Soil health in agroforestry systems is largely lacking in the literature and a great need for data-driven practices has been expressed throughout NE Washington by local foresters, landowners, and tribal units. Forested systems exhibit vastly differing soil biota and response to land management compared with established treatments for soil health improvement in other agroecosystems. Therefore, […]
High-throughput, low-cost diagnostics for multiple aspects of soil health are a necessary component of maximizing the ability of researchers to understand soil health processes and farmers to effectively adopt soil health management practices. Across many growing regions of WA, soilborne diseases are a major limitation and given their patchy nature a large number of samples […]
With increasing fertilizer and fuel costs, producers are increasingly keen to improve on-farm nutrient cycling through biologically intensive methods. Currently, poor plant-soil-microbe interactions do not support healthy nutrient flow, which limits crop yield and favors fertilizer-dependent farming. Slow residue breakdown also inhibits direct seeding adoption and adherence since heavy residue at seeding time impedes direct […]
Agricultural intensification to meet the food needs of an increasing global population has placed tremendous pressure on our ability to maintain the health and quality of our soils. More holistic agricultural systems that encourage sustainable waste management and reuse are urgently needed to protect soil health and its roles in food production and security. Vermicompost […]
Tillage is a crucial stage in annual agricultural systems that terminates overwintering vegetation, incorporates plant residues, and prepares the soil for crops. These activities degrade soil health and impact indicators such as soil microbial biomass, organic matter, and aggregate stability. Weed populations are also influenced by tillage as seed and vegetative parts are horizontally and […]
There is much we do not know about the soil microbiome and little has been done to explore soil microbe x plant genotype x environment interactions. Classical wheat breeding strategies focus on yield and aboveground metrics, but recent work has identified soil and rhizosphere (area of the soil influenced by roots) characteristics that can be […]
Climate change, extreme weather events, and soil degradation all mean that we are increasingly asking our soils to do more with less – infiltrate and store more water with less organic matter and weaker soil structure. A recent focus on soil health provides the opportunity to reverse this trend, but it will require a sound […]
As plant-mycorrhizal interactions are known to be context dependent, a better understanding of the conditions in which mycorrhizal fungi are beneficial to grapevine growth will help to inform vineyard management strategies aimed at incorporating biological inputs and improving agricultural sustainability. In a field experiment at WSU-Irrigated Agricultural Research and Extension Center (IAREC), I propose to […]
Forage production is the largest agricultural land use in western Washington supporting a diverse livestock industry. Poor grazing management and repeated hay removal, without amendment contribute to reduced productivity, encroachment of weeds, erosion, and inadequate forage quality to support animal health. This integrated research and extension project will address the WSU Sustaining Resources Grand Challenge. […]
Soil erosion is the first order measure of agricultural soil sustainability. Clear economic incentives and accounting of public and private true cost are needed to identify pathways from conventional to transformational, biologically intensive management. Erosion occurs disproportionately from critical source areas, but the spatial distribution and temporal variability in erosion mechanisms are not well characterized. […]