Tag Soil Science

Perennial Grains

Perennial Grains Description Perennial grain crops have the potential to alleviate or reverse soil degradation and increase crop profitability for smallholder African farmers. Grain crops are typically annuals, meaning they are grown, harvested, and die all in the same year with no… Continue Reading →

Phosphorus- The Key to Sustainable Nutrient Management

Phosphorus- The Key to Sustainable Nutrient Management Description Phosphorus (P) is one of three primary macronutrients (NPK) essential to plant and crop productivity. It is considered a macronutrient, as opposed to a micronutrient, because it is required in large quantities… Continue Reading →

Nitrogen- It’s What’s For Dinner

Nitrogen- It’s What’s For Dinner Description Although plants require both macronutrients (i.e. N,P,K) and micronutrients, nitrogen (N) is the lynchpin. It is needed in the largest quantities and is most often the limiting factor for growth and production of food… Continue Reading →

Dr. Alison Nord

Dr. Alison Nord Dr. Alison Nord received her PhD in Crop and Soil Sciences in the Snapp lab at Michigan State University, focusing on sustainable intensification of maize-legume cropping systems in Tanzania. She is currently a Post Doc in the… Continue Reading →

Dr. Placid Mpeketula

Dr. Placid Mike Gabriel Mpeketula I am interested in understanding the role of soil microbes such as bacteria and fungi in mediating ecosystems processes. Fungi are a major part of soil biodiversity, yet mechanisms driving their large-scale ecological ranges and distribution… Continue Reading →

Legume Best Bets

Legume Best Bets Description Legume Best Bests are leguminous crops identified for their ability to improve soil quality and agricultural productivity while adequately addressing farmers’ diverse requirements for adoption. Legumes are capable of providing plant-available nitrogen, a highly limiting nutrient… Continue Reading →

Doubled Up Legumes

Doubled Up Legumes Description: Intercropping, a common practice in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), is when different crops are cultivated at the same time and in the same space. Smallholder farmers intercrop to diversify income sources, reduce risks from crop failure, and… Continue Reading →

Sustainable/Ecological Weed Management

Sustainable/Ecological Weed Management Description Crop loss to resource competition with weeds is considerable in sub-Saharan African smallholder systems.  Yet, many weeding recommendations for farmers are based on on-farm experiments that do not account for realistic smallholder agroecological conditions and/or socioeconomic… Continue Reading →

Multipurpose Legumes for Soil Rehabilitation

Multipurpose Legumes for Soil Rehabilitation Description In Malawi there is a growing body of evidence that soil organic matter rehabilitation is urgently needed – yet widely promoted approaches such as agroforestry, conservation agriculture and livestock integration all face major challenges…. Continue Reading →

Daniel Kane

Daniel Kane Dan Kane is a soil scientist and agroecologist whose research interests include soil carbon cycles, cover crops, perennial cropping systems, and the impacts of climate change on agriculture. As an undergraduate he studied ecology and evolutionary biology at… Continue Reading →

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