Sustainable Nutrient Cycling on Diversified Farms Serving Community Food Systems

This proposal, entitled “Sustainable Nutrient Cycling on Diversified Farms Serving Community Food Systems” is research grant under in the USDA-NIFA/AFRI Foundational Programs project category “Renewable Energy, Natural Resources, and Environment (RENRE). Dr. Krista Jacobsen will direct the project, with Dr. Ole Wendroth (UK, Plant and Soil Sciences) and Dr. John Schramski (University of Georgia) as co-PI’s. The scope of work involves study of nitrogen and carbon processes in 5 horticulture-based systems that represent models of diversified, direct-market farming systems. The 5 systems represent a gradient of agricultural intensification (as defined by tillage, fallow, rotation and input regimes) and diversification (as defined by number of crops in a given area of land). Nitrogen and carbon processes will be studied on the crop-scale (bed or field) and whole-farm scales. Field scale nitrogen processes studied will include nitrogen mineralization, leaching, and nitrous oxide emissions. Field-scale carbon processes studies will include particulate organic matter dynamics and soil respiration. Systems-level comparisons including gross nitrogen and carbon budgets (inputs/outputs), plant biomass, and yields. Empirical data will be used to modify 2 existing nutrient cycling models to aid mechanistic study of nutrient cycling in horticultural systems.