Understanding the biological component of healthy soils

( January, 2019 )

Summary

January 2019 - OGRAIN Winter Conference Soil health, the foundation of both short- and long-term farm success, encompasses the physical, chemical, and biological properties of soils. Rick and Teal will discuss on-going research into complex soil ecosystems and their potential to lessen plant disease and increase crop quality and yields. Rick Lankau, assistant professor UW-Madison plant pathology, seeks to understand how plant-associated microbial communities mediate individual plant health as well as susceptibility to disease in both natural and agricultural settings. He has studied how root-associated fungi of trees may mediate forest responses to climate change, as well as how microbial communities in agricultural soils respond to farm management and in turn contribute to yield, quality, and disease suppression. Teal Potter, graduate student UW-Madison plant pathology, conducts research on plants and soil microbes to understand how they influence each other in natural and agricultural systems. Her research addresses how nitrogen availability impacts plant-microbe associations, with a goal of understanding specific conditions in which soil microbial communities impact non-native plant invasions and crop yields.

Go To This Material

Details