Research- Soil

Soils are the most complex and ecologically significant biogeochemical systems on Earth. Soil processes and the soil resource are critical to all terrestrial ecosystems from prairies to the Alaskan tundra, to wetlands, to our cities, to forests to biofuel farms. Soil Science is at the center of the study of what the National Science Foundation terms the Critical Zone - the confluence of atmosphere, lithosphere, hydrosphere and biosphere near the surface ofthe Earth.

Research Focus

Biology and Ecology of Soils
Soil Chemistry and Biochemistry
Soil Fertility and Nutrient Management
Soil Microbiology
Soil Mineralogy
Soil Physics
Soil Quality
Soil Reclamation
Subaqueous Soils
Pedology
Wetland Soils

Faculty
Coale, Felton, Hill, James, MCGrath, Miller, Weil, Needelman, Rabenhorst, Tamboli

Areas: International Crop Production, Land Management and Conservation, Sustainable Agriculture

Sustainable cropping systems science applies ecology to the farm. Sustainable cropping systems will be needed in the future to meet rapidly growing demands for food, fiber and biofuels while at the same time enhancing other ecosystem services potentially provided by the world's farmlands. These services include the supply and purification of water, the reduction of greenhouse gases, and the provision of wildlife habitat and biodiversity. In both developing and developed countries, University scientists and farmers must work together todevelop sustainable cropping systems that meet these goals by optimizing thenatural cycles and processes in the plant-soil-animal system while minimizing toxic orenergy and resource intensive inputs from outside the system.

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For more information, contact Kintija Eigmina, Web and Communications Coordinator

Last updated: 06/16/2011