Research Projects
Projects:
Rooting for Ecosystem Services
This project uses multi-disciplinary expertise and farmer feedback to identify and evaluate traits that can document organic systems' contribution to supporting and provisioning ecosystem services.
Being Particular about Soil Organic Matter
Our goal is to develop effective modeling tools and soil health metrics to increase organic grain farmers’ ability to manage plant-soil feedbacks to maintain adequate N for heavy-feeding crops like corn while maintaining environmental quality.
Corn and Soil Health
This project conducts advanced on-farm research to identify biophysical and social/legal factors influencing the performance of organic maize cultivars and dependent businesses. Specifically, it seeks to 1) build capacity that supports a participatory testing and breeding program, 2) conduct a maize-based case study to explore on-farm factors including plant-soil interactions that influence crop fitness and grain quality and, 3) identify and communicate how organizational structures, sharing and intellectual property agreements can promote client-oriented breeding programs to improve our organic seed supply.
The Science of Soil Health: Methods Comparison
This project assesses the accuracy, repeatability and usefulