The Homestead Hobbyist

Originally posted on Agritate, which is no longer active.

Over on the USDA’s blog, researchers from a previous internship group of mine (the USDA’s Sustainable Agriculture Systems Laboratory) posted about a long-term farming system study that is looking at the genetics of microbial denitrification, which releases nitrous oxide, an immensely potent greenhouse gas. They are saying that crop species, time of year, and type of management system (“conventional” or organic) all significantly impact the quantity and diversity of microbial genes responsible for denitrification. They’re now looking at which of these factors plays the largest role and what folks can do to reduce microbe-produced greenhouse gas emissions.