Soil

Aggie professor helps law enforcement find answers in the soil

26Mar

We have seen them on TV, the crime scene investigators who sift through the minutia to help law enforcement personnel determine what took place.

Dr. Jacqui Aitkenhead-Peterson fills this role for those in Texas law enforcement looking for soil-borne answers.

Dr. Jacqui Aitkenhead-Peterson discusses soil samples with an officer during a recent investigation.

An Associate Professor in the Texas A&M University Department of Soil and Crop Sciences, Peterson’s research focuses on nutrients in soil and water in human dominated ecosystems. Her research projects include urban irrigation run-off; extractable soil nutrients under tillage and cropping treatments; and investigation of carbon and nutrients released from decomposing mammals – primarily humans.

It is the latter for which she has become one of the go-to sources for law enforcement.

Aitkenhead-Peterson’s forensic soil science class includes a mock crime scene at which students find evidence and take soil readings.

For the past 6 years, she has been helping law enforcement discover the importance of matching soil from crime scenes and suspects or determining evidence of human decomposition products in soil.

In 2008, following a call from the Soil Science Society of America to increase undergraduate numbers in Soil Science, Peterson decided to develop and offer a Forensic Soil Science class. The first year, the class include included a field trip to the Huntsville donor facility.

“The extremely high concentrations of carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus from decomposing donors prompted my research and subsequent articles on this topic,” Peterson said. “Volunteering my expertise in sampling soil and on-site chemical analyses of soil at decomposition workshops for law enforcement or other practitioners led to initially helping to examine soil from cold cases and, more recently, active cases in Texas.”

Dogs sniff a series of cans containing either controls or crime scene soil to determine if further testing is warranted.

Earlier this year, when asked to help locate remains for an ongoing case, Peterson called in some canine reinforcements.

Trained by Dr. Ben Alexander, an instructor in the Texas A&M University Department of Biology and a visiting professor and K9 training coordinator at Texas State University’s Forensic Anthropology Center, the human remains detection (HRD) dogs “hit” on certain smells that are often undetectable to humans. They are a valuable tool, Peterson said.

“Dogs have a significantly higher sensitivity than the equipment in my lab,” Peterson said. “Sometimes the volume of soils delivered is high and so it is useful to have trained HRD dogs to alert for human remains before the time consuming chemical analyses is performed. If the HRD dogs show some interest then the next step is to scan sub-samples of the soils using UV-Vis-near infrared spectroscopy.”

“The diffuse reflectivity of decomposition-contaminated soils is significantly lower than soils collected as controls,” she said. “Statistical analyses will show whether it is worthwhile to continue on with wet chemical analyses to determine chemical markers for human remains.”

dog laying beside one of several cans in a row

A human remains detection (HRD) dog signals a “hit” to her handler, Ben Alexander, as Dr. Jacqui Aitkenhead-Peterson looks on.

Recently, three HRD dogs examined soil evidence, for redundancy purposes, and then Peterson tested the soils in her lab.

Information passed on to the investigators may help them find where a victim is buried, or provide other crucial information.

Aggies who wish to learn these techniques enroll in Peterson’s Forensic Soil Science Course, a three credit-hour course in which they learn soil and geologic characteristics associated with crime scene examination, and much more. This course draws numerous budding scientists each semester.

Aggie soil team headed to Nationals

11Nov

The 2019 Texas A&M Soil Judging Team includes from left to right: Cody Garcia, Ashtyn Stufflebeam, Marcus Rose, Nicole Shigley – coach, Nick Frisbee and Kade Flynn.

The Texas A&M University Soil Judging Team represented well at the Region IV Collegiate Soils Judging contest hosted by the University of Arkansas in October. The team placed third overall, and placed 2nd in the pit. They will now advance to the national contest at the Ohio State University in April, 2020.

The team consists of Kade Flynn, a junior Geology major; Nickolas Frisbee, a senior Plant and Environmental Soil Science (PSSC) major; Cody Garcia, a senior PSSC major; Marcus Rose, a senior Forestry major; Ashtyn Stufflebeam, a senior PSSC major. They are coached by Nicole Shigley, a Master of Science student in Soil Science under the supervision of Dr. Peyton Smith.

The Aggie Soil Judging team members out in the field – Cody Garcia, Nick Frisbee, Ashtyn Stufflebeam, Kade Flynn, Coach Nicole Shigley, Marcus Rose.

Individually, the Aggies also represented well with Flynn claiming 4th place individual and Garcia placing 7th out of the 33 students in the contest.

