Sougata Bardhan

Lincoln University of Missouri · College of Agricultural and Natural Sciences

Forest farming practices involve cultivating high-value specialty crops in the forest understory with specific management of the canopy and the forest overstory to promote the growth and establishment of the desired crop. The understory or specialty crops (Non-Timber Forest Products, NTFPs) can include various items for food (mushroom and nuts), botanicals (herbs and medicinal), decorative (floral greenery and dyes), and handicrafts (baskets Ann wood products). Although forest farming involves modifying the forest ecosystem, if correctly done, the primary forest functions are not negatively impaired but rather enhanced. This study is designed to evaluate the feasibility of forest farming of Missouri native perennial herbs and the impact of timber stand improvement (TSI) and prescribed burn (PB) on forest ecosystem processes. The specific objectives include, i) Evaluate the establishment and productivity of selected native herb species in Missouri woodlands for forest farming, ii) Determine the impact of associated forest management practices (timber stand improvement and prescribed burn) on photosynthetic resource allocation, greenhouse gas emissions and soil chemical properties, and iii) Monitor the effect of forest farming activities on soil microbial community and function. This project will benefit small farmers and forested landowners in Missouri and the midwestern US by generating economic income by incorporating forest farming practices. As an added benefit, forest health will also improve from the TSI and PB treatments. Project outcomes will lead to developing best management practices for forest woodlots and promote better decision-making processes for forest landowners, conservationists, state and local governments, and other stakeholders.

Metal borides to strengthen metal matrix composites for powder metallurgy. Surfactants with boron head-groups for novel dispersions. Application science with various forms Boron based micronutrients for agriculture.

Biomass production systems have the potential to deliver sustainable, renewable feedstocks for bioenergy and bioproducts. To fulfill this potential however, regionally-appropriate biomass crops and cropping systems must be adopted across landscapes. Two major challenges in the production of perennial, native herbaceous plants as biomass crops is avoidance of food acre displacement and reliance on external inputs such as N and P fertilizer. Production of native warm-season grass polycultures on agronomically marginal soils (drought or flood prone) and integrated with concentrated animal feeding operations is an opportunity for increasing agricultural productivity on marginal lands while not displacing food acres, while also closing the farm nutrient loop. Additionally, ecosystem services such as water quality enhancement and water storage (i.e., soil recharge) may be greater within native grass polycultures compared to non-native and monoculture cropping systems. I'm leading a long-term, plot-level experiment to evaluate harvest regime, manure application, and interactions on biomass yields and ecosystem services of tall fescue (the control), switchgrass monoculture, and native prairie mixtures of differing diversity and composition. The experiment is being conducted at the Bradford Research Center near Columbia, MO. The experiment consists of five plant treatments: fescue monoculture (“control”), switchgrass monoculture (native ecotype), “low-diversity” prairie mix (9 species; two grasses, six forbs, one legume), “high-diversity” prairie mix (18 species; four grasses, 12 forbs and two legumes), and a “moderate diversity” mix (12 species; three grasses, seven forbs and two legumes). The low- and high-diversity mixes contain switchgrass and other native grass species that are known to be aggressive growers that can provide a large proportion of biomass but over time can displace native forbs and legumes. Therefore, the “moderate diversity” mix contains typically less aggressive grasses to potentially reduce loss of forbs and legumes over time. The low-diversity mix is a modification of USDA CRP CP2 mix, where the total number of species has been reduced from 12 to nine. The high-diversity mix is a “feasible high diversity” mix determined by a consortium of subject matter experts familiar with a large anaerobic digestion project using swine manure and native grassland biomass feedstocks in northwestern Missouri, USA. The moderate diversity mix is entirely novel. There are three harvest treatment levels: no harvest, annual harvest (after senescence) and green harvest every third year (any time after July 15, according to grassland bird protection protocols). There are two swine manure treatment levels: none and average rate used by swine confinement operations in northwestern Missouri. Swine manure will be surface applied once annually in spring, beginning in the third year of the experiment. The experimental design is randomized complete block composed of 36 plots per block, and three replicate blocks. Plots are 2m x 2m. Alleys of 1.6 meter are being maintained around all plots/blocks. Plant mixtures are being established this spring and summer (2016) as seedlings (plugs) in a density of 144 plants per plot (plant spacing of 16.5 cm). The experiment is being conducted in a level, well-drained arable field containing alfisol soils of average fertility for the region. Baseline measurements of soil texture, carbon, OM, etc., in the top 15.25 cm are being conducted as composite samples per block in summer 2016. After establishment, observations will be made annually (at various appropriate intervals within years) on species composition, above-ground biomass, below-ground biomass, soil carbon, soil moisture, soil microbial community, soil nutrient cycling, biogas potential (individual species and species mixes), occurrence of invertebrates (species, richness, density, etc.), and the fate of various compounds present in manure. Other criteria are under consideration.