WSU team looks to keep soil healthy
Research project, funded by feds, aims to study soil health and microbiology with wheat yield
Washington State University researchers are engaging in a new study that examines a variety of soil health changes in lands enrolled in the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Conservation Reserve Program.
A WSU Insider article announced lastg Friday the research is funded by a USDA Farm Service Agency grant of $800,000 for three years.
Scientists will track soil health, wheat yield and soil microbiology for the lands that are part of a volunteer program that encourages farmers to convert highly erodible and environmentally sensitive acreage to vegetation cover. The program pays landowners to take their property out of production for a contract that lasts 10-15 years.
The study will identify the best way to convert land into use for crop production while keeping soils healthy. Researchers will share their findings with farmers to aid decision-making for their own land.
The project is being conducted by lead researcher Surendra Singh, assistant professor at WSU and director of the Lind Dryland Research Station; Tim Paulitz, WSU plant pathologist; and Shikha Singh, WSU soil scientist.
The study will take place at WSU’s research station, as well as 16 sites in Eastern Washington. The team will also convert some plots that have been used as cropland for several years at the research station into the Conservation Reserve Program to sample the soil changes.
Researchers hope the initial findings will allow for future funding to continue their work for at least five to six crop cycles.
This is the first dryland study in the Pacific Northwest that will look at soil health in Conservation Reserve Program lands, which is different from typical cropland.
Pearce can be reached at epearce@dnews.com.