“I am so proud of how these students did, and I cannot wait for the next round!” said Coach Shigley.

The top two teams in this contest were Oklahoma State University (1st) and Texas Tech University (2nd).

The Aggie Soil Judging Team practices in the pit prior to the regional contest at the University of Arkansas.

New Texas A&M soil scientist aims research at global change effects on carbon sequestration

18Sep

Writer: Kay Ledbetter, 806-677-5608, skledbetter@ag.tamu.edu
Contact: Dr. Peyton Smith, 979-845-5669, peyton.smith@tamu.edu

Dr. Peyton Smith was soaring through the skies before she could drive, but it’s what is on the ground, or beneath the ground, that grabbed her fascination and led to her latest position with Texas A&M University.

Dr. Peyton Smith, assistant professor of soil carbon dynamics in the Texas A&M soil and crop sciences department in College Station. (Texas A&M photo by Beth Luedeker)

“I received my private pilot’s license the last year of high school and was enrolled in the Aviation Technology degree program at Purdue University, but I was quickly captivated by the biological sciences,” she said.

Now Smith, who’s been on the job a little more than a month, will be looking deep into Texas soils in her new position as an assistant professor of soil carbon dynamics in the Texas A&M soil and crop sciences department in College Station.

Her research in both above-ground and below-ground restoration and recovery responses has allowed her to travel all over the world, including research in north and south India, western Kenya, Puerto Rico, Costa Rica and throughout the U.S., including Alaska.

“So, while I may not be piloting myself around the world, I certainly have flown around the world to study forests and soils,” Smith said. “And now I’m eager to explore some of the issues that are pressing for Texas in the context of global change.”

She said she will concentrate on soil carbon preservation – namely, how climate change and extreme weather events such as drought and floods destabilize soil carbon.

“Soil organic carbon, organic matter, is one of the most essential components of the soil – it aids in soil structure and stability, water-holding capacity and nutrient availability – all things necessary to sustain microbial and plant life,” Smith said. “Soils are the largest terrestrial sink of carbon, but their potential to maintain stored carbon is being compromised by global change.

“Current research suggests soils may become a major source of carbon instead of a sink,” she said. “Soils have always been a significant source of greenhouse gases, but that is offset by their stabilization or sequestration capabilities. With changes in land use and climate, previously stored carbon may become available for microbial turnover, resulting in increased respiration and carbon dioxide production.”

Smith said she believes “soil science deserves to be recognized as an important platform,” and that’s why she chose to come to Texas A&M, which has one of the largest soil departments in the nation.

“Soil chemistry, physics and water dynamics are strengths of Texas A&M’s soil and crop science department, and their expertise will complement the interdisciplinary focus of my research, which has been identifying and characterizing soil chemical, biological and physical processes that control carbon and nutrient cycling.”

While much of her previous work had been in natural ecosystems or subsistence-based agriculture/forest systems, Smith said she looks forward to expanding her research to include important land uses in the state, such as different cropping systems and other agro-ecological ecosystems.

A native of Madison, Wisconsin, Smith earned her bachelor’s degree in forest ecology and natural resources management from the University of Washington-Seattle and master’s degree in environmental science from the School of Forestry and Environmental Studies at Yale University.

She earned her doctorate in soil science from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and came to Texas A&M after spending three and half years as a postdoctoral research associate at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory in Richland, Washington.

Spring Ranch Management University benefits landowners

30Apr

Story and Photographs By: Beth Ann Luedeker
Contact: Dr. Larry Redmon – l-redmon@tamu.edu

Dr. Larry Redmon in front of RMU classroom

Dr. Larry Redmon, who developed and coordinates Ranch Management University, discussed forage management with the participants.

There was a full house for Texas A&M AgriLife Extension’s spring Ranch Management University, held April 2-6 in College Station.

Extension Specialist Jake Mowrer demonstrated soil horizons and discussed many aspects of soil health during the 5-day workshop.

The five-day workshop under the direction of Dr. Larry Redmon, Soil and Crop Sciences Associate Department Head for Extension, accepts only 50 participants and usually fills up quickly.

New Landowners, potential landowners, landowners looking for a refresher and at least one self-proclaimed “old school” cattleman gathered at the Animal Science complex near the Brazos River to hear Extension specialists discuss a wide variety of information. Presentations included land stewardship practices, wildlife management techniques, pond management strategies, horse and cattle management and much more.

