RockFACE
As part of the Leverhulme Centre for Climate Change Mitigation, the RockFACE project investigates the potential of enhanced rock weathering (ERW) in a maize/soybean rotation under increased atmospheric CO2 concentrations forecasted for later this century. ERW is a CO2 removal strategy that speeds up the natural chemical weathering of silicate rocks. As CO2 and water react with the rock, dissolved bicarbonates are formed, in essence taking atmospheric CO2 and storing it instead in groundwater, and eventually oceans, where it remains locked-away for thousands of years. Learn more about ERW here.
Circular Economy that Reimagines Corn Agriculture (CERCA)
The CERCA project aims to transform US grain farmland into a net-negative component of a circular bio-economy and reduce global greenhouse gases. One component of this is to develop cold-tolerant corn that can be grown as either an early spring or a winter annual crop, as opposed to its current use as a summer crop. This earlier planting date would mean avoiding extreme drought and heat events associated with the summer months, as well as increased light interception, which has been linked to increased yields. This shifting of corn seasonality could also improve nitrogen uptake, decreasing leaching and nitrous oxide emissions. Current research involves screening corn and their wild relatives for potential cold tolerance genes and pathways.
Optimizing Canopy Architecture and Photosynthesis in Soybean & Cowpea
Canopy architecture varies widely among diverse genotypes of soybean and cowpea, and can alter the light environment and photosynthetic capacity of leaves as well as the source-sink balance of crops. Thus, architecture traits have been indirect targets of selection as breeders have selected for greater yields. This research, associated with the Realizing Improvements in Photosynthetic Efficiency (RIPE) project, is modifying crop canopy architecture to maximize photosynthesis.