Join the first session of the Iowa Nutrient Research Center’s Spring “Focus on the Future” Series! The following two topics will be presented.

Microbial communities as a pathway to improved woodchip and corncob bioreactor design and performance

The first presenter is Taylor Vroman, Environmental Science, Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering.

Her research focuses on analyzing the microbial communities within corncob and woodchip bioreactors to optimize the performance of the edge-of-field conservation practice. She is currently using nitrate removal, greenhouse gas production, water chemistry and gene presence to determine performance in laboratory upflow columns.

Ranking the effect of GxExM factors on the economic optimum N rate

The second presenter is Mitch Baum, Post doc, Department of Agronomy.

Mitch created a ranking of influential GxExM factors on the economic optimum N rate using a well calibrated process-based cropping systems model. The goal is to explore how the annual variability of the yield response to N can be managed with crop genetics and management vs. the uncontrollable variability caused by seasonal weather fluctuations.

Join online or in person at 1306 Elings Hall on the Iowa State University campus.