Dr. Jennifer Zoller in Ranch Management University classroom

During her session on horse production, Dr. Jennifer Zoller introduced participants to the Texas Horse Health App – a free app for mobile devices which became available in January.

“My wife, son and I had a wonderful experience at RMU and we all learned ‘a whole bunch’, as we say in Texas” said Richard Hurst, whose family came down from Irving, TX for the workshop. “The information was timely and thorough in all areas. I have never encountered folks who are so willing to share information and support new ranchers.”

Participants had the opportunity to get their hands dirty and learn how to hand-texture soils.

Most of the week is spent in a classroom setting, but there are also daily demonstrations and hands-on activities.

As he watched the cattle handling demonstration, one participant said, “I have been doing this a long time. My wife says I’m old school and that’s why she dragged me here.”

He examined the Ral-Gro® gun, something he had not used before, and asked several questions before he continued.

“They have a lot of good information, and I have learned several new things this week,” he said.

Then he smiled and added, “It’s also been nice to see that I’ve been doing some things right.”

Ranch Management University takes place twice each year. Spring RMU typically occurs in April, with the Fall RMU taking place in October. While it is geared toward newer landowners, the presentations are beneficial for all landowners or future landowners.

People interested attending the workshop may contact Dr. Larry Redmon, l-redmon@tamu.edu or Linda Francis, l-francis@tamu.edu.

Internationally known soil specialist retires

24Jan

Writer: Kay Ledbetter, 806-677-5608, skledbetter@ag.tamu.edu
Contact: Dr. Sam Feagley, 979-845-1460, s-feagley@tamu.edu

Students, soil fertility and nutrient management in Texas and beyond have been major parts of Dr. Sam Feagley’s life for many years, and all are areas where he hopes he has “made a difference.”

Dr. Sam Feagley, the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service state soil environmental specialist in College Station, retired Dec. 31. (Texas A&M AgriLife photo)

Feagley, the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service state soil environmental specialist in College Station, will walk away from his soil-testing equipment and his professor’s place at the front of the class when he retires Dec. 31 after more than 22 years at Texas A&M University.

He is known nationally and internationally for his research in nutrient management from organic and inorganic nutrient applications, land reclamation of surface-mined lands, saline/sodic soil remediation and revision of the Texas Phosphorus Index.

Feagley said his career has been a dream come true.

“Dr. Murray Milford taught basic soil science at Texas A&M and was the best professor I ever had,” he said. “I thought once during class, I want to be a teacher some day and if I can be almost as good as him, I’d be a success. And if I could come back to A&M, what a dream come true. I did finally make it back to the basic soil science classroom 32 years later.”

He joined the Texas A&M soil and crop sciences department in 1995. With nine soil scientists retiring from 1999 to 2011, Feagley eventually moved from 100 percent AgriLife Extension to 75 percent teaching and 25 percent AgriLife Extension, taking on teaching responsibilities for Soil Science, Reclamation of Drastically Altered Lands, and a study abroad class to Brazil, Brazilian Agriculture and Food Production Systems.

“Dr. Feagley has carried on a long tradition of excellence in our introductory soil science class,” said Dr. David Baltensperger, head of the Texas A&M department of soil and crop sciences in College Station.

Dr. Larry Redmon, soil and crop sciences associate department head and AgriLife Extension program leader in College Station, added, “Dr. Feagley is one of the most respected instructors in the department of soil and crop sciences.”

Feagley has taught more than 3,000 students over the years, and his connection with many continued after graduation. He was known for helping former students obtain a job with an environmental firm and/or helping them when working with state and federal guidelines, rules and regulations.

Dr. Feagley’s study abroad class, Brazilian Agriculture and Food Production Systems class, gave students a first hand look at agriculture in Brazil.

But the department leaders say it is Feagley’s contributions beyond the classroom that have earned him wide acclaim.

“Sam has provided exceptional leadership in facilitating science-based environmental regulations,” Baltensperger said. “His leadership in mine reclamation programs has been of tremendous value to the industry.”

And he has been the AgriLife Extension go-to resource regarding the environmental management of soils, Redmon said.

“I guess in working with environmental soil remediation over the years, the greatest satisfaction came when we were able to show regulators we were not recommending things that were biased, and they were accepting of our advice,” Feagley said. “We’ve been able to get some regulations changed. Those are where you look back and say ‘We made a difference.’”

Examples he gave from Louisiana included working with the rice industry to show many of their management practices were actually improving the water quality in the drainage water-receiving bayous, which helped ease some regulations being imposed on growers. Most producers accepted and implemented changes that improved the water quality.

