THE EFFECT OF ORGANIC MATTER RECYCLING IN AGROECOSYSTEMS, FROM MOLECULAR TO GLOBAL SCALES
Access to this document is restricted. Some items have been embargoed at the request of the author, but will be made publicly available after the "No Access Until" date.
During the embargo period, you may request access to the item by clicking the link to the restricted file(s) and completing the request form. If we have contact information for a Cornell author, we will contact the author and request permission to provide access. If we do not have contact information for a Cornell author, or the author denies or does not respond to our inquiry, we will not be able to provide access. For more information, review our policies for restricted content.
The implementation of technologies that facilitate the recycling of wasted organic resources into added-value soil amendments can provide multiple benefits to crop production. One example is the use of pyrolysis (the thermal decomposition of matter in an inert atmosphere) to produce biochar, a material that can regulate the pH, increase nutrient availability, and improve microbial activity in soils. The research presented here investigates the ability of biochar to modulate intraspecific belowground plant-plant interaction by affecting the quality and abundance of root exudates, as well as the phenotypic plasticity of roots. In addition, this work provides insights on the physical potential of wasted livestock and human excreta recycling to compensate for nutrient shortages and minimize nutrient pollution in crop and grassland systems across the world.