Soil Ecology

We have had an extensive interdisciplinary program in soil lecology led by faculty from our department since 1987. Some of our research involves such topics as the role of soil organisms in conservation tillage, the importance of earthworms in nutrient cycling, the breakdown of organic wastes by earthworms, the effects of xenobiotics on soil organisms, the breakdown of pesticides in soils, the movement of nitrates and pesticides into groundwater, and integrated management of soil pests and diseases.