He also worked with the lignite mining industry in Louisiana on their reclamation process using topsoil substitutes that actually improved productivity of the land better than native soils. This was shown by other researchers in Texas as well.

Dr. Sam Feagley speaking at the Surface Mine Reclamation workshop.

Dr. Sam Feagley coordinated a workshop focused on surface mine reclamation which is held annually in College Station. (photo by Beth Ann Luedeker)

“It’s changed the regulations and allowed the mining companies a little more flexibility as to how they reconstructed their topsoil,” Feagley said.

Also in Louisiana, he said they demonstrated that a declining swamp could be used for the tertiary treatment of municipal effluent and actually increase the productivity of the swamp and renew it at the same time as the remediation of nutrients from the effluent.

When he moved to Texas and began working with the lignite mining industry here, Feagley said they created a workshop to train science teachers about the chemistry of the soils, the overburden and how the environment is put back together after a tremendous disturbance.

“It’s very difficult to tell what has been mined and what hasn’t been mined, and seeing that light bulb go off when the teachers are viewing the land is always rewarding,” he said.

But Feagley said he probably spent the most time looking at phosphorus in applied manures from the animal feeding industry and revising the Texas Phosphorus Index for adding nutrients to the soil.

“Through that research, both the U.S. Department of Agriculture/Natural Resources Conservation Service and the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality have accepted our methods of analysis and recommendations for phosphorus,” he said.

“Before our research, there were three different methods of extraction and two methods of analysis for phosphorus. We were able to change that to one extraction and method of analysis, taking a lot of the variability out of the analysis TCEQ was seeing on the permitted fields.”

Feagley said he also worked with NRCS to develop a course to certify Texas nutrient management specialists. The Environmental Protection Agency and USDA in 1999 required each state to develop certification for specialists for animal feeding operations.

“We in the Texas A&M soil and crop sciences department got together with NRCS personnel and worked on soil fertility, testing, and rules and regulations,” he said. “We developed a 20-hour course, which is still being taught. Texas was the first state to implement the course and several others patterned their state programs after ours.”

Feagley authored over 50 peer-reviewed publications and has taught almost 15,000 people over the years through his AgriLife Extension county, Master Gardener and Master Naturalist programming.

Dr. Feagley visits with participants at the 2016 Soil Survey and Land Resources Workshop. (Photo by Beth Ann Luedeker)

He earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Texas A&M and his doctorate from the University of Missouri. From there he went to Louisiana State University where he had a teaching and research position for 16 years.

While there, he was instrumental in the request for and development of the college level curricula, Environmental Management Systems or EMS, and became the adviser for these students. EMS was designed to focus students on soil, water or air environmental areas. The soil and water areas had more science and lab hours than the basic science degrees at LSU. When he left LSU, he was advising over 200 students in EMS.

Feagley has been awarded numerous teaching awards from LSU and Texas A&M. At LSU he received the Outstanding Professor in Agronomy, Agriculture Students Association Outstanding Undergraduate Teaching in the College of Agriculture, Joe E. Sedberry Outstanding Undergraduate Teaching Award in the College of Agriculture, and Student Government Outstanding Teacher in the College of Agriculture.

At Texas A&M, he received the Texas A&M AgriLife Vice Chancellor’s Award of Excellence-Teaching, the Special Achievement Award for Teaching in Soil and Crop Sciences, Outstanding Teacher in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Gamma Sigma Delta and Honor Professor Award in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences.

He is involved in several national societies, and has received the Soil Science Society of America Council of Soil Science Examiners Outstanding Service Award and Irrometer Professional Certification Service Award. Through the American Society of Agronomy, he received the Fellow Award and Agronomy Resident Teaching Award.

Feagley said he looks forward to spending more time with his family, doing some consulting and finally tackling his wife’s “honey-do” list.

Healthy lawns make for healthy waters

15Dec

By: Claire Corley

What if understanding the soil and grass in residential lawns could help with water quality and reducing runoff? The Healthy Lawns and Healthy Waters Program is doing just that by helping Texas homeowners make better management decisions that will have a lasting impact on watersheds.

The educational training program, developed by the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service in the Department of Soil and Crop Sciences and the Texas Water Resources Institute, focuses on management decisions such as the type of turf best suited for the area, how to best manage irrigation and how to correctly apply fertilizer.

