AMES, Iowa — The Iowa Learning Farms (ILF) conservation webinar taking place Nov. 13, at noon CST will feature Wenjuan Huang, assistant professor of Ecosystem Ecology and Soil Biogeochemistry in the Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Organismal Biology at Iowa State University. Huang’s research focuses on soil carbon and nutrient cycling both in nature and managed ecosystems, with the aim to improve soil health and mitigate climate change. She integrates field measurements, lab incubation and mechanistic models to understand how plant-microbial-mineral interactions affect soil carbon persistence and nutrient availability/retention.
In the webinar, “Can Diversified Cropping Systems Help Increase Soil Carbon Storage?,” Huang will discuss ongoing research to highlight her approach to soil organic carbon (SOC) measurement in diversified cropping systems. She will share methods employed to integrate a 20-year field experiment and laboratory measurements with three stable-isotope-enabled mechanistic models to examine organic carbon (SOC) stocks to 1 m in a conventional corn-soybean system and two more diversified systems including small grains, legumes, and manure inputs in addition to corn and soybean. Huang will draw on this research to discuss observations and expected outcomes that may reveal the underlying mechanisms by which diversified cropping systems might alter decomposition and the response of C pools with different residence times.
“While it is generally agreed that diversified cropping systems offer a chance to mitigate the environmental impacts of conventional agriculture, there is still much debate surrounding the impacts on soil organic carbon sequestration,” said Huang. “Through this research, we hope to better understand and seek to quantify how diversified cropping systems affect soil carbon and how this knowledge can help us to promote healthier soils and more sustainable farming practices. Agricultural soils cannot be simply viewed as ‘buckets for carbon’, they are complex systems in which sequestration can vary based on numerous conditions that we are seeking to understand.”
Participants are encouraged to ask questions of the presenters. People from all backgrounds and areas of interest are encouraged to join.
Don’t miss this webinar!
DATE: Wednesday, November 13, 2024
TIME: 12:00 p.m. CST
HOW TO PARTICIPATE:
Shortly before 12:00 pm CST, click the link below or type this web address into your internet browser: https://iastate.zoom.us/
Or, join via phone:
Dial: 646-876-9923
Webinar ID: 999 3709 5398
Upcoming Webinars in the Series:
Up Next: Wednesday, Nov. 20, Trees and Tiles: 4 Years of Nitrate Removal and Root Intrusion Monitoring in a Saturated Riparian FOREST Buffer, with Billy Beck, Iowa State University
Nov. 27: No webinar
The webinar will also be recorded and archived. All archived webinars are available on the ILF website, so that they can be watched at any time.
ILF has applied for a Certified Crop Adviser board-approved continuing education unit (CEU) for attending this webinar. Those who participate in the live webinar are eligible. Information about how to apply to receive the credit will be provided at the end of the live webinar.
About Iowa Learning Farms:
Established in 2004, Iowa Learning Farms is building a Culture of Conservation by encouraging adoption of conservation practices. Farmers, researchers and ILF team members are working together to identify and implement the best management practices that improve water quality and soil health while remaining profitable. Partners of Iowa Learning Farms include the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship, Iowa State University Extension and Outreach, Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture, USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, and Iowa Department of Natural Resources, EPA Section 319 Grant Program and GROWMARK, Inc.
–Iowa Learning Farms
