Today, I joined Sarah Roley once more to check on her N cycle research in the GLBRC plots. She gave an update on the switchgrass residue collection: it has been dried, but is still waiting lab analysis. The other previous project that I had observed was to introduce N isotope into the soil and find where and how it was dispersing. She was testing with cheaper gasses and had fine-tuned it enough to use the N isotope. However, these were also still awaiting lab analysis. I figure I need to wait a little longer to hear more about it.
The project for the morning was to trace ammonia and nitrate in the mineralization and nitrification processes. She had prepared soil cores that she had introduced the N isotope and put into a KCl solution. I helped her to filter soil from the solution so that it can then be analyzed for the individual components. We ended the morning by collecting a few more cores from other treatments.
-Matt
The project for the morning was to trace ammonia and nitrate in the mineralization and nitrification processes. She had prepared soil cores that she had introduced the N isotope and put into a KCl solution. I helped her to filter soil from the solution so that it can then be analyzed for the individual components. We ended the morning by collecting a few more cores from other treatments.
-Matt