Abstract
Agroecological nutrient management applies ecological principles to sustain agroecosystem productivity, build soil organic matter and climate resilience, and reduce nutrient losses to the environment. This talk will integrate findings from experimental and observational research focused on managing crop diversity to simultaneously build soil organic matter and reduce reliance on external nutrient inputs. In a two-year experiment on 14 working farms, we identified soil properties that predict variation in cover crop functional traits and ecosystem functions. I will also discuss underlying mechanisms; for example, in a stable isotope experiment, we tracked the flow of carbon from a legume-grass cover crop into distinct fractions of soil organic matter across a gradient of fungal community composition. I will also consider policy implications, sharing results from studies using citizen science and remote sensing to understand cover crop adoption and farm resilience at larger spatio-temporal scales in Michigan and the Great Lakes region.
About the Speaker
Jennifer Blesh is an agroecologist and Associate Professor in the School for Environment and Sustainability and the Sustainable Food Systems Initiative at the University of Michigan. She received her PhD in Soil and Crop Sciences from Cornell University. Her work advances knowledge of the relationship between crop diversity and ecosystem services, including identifying how cover crops and perennials affect soil nutrient cycling processes, especially legume nitrogen fixation and soil carbon accrual. She also studies social processes that lead to food system transformation and resilience.