Applied Meteorology
The spatial and temporal variation of biologically-important components of solar radiation such as ultraviolet and photosynthetically active radiation are studied to define the radiative environment of crop and tree canopies to improve the modeling of the detrimental and beneficial plant and human effects of ultraviolet radiation. The exchange of heat between organisms with the atmosphere dictate the thermal environment of the organism and in combination with radiation, moisture, and the atmospheric composition, determines the viability and productivity of an organism. Present work is largely involved with the effects of the atmospheric environment on sorghum waxes, and soybean ‘sunburn’ response in collaboration with geneticists, physiologists, and extensionists. Plant canopy structure strongly influences the distribution of radiation in and under the canopy. We are presently looking at the heliotropic response of soybeans to more accurately define the radiative exposure of soybeans to ultraviolet and photosynthetically-active radiation. Studies of the emission, dispersion, and deposition of bacteria, viruses, ammonia, and odors from confined animal feed operations (CAFOs) are conducted in collaboration with others to provide operational and monitoring guidelines as well as risk assessments of confined animal feed operations.
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Crop Management
Research in the management of individual crops (e.g. corn, soybean, alfalfa, pastures, winter wheat, canola), as well as in cropping systems involving multiple crops, attempts to increase our understanding of the potential for novel technologies and resource-efficient production techniques to contribute to the economic and environmental sustainability of both farmers and farmland in Indiana and similar climatic and soil regions of the Eastern Corn Belt States. Crop agronomists frequently investigate interactions of alternative genotypes or environments (the latter resulting from both year and inherent soil differences) with new management systems for tillage, planting, fertility, rotation, pest control, grazing, and mechanical harvesting. Cropping systems research is focused on improvement of both yield and quality for the numerous human, livestock and industrial uses of current and (potentially) alternative field crops.
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Crop Physiology
Crop physiology research in the Department of Agronomy strives to understand the influence of genotype and environment on processes that influence agronomic performance of crop plants. Crop physiologists employ many innovative approaches, ranging from molecular biology to organ-level and whole-plant investigations in the field, all used to genetically improve crop performance and develop management strategies that alleviate stress.
Soil Fertility
The overall goal of our soil fertility programs is to understand soil nutrient availability and crop nutrient use so that we can develop soil and plant management strategies that optimize productivity while minimizing the environmental risks associated with fertilizer use. We conduct fundamental research on soil physical and chemical property impacts on root-zone nutrient availability, microbial activity, root growth, root nutrient uptake and genetic variability in crop responses to soil fertility. We examine nutrient cycling, balance and loss in production systems receiving nutrients from various sources including manures and industrial byproducts. Many projects have a strong environmental stewardship focus and provide information critical to the development of public policy and regulations related to nutrient management and animal agriculture and to improving water quality in rural and mixed-use watersheds.
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Soil Physical Properties
Research programs in span fundamental and applied topics in fluid flow and chemical transport and range from watershed-scale to field-scale to molecular-scale investigations, with applications in natural resource management, surface and groundwater quality, and site remediation. Dynamics of water flow and transport of chemicals (nutrients, pesticides, pharmaceuticals, etc) and pathogens through soils is being measured in lab columns, flow chambers, tile-drain research sites in Indiana, and forested watersheds in Georgia. These field studies are conducted by interdisciplinary teams, and include soil scientists, hydrologists, environmental chemists, and microbial and plant ecologists. Lab and field data are being used to develop and test process-based models for water flow and solute transport in porous media. At the fundamental level, research is conducted to better understand the behavior of fluids and chemicals in porous media. Current theoretical work includes the development of statistical mechanical models for nanofilms in nanoporous systems, mixture theories for swelling porous media, generalized hydrodynamics of anomalous dispersion, and stochastic flow and transport models of field-scale reservoirs.
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Spatial Technologies
Remote sensing, geographic information systems (GIS), global positioning systems (GPS), communications and spatial statistics are important spatial technology tools for collecting, analyzing, storing and delivering data/information from agricultural fields, natural resource areas, urban land uses and environmental concerns. Agronomists use the spatial technologies to inventory and monitor changes occurring on the landscape and work with scientists from other disciplines to arrive at important decisions about our resources.
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