PhD Student (Soil&BioGeochem), Plant Science Award
Carbon and nitrogen coupling in integrated crop-livestock systems in California
Email: srwilliams@ucdavis.edu
Education
- BSc- Ecological Management and Restoration, Minor Soil Science (UC Davis, 2016)
Research Interests
Generally, I am interested in soil health, nutrient cycling and how farm management choices affect the sustainability and stability of agroecosystems. Specifically, I am investigating how sheep grazing of a winter cover crop in organic vegetable production impacts soil health properties and yield outcomes. I seek to discover how grazing transforms carbon and nitrogen inputs, compared to an ungrazed cover crop, and if these inputs are recoupled in microbial biomass and released to the crop, or lost through leaching. Additionally, I am interested in understanding how the grazing intensity of consecutive grazing events alters cover crop composition and regrowth, root exudate composition and quantity, and soil microbial functional groups. With my work, I hope to contribute to the growing knowledge base about the ecological services that integrated crop-livestock systems can provide to the California Central Valley.