Dr. Benjamin Wherley, Texas A&M University associate professor in soil and crop sciences, said lawns serve more than just an aesthetic appeal to homes. They help with erosion control, landscape and bank stabilization, cooling the atmosphere and — one of the biggest functions — they serve as biological filters.

“Lawns serve a very important functional role, but we don’t want to mismanage it,” Wherley said. “That is where the educational part comes in.”

Wherley said the program opens the eyes of homeowners by showing them the environmental impact of their choices of turf, management practices and soil on runoff.

“If you go out and ask homeowners, ‘where does the runoff from your lawn go?’ I don’t think many of them even think about that,” he said.

John Smith, AgriLife Extension program specialist in soil and crop sciences, said the program is targeting areas where water resources are dwindling.

“We are carrying the program into watershed areas where water is precious,” Smith said.

rainwater harvesting tank attached to gutters of a house

At the Healthy Lawns and Healthy Waters programs, homeowners can learn about harvesting rainwater to be used to water lawns and flowers.

Smith said by going to these areas, homeowners can learn how to capture part of the stormwater into rainwater harvesting tanks. Rainwater can then be used as needed to provide irrigation directly to landscape, which increases efficiency.

Healthy Lawns and Healthy Waters is currently focusing on five pilot watersheds including the following areas: Seguin, Boerne, Wimberley, Lockhart, San Antonio and Kyle.

Reagan Hejl, AgriLife research associate in soil and crop sciences, said the programs are customized to each watershed by selecting proper turf species for the particular area.

Hejl said starting with the best adaptive species to the area allows the homeowner to have a green lush lawn without over applying resources.

“A healthy, green lawn does not necessarily require a lot of water and nutrients,” Hejl said. “There are ways to have that green lawn without having to use excessive fertilizer nutrients and water.”

A unique aspect of the Healthy Lawns and Healthy Waters program that most people do not know about is the free soil testing offered.

Smith and Hejl said most residents overlook having their soil tested, but the test can provide in-depth information about the homeowner’s lawn and specific nutrient needs or pH issues.

“We can go look at a lawn and try to figure out what issues they are having, but without a soil test, there are a lot of things we can’t see by just looking at it,” Hejl said.

Dr. Diane Boellstorff, associate professor in soil and crop sciences and AgriLife Extension water resources specialist, said the two most frequent causes of water quality impairment in Texas are high concentrations of E. coli bacteria and excess nutrients. Healthy Lawns and Healthy Waters aims to provide the best management practices that address both of those impairments, Boellstorff said.

Boellstorff and Hejl said the program develops relationships with homeowners that will last even after the event is over, making it easier for homeowners to find expert advice when they need it.

Healthy Lawns and Healthy Waters provides information and access to resources that can be used for better management of lawns throughout Texas. For more information about the program and upcoming workshops, visit its website. To request a workshop, email hlhw@tamu.edu.

This article was originally published on the Texas Water Resource Institute website – http://twri.tamu.edu

Many producers aren’t seeing it….. It’s all about what’s Underground

15Dec

By: Tony Provin, Professor and Extension Soil Chemist and Ronnie Schnell, Assistant Professor and Extension Specialist-Cropping Systems

The era of remote sensing, aerial drones, satellite imaging and GPS/GIS has most producers focusing on the visible issues present in their fields. The Soil Health movement is attempting to increase the awareness of the functions of soil and how to enhance or maintain our nation’s most critical natural resource. Whether it’s Texas or the central corn-belt, the root of most problems (pun intended) is actually roots, or lack of. The yield potential of all agricultural crops can always be traced back to the soil. Soil conditions that limit root development and proliferation throughout the topsoil and subsoil, ultimately limit the yield and long-term sustainability of the field. Sadly, our ability to access rooting development has remained nearly static for the past fifty years, although numerous researchers and industry technicians have been working to improve our ability to determine in field root development.

two corn plants, one short with small roots, one much larger with substantially more root mass

These central Texas corn plants depict the result soil compaction can have on plant growth and root development.

