kg-1, and 720.2 933.5 mg C kg-1 respectively. (IN) " Superior resilience was noted in observations of microbial measures of C dynamics in response to aboveground residue removal for sorghum and in the perennial monoculture of switchgrass. Microbial measures of C utilization proved to be sensitive indicators of potential changes in soil C and the rate of basal respiration (BR) was the most responsive indicator to changes in labile C. However, strong differences were also noted in the substrate-induced response. BR appears to be a strong early predictor of changes in soil C dynamics. (IN) " Evaluation of short-term flooding events and N fertilizer management on corn production and GHG production including the examination of the use of rescue N fertilizer treatments to assist in recovery from flooding. (MO) " Determining the impacts of managed subsurface drainage systems and N fertilizer management on corn production and N loss through the tile drainage system and GHG production. (MO) " Development and testing of simple, low-cost methods for assessment of labile soil organic C and N fractions for use in developing countries to assist in improving soil management to reduce soil degradation and increase crop production. (MO) " Evaluation of spatial and temporal dynamics of arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi in high production corn systems confirms carbon allocation to AM fungi from corn during the reproductive stages of growth. Evidence suggests a role in P acquisition given a significant proportion of P is taken up from the soil during this period. A combined DGGE-Cloning Method has recently been developed to elucidate AM ribotypes significant to this process. (NE) " Soil biology has been overlooked in the forensic science arena in lieu of soil chemical and physical soil properties. Investigations addressing whether high throughput DNA analysis and microbial fatty acid fingerprinting of soil microbial communities may be useful to crime scene investigation are currently ongoing. (NE) " Recent completion of a Grassland Destabilization Experiment (GDEX), http://sandhills-biocomplexity.unl.edu , attributed short-term geomorphic stability of the Nebraska Sand Hills to below ground processes, where root detritus, soil organic matter (SOM) and microbial activity persisted into the third and fourth years of the study. This resilience could not be explained by extensive soil aggregation or large pools of stabilized SOM, both absent from this ecosystem. Rather, it appears to be a legacy of the former grassland root system. (NE). " Evaluation of water soluble organic C (WSOC) in mixed species grassland systems showed that WSOC decreased with increasing soil depth and made up 5.36, 5.75, and 6.27% of total OC for Ekre Ranch, Carrington, and Dickinson, respectively. Individual species showed greater WSOC compared to cropland checks, but there was no difference among species. Species richness and harvest frequency had no effect on WSOC, while WSOC near the soil surface at Ekre Ranch was influenced by phosphorus fertilizer applications and nitrogen fertilizer applications affected subsoil WSOC. (ND) " Long-term experiments (LTE) are being evaluated for changes in SOC. Results from previous 10-yr samples indicated that the traditional WW-SF was depleting SOC and was not sustainable. The results also revealed that wheat and barley annual cropping was possible under CT and NT in 400 mm precipitation zone. (OR) " Results from these LTEs at other locations indicate that NT winter wheat chemical fallow (WW-CF) can replace the traditional WW-SF using CT. Furthermore WW-CF increased surface residue cover that has the potential to reduce soil erosion and increase SOC. (OR) " Research focused on optimizing tillage and rotation practices to increase carbon (C) sequestration in conventional and organic agricultural systems; examining soil dynamics in long-term agroecosystems; and monitoring of greenhouse gases (GHG) in systems utilizing different sources of N and cropping systems practices. (WA) " Research is continuing on carbon sequestration as a function of nitrogen fertilizer application in continuous corn systems and effects of long-term soil management on dynamic soil properties. (WI)Additional Outcomes/Activities:
Involved in organizing the 2012 ASA National Meetings symposium entitled Challenges and Innovations in Greenhouse Gas Emissions Measurements . (MO)
Contributing to Committee on Organic & Sustainable Agriculture, ASA, ACS238. (WA)
Funded Grant written jointly by NCERA059 members: Fortuna A., D. Collins, R. Turco, C.G. Cogger, A. Bary and A. Stone. Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Soil Quality in Long-term Integrated and Transitional Reduced Tillage Organic Systems. USDA-AFRI, Integrated Research, Education, and Extension Competitive Grants Program Organic Transitions (ORG) Estimated $750,000. (IN, OR, WA,)
Impact Statements:
- This research will allow farmers to improve soil health by managing nutrient cycling to enhance soil fertility while providing ecosystem services such as reducing GHGs emissions.
- Short-term geomorphic stability of sandy soils may be due to relics of grassland root systems rather than accumulated SOC or soil aggregation.
- Development and utilization of soil carbon models and soil nitrogen models can provide guidelines for land management practices for policy makers and land managers.
- Microbial measures of C utilization can be sensitive indicators of potential changes in soil C.
- Dissolved organic matter (DOM) is important in forming noncrystalline Fe/DOM assemblages impacting soil formation processes.
- Native SOM contributes more to DOM than in residue amended soils indicating significant roles of the SOM in desorption and exchange reactions in DOM production.