DESIGNING CROP ROTATION SEQUENCES FOR IMPROVED YIELD AND SOIL HEALTH BY MANAGING PLANT-SOIL FEEDBACKS

Our overarching goal is to test the plant-soil feedback (PSF) framework in a series of greenhouse and field experiments designed to determine crop rotation sequences that optimize crop yields and soil health under realistic agronomic conditions. This project has four specific goals; 1) to investigate effects of plant-soil feedback (PSF) on crop biomass using four globally significant cash crops (canola, maize, soybean and wheat) in a greenhouse pot experiment; 2) to verify the results from the greenhouse experiment using a field experiment; 3) to assess crop rotation sequences on soil microbial health indices and soil aggregate stability; and 4) to explore mechanisms of PSF effects on crop growth using structural equation modeling.