What are some options for enhancing organic content and carbon storage in soils that have been used in intensive row-crop production? The project looked at bioenergy feedstocks and how they might be employed to improve soil properties.

Work continued on a plan to increase the renewable, sustainable fuel sources available to power operations at the University of Iowa in Iowa City. A team of researchers from multiple institutions collaborated to create a tool that would allow the UI to evaluate its alternative energy options more effectively.

A gap in transitioning to ecologically beneficial farming practices is the lack of understanding of how soils store carbon (C) and nitrogen (N)long term. Farmers need management practices for improving soil quality, increasing both belowground (live roots) and aboveground (live cover) biomass, increasing soil organic matter, and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. This project quantified root productivity, root decomposition, soil microbial dynamics, soil aggregation, and belowground C allocation in annual and perennial biomass cropping systems across multiple landscape positions.

Information collected for this project, along with additional research conducted on the STRIPS project, showed that prairie strips can be a valuable tool for improving ecosystem health in agricultural lands, especially in terms of improving water quality and increasing biodiversity and landscape heterogeneity.