Community Structure of Soil Fungi in a Novel Perennial Crop Monoculture, Annual Agriculture, and Native Prairie Reconstruction
Abstract The use of perennial crop species in agricultural systems may increase ecosystem services and sustainability. Because soil microbial communities play a major role in many processes on which ecosystem…
Digging Deeper for Agricultural Resources, the Value of Deep Rooting
Recent studies have documented highly significant differences among current and potential crops, as well as genotypic differences, in the ability for deep rooting. Results have shown significant effects of deep…
Carbon and water relations in perennial Kernza (Thinopyrum intermedium): An overview
Abstract: Perennial crops have been proposed as a more sustainable alternative to annual crops, because they have extended growing seasons, continuous ground cover, reduced nutrient leakage, and sequester more carbon…
Benefits of Native Mycorrhizal Amendments to Perennial Agroecosystems Increases with Field Inoculation Density
Perennial polyculture cropping systems are a novel agroecological approach used to mirror some of the ecological benefits provided by native perennial ecosystems including increased carbon and nitrogen storage, more stable…
Cover crop species affect mycorrhizae-mediated nutrient uptake and pest resistance in maize
Abstract: Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) can increase plant nutrient uptake and chemical defense production, both of which can improve plants’ ability to resist insect herbivory. Cover crops—non-commercial species planted in…
Reduced nitrate leaching in a perennial grain crop compared to maize in the Upper Midwest, USA
Abstract: Global expansion of high-input annual grain crops and associated nitrogen (N) fertilizer use can have negative consequences for the environment and human health. Nitrate nitrogen (NO3-N) leaching from fertilized…
Managing Crops for Climate Change Can Also Manage Pests
The impacts of climate change are already being felt by farmers in many parts of the world. As such, it is important for us to determine which strategies may help…
Energy, water and carbon exchange over a perennial Kernza wheatgrass crop
Abstract: The ecological impacts resulting from global warming and conventional agricultural practices are predicted to affect crop productivity and reduce the land area available for agriculture in the near future….
Closing the Gap Between Grasslands and Grain Agriculture
Grasslands are among the biomes that have been most extensively degraded or eliminated by the expansion of agriculture. Grasslands are also threatened by development, poor management, and climate change. This…
Potential conservation of biomass in the production of synthetic organics
Abstract: Hydrocarbon intermediates typical of the chemical industry are an inefficient route for the production of synthetic organics from biomass. This is demonstrated by stoichiometric calculations of mass losses of…
From genomes to ecosystems to human communities
Abstract: Genomes can be regarded as miniature ecosystems which display many of the same characteristics as that of a prairie or forest ecosystem. Human communities may likewise have characteristics common…
Composition of prairie plant communities on productive versus unproductive sites in wet and dry years
The diverse community structure and different types of resource use by plant species contribute to the persistence and resilience of the prairie ecosystem. Download PDF