The root limiting conditions that many of our agricultural crops experience are nearly as broad and far reaching as Texas itself. In Texas, we can often boil this down to one of four issues: compaction, acidity, salinity and limited soil nutrients. Soil compaction is likely the single most limiting, yet under-appreciated yield robbing soil problem facing Texas producers. Estimates to the actual impact of compaction on yield range from 5-100%; fluctuating in-season rainfall and evapo-transpiration rates makes it difficult to place a more solid estimate. Naturally, the severity of compaction is directly related to the severity of yield declines, such as heavy vehicle traffic on turn-rows, however the relative amount of water available to the crop during key plant developmental stages influences the overall yield. The cause of soil compaction or densification can be due to multiple causes including tillage and vehicle traffic on moist to wet soils, loss of rooting development due to low phosphorus and/or low general soil fertility, low pH, high sodium and/or high soil salinity. As root proliferation declines in a soil, the soil, specifically the non-tillage subsoil, slowly increases in density. Under ideal growing conditions, the constant turnover of root system regenerates the macro-pores in the soil, plus helps maintain natural soil aggregation through the plant/microbiological relationships. As a root system decomposes, the resulting soil voids allow for rapid exchanges of gases and movement of water, plus provides a conduit for future root development. Lacking these voids or macro-pores, poor oxygenation of the root system often occurs, plus standing or increased runoff of rainfall or irrigation water is observed.

Key strategies toward avoiding compaction are to: 1) reduce axle loads when-ever possible, 2) avoid tillage or movement of equipment when soils are moist or wet on the surface and deeper in the profile, 3) Use controlled wheel tracks, thus limiting the overall percent of the field that large axle/wheel loads impact and 4) insure other soil fertility related limitations are resolved. The tillage and wheel traffic on moist and wet soils is often the more immediate and most obvious form of compaction. This wheel traffic compaction is often associated with shorter plants nearby and also immediate ponding during rainfall events.

Remediation of compaction can be difficult, expensive and may require years of careful attention to a given field or area within a field. The first step in remediating compaction is to determine where and to what extent a field is compacted. While yield monitors and visual observations can provide some insight into potential areas of compaction, a simple soil probe used in the process of collecting soil samples can quickly be used to evaluate ease of penetration, depth of hardness layers and changes between areas of the field. When compacted areas are noted, a further understanding of the compaction depth is needed. Longer soil probes or soil penetronometers can be utilized to evaluate the depth of compaction. Most compaction problems can only be reduced by mechanical means, including deep ripping, chiseling or other fracturing of the soil when dry. Another approach is to plant a taproot type of cover crop such as sweet clover. Select legumes, including sweet clover, are uniquely adapted to penetrate through compacted layers, although this may require multiple plantings.

map with the percentage of low samples in each state

This map shows the percent of soil test samples that fall below the critical level for soil test Phosphorus by state. Accessed from IPNI

Non-optimal soil fertility is also to blame for poor rooting of annual and perennial crops. Over the past twenty years, the percentage of soil samples with limited phosphorus or potassium has risen significantly. Most recent estimates (2015) are that 83% of Texas fields are limiting with regard to phosphorus and with the number of samples limiting for P is increasing with time. Additionally, a significant increase in the acreage of acidic soils has been observed throughout the central and northern Blacklands. Careful attention to timely soil testing can easily identify hidden soil fertility issues, as well as, locate those compacted areas within a given field. More information on soil testing can be found at The Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Soil, Water and Forage Testing Laboratory (soiltesting.tamu.edu).

Soil Judging teams wins at Regionals

16Nov

By: Beth Ann Luedeker

Contact: Sarah Vaughan: sarahvaughan23@tamu.edu
Dr. Cristine Morgan: clsmorgan@tamu.edu 979-845-3603

The Region 4 Champion collegiate soil judging team from Texas A&M University with their coach, Sarah Vaughn (L): Frank Linam, Cooper Stence, Lauren Gayre, Nicole Shigley, and Kenny Le.

The Texas A&M University Soil Judging team came out on top at the Region 4 competition in San Marcos last month, and earned a spot in the national competition to be held at the University of Tennessee at Martin next March.
Three members of the team finished among the top ten individuals at the contest.

Nicole Shigley flashes a smile as she examines a soil pit prior to the regional competition. Nicole finished as the high point individual for the contest.

Leading the way for the Aggies was Nicole Shigley, a junior Plant and Environmental Soil Science (PSSC). Nicole was the high point individual for the contest.
Cooper Stence, a junior in Agriculture Systems Management placed 5th high, followed by Kenny Le, a senior Spacial Science major.
Seniors Frank Linam, PSSC, and Lauren Gayre, Bioenvironmental Science, rounded out the Aggies championship team.
“I wanted to be on the soils team ever since they hosted the area Land Evaluation contest for FFA my senior year in high school,” said Shigley, who has been on the team for three semesters. “I think walking into a pit and seeing something you have never seen before is the best part!”
To her, the most challenging part is travelling to a new state and learning the parent material and geology there.
“I got involved in soil judging after taking Dr. Morgan’s class and working in her lab,” said Linam, who will be pursuing higher degrees in soil chemistry after graduation. “It has allowed me to see many more soil pits than I had before.”
To Linam, the most challenging aspect of the contest is the time constraints.

