Major
Environmental Science
Anticipated Graduation Year
2025
Access Type
Open Access
Abstract
Flooding reduces crop yield and disrupts soil nitrogen (N) cycling; however, flooding and N fertilization effects on soil health are understudied. This study investigates how short-term flooding and N fertilization treatments influence soil health across the corn growing season. A split-plot randomized complete block design (main factor: flooding, sub-factor: N fertilization) assessed soil organic carbon (C) (POXC) and soil organic N (ACE protein). Soil samples were collected pre-flood, post-flood, and pre-harvest. POXC variability depended on fertilization; ACE protein increased significantly, regardless of fertilization. Findings suggest that flooding disrupts plant-microbe interactions, and ACE protein may be a stable soil health metric.
Community Partners
Michigan State University W.K. Kellogg Biological Station
Faculty Mentors & Instructors
Katherine Naasko, PhD; Christine Sprunger, PhD. W.K. Kellogg Biological Station and Dept. of Plant, Soil, and Microbial Sciences - Michigan State University
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 License.
Investigating the dual impacts of flooding and nitrogen management on soil biological health indicators across the growing season
Flooding reduces crop yield and disrupts soil nitrogen (N) cycling; however, flooding and N fertilization effects on soil health are understudied. This study investigates how short-term flooding and N fertilization treatments influence soil health across the corn growing season. A split-plot randomized complete block design (main factor: flooding, sub-factor: N fertilization) assessed soil organic carbon (C) (POXC) and soil organic N (ACE protein). Soil samples were collected pre-flood, post-flood, and pre-harvest. POXC variability depended on fertilization; ACE protein increased significantly, regardless of fertilization. Findings suggest that flooding disrupts plant-microbe interactions, and ACE protein may be a stable soil health metric.