Agricultural News
No-Till on the Plains Hosting Webinar Over Soil Potential
Mon, 26 Sep 2011 14:42:54 CDT
No-till on the Plains will be hosting a No-till University Webinar featuring Dr. Kris Nichols, Soil Microbiologist, on Friday, September 30, from 11:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. The webinar topic will be "The Living Soils: Microbes Description and General Activities." Dr. Nichols will be discussing the microbial interaction taking place in soils and the potential in these soils.
Dr. Nichols grew up on a primarily corn-soybean farm in southwestern Minnesota. She joined the research group at the Agricultural Research Service (ARS) Northern Great Plains Research Laboratory in Mandan, North Dakota in June, 2003 as a Soil Microbiologist. Nichols received her Bachelor of Science degrees in Plant Biology and in Genetics and Cell Biology from the University of Minnesota in 1995, a Masters degree in Environmental Microbiology from West Virginia University in 1999, and a Ph.D. in Soil Science from the University of Maryland in 2003.
Since 1993, Nichols has studied arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi - a plant-root symbiont. Her most recent work involves the investigation of glomalin - a glycoproteinaceous substance produced by AM fungi. Glomalin contributes to nutrient cycling by protecting AM hyphae that are transporting nutrients from the soil to the plant in exchange for carbon from the plant and to soil structure and plant health by helping to form and stabilize soil aggregates.
Nichols has found glomalin is a major component of soil organic matter (ca. 15-20%) in undisturbed soils and may be agriculturally managed soil carbon sink. Dr. Nichols has been examining the impacts of crop rotations, tillage practices, livestock grazing management on soil aggregation, water relationships, and glomalin at Northern Great Plains Research Laboratory.
This webinar is the first in a series of three upcoming online webinars to be held by No-till on the Plains with Dr. Nichols. The other webinars will be held on Friday, Oct. 14, discussing Management: Managing Soil Biology for Profitability and on Friday, Oct. 28, focusing on Demonstrations: Measuring Soil Health Toolkit. There will be more details to follow.
Click here to register for the No-till University Webinar.
Click here for more information from No-Till on the Plains.
No-till on the Plains asks participants to note that there is limited availability to participate in the live webinar. The first registrants to sign in on the day of the event will be able to participate live. All others will have the opportunity to watch the recorded webinar in the near future.
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