Kenny Le examines soil in a practice pit prior to the regional contest.

“Since it is timed, you have to come to a decision very quickly and move on to other parts of the contest,” he said.
The team is coached by Sarah Vaughn, a graduate student working on her Master of Science in soil science and Dr. Cristine Morgan, a soil science professor in the soil and crop sciences department at TAMU.

Lauren Gayre compiles her notes during a practice for the Region 4 Soil Judging competition in San Marcos, TX.

Region 4 includes colleges and universities from Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Oklahoma and Texas. About 40 individuals comprising seven teams competed. The top three teams have the opportunity to compete in the national contest.
The contest includes identification, evaluation, classification and description of soils, homesite evaluation, and more.
At the National Collegiate Soil Judging contest, the two judging events occur over two days. On the first day, the students compete as individuals and will have three pits/sites to evaluate. On the second day they evaluate two sites and are judged as a team.

Forensic Soil Science class teaches students about crime scene analysis

23Oct

Story and Photos By: Beth Ann Luedeker

Contact: Dr. Jacqui Aitkenhead-Peterson, jacqui_a-p@tamu.edu

Dr. Jacqui Aitkenhead-Peterson explains evidence collection to her Forensic Soil Science class at the mock crime scene. (Photo by Beth Ann Luedeker)

Scattered bones found outside the Heep Center this month, were quickly surrounded with crime scene tape to prevent disturbance of the evidence. The “crime scene” was part of an ongoing investigation in the Forensic Soil Science class taught by Dr. Jacqui Aitkenhead-Peterson.
Forensic Soil Science (FIVS/SCSC 401) teaches soil science applicable to forensic science. Students learn to assess soil color, particle size analyses, particle shapes and size, the natural assemblages of soil (physical, biological and chemical) and unusual anthropogenic assemblages that might be found in a soil sample.

Students create a grid over the mock crime scene to accurately record the locations of the scattered bones and other evidence. (Photo by Beth Ann Luedeker)

A major part of the course is the “Muddy Boots” case,” a fictitious scenario in which a graduate student is reported missing. Each student provides a soil sample from their “alibi location” during the summer, collected to a depth of 2.54 – 5.00 cm. 3 sets of footwear are also “retrieved”, each containing either alibi soil, reference soil or crime scene soil.
“One objective is for the students to see how soils from across the nation differ, and the discriminatory power of soil chemistry to match one of the pairs of boots to the crime scene,” Peterson said.
When the scattered remains appear outside the Heep Center, the students process the scene in the same manner as taught to Law Enforcement at the Sam Houston State University Donor facility. They first create a grid over the area, and then collect and record evidence in each grid, including soil samples taken to a depth of 2.54 cm for comparison to the “muddy boots”.

The students use probes to test the electrical conductivity of the soil to determine if decomposition products are present. (Photo by Beth Ann Luedeker)

The students also collect soil samples from the potential area of entry to the crime scene, and reference soils (soils of the same soil series as the crime scene).
“Electrical conductivity (EC) probes are used to record EC values in each grid square of the crime scene and also by hidden evidence items presumably belonging to the victim,” Peterson said. “Where the EC value is highest, this denotes a potential cadaver decomposition island (CDI).”

Students mark and record the location of each bone and other pieces of evidence in the mock crime scene as part of the forensic soil science class. (Photo by Beth Ann Luedeker)

Increased electrical conductivity is an indication of deomposition. Where this is noted, the students collect a 15 cm soil core as evidence. Peterson explained that 15 cm is the depth most useful for estimating post-mortem interval.
“All soils collected will be used for further chemical analyses along with statistical analyses to determine which pair of muddy boots was at the crime scene,” said Peterson.

Students in the Forensic Soil Science class learn to collect evidence and follow the same procedures used by law enforcement personnel. (Photo by Beth Ann Luedeker)

Soil Health – Cover Crop field day held in Williamson County

23Oct

Writer: Beth Ann Luedeker

Contact: Dr. Jake Mowrer – Jake.mowrer@tamu.edu
Dr. Clark Neely – cbneely@tamu.edu
Dr. Haly Neely – hneely@tamu.edu

AgriLife Extension and the USDA Natural Resource Conservation Service recently teamed up to discuss cover crops and conservation tillage practices with producers in the Blackland region of the state. The group met at the Stiles Foundation Farm, near Thrall, and Unnasch Farms, near Hart, Texas.

Nathan Haile, NRCS, opens the Soil Health and Cover Crop field day at the Unnasch Farms. (photo by Beth Ann Luedeker)

Robert Unnasch has been practicing conservation tillage for many years. This made the field trip to his farm an excellent way to begin the day, according to the field day organizers.

“When a farmer talks, people listen,” said Nathan Haile of the NRCS. “Robert Unnasch has been doing this successfully for some time, so he has experience worth talking about.”

Haile pointed out that, according to the NRCS, there are 5 key elements for ‘soil health’ which are met by conservation tillage/cover crop practices: maintaining ground coverage; minimizing disturbances; maximizing diversity; maintaining growth year-round; and integrating livestock to redistribute nutrients.

“Cover crops should be planted as closely together as possible to aid in weed constriction, and to provide canopy to protect the soil,” said Dr. Haly Neely, Texas A&M University Soil and Crop Sciences faculty.

Dr. Haly Neely demonstrated her rainfall simulator at the workshop. (Photo by Beth Ann Luedeker)

“If you close the canopy you reduce sunlight on the ground and air across the soil, keeping the soil cooler and drastically reducing evaporation,” she said.

Minimizing disturbances means leaving the soil alone as much as possible. Under conservation tillage practices, equipment enters the field much less frequently.

“Every time you till the soil you set it back in terms of organic matter and soil bio-ecology. Not all the way to zero, but back to the minimum that soil will support,” said Dr. Jake Mowrer, Assistant professor in the Department of Soil and Crop Sciences and Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Specialist for soil nutrient and water resource management. “Any time you disrupt the continuity of the soil it takes time to recover.”

Crop diversity provides many benefits, Haile said, and can improve pest and weed management in the field.
“Having different rooting systems keep root channels open,” said Mowrer. “The plants take up different nutrients and may redistribute them to different zones in the soil where they are more accessible to the successive crops.”

But think carefully about the benefit desired from a cover crop before selecting a species, says Mowrer. For example, to add nitrogen to the soil, plant legumes; to redistribute nutrients, plant cereals; to restore soil organic matter, plant something with a high biomass, he said. In addition, a farmer must select a crop which will work well in his soil.

“Keep something growing for as much of the year as you can,” Mowrer said. “If you don’t have a living root in the system you are missing something.”
Mowrer explained that most of what is known about cover crops comes from the corn/soybean rotations in the Midwest. It is important to gain information about what works in Texas to best aid the farmers here, so AgriLife researchers have several projects underway out at the Stiles Farm Foundation.

Dr. Jake Mowrer discussed soil health at the workshop. (Photo by Beth Ann Luedeker)

One ongoing project was discussed by Dr. Clark Neely, Assistant Professor in Soil and Crop Sciences and AgriLife Extension Small Grains/Oilseeds Specialist. His research is studying the feasibility of double cropping/cover cropping and reduced tillage on wheat cropping systems. In addition to the fields at Stiles Farm, the study is replicated in Lubbock and Beeville.

“We are looking at several double cropping options including grain sorghum, sesame, and cowpea. We also have a nine-species cover crop mixture. The thought behind double cropping is to see if we can get the same soil benefits as a multi-species crop mixture and also generate some additional farm revenue at the same time,” Neely said.

Dr. Clark Neely explained his on-going conservation tillage research at the Stiles Farm. (Photo by Beth Ann Luedeker)

“The tillage component of the study compares conventional, strip-till and no-till systems,” he explained. “In addition to the soil health aspect of reduced tillage, we wanted to evaluate these double crops and cover crop mixture under each tillage system to see if strip or no-till made double cropping more feasible or reliable by conserving more soil moisture. We’ve found that strip or no-tilling double crops following wheat harvest does improve stands and ultimately yields due to greater soil moisture in the topsoil at planting.”

Based on preliminary results, sesame appears to have the best potential for generating a viable income followed by grain sorghum, Neely said. Another important finding so far is that these double crops are not having a negative impact on wheat yields, despite using more soil moisture during the summer months. The Blacklands region generally receives enough rainfall to recharge soil moisture by the time wheat is planted later in the fall.

“We are taking soil measurements on wet aggregate stability, soil infiltration rate and soil respiration, which can serve as indicators of overall soil health, but observable differences will likely take more time,” Neely said.

He and his colleagues will determine the profitability of the system through economic analysis after more years of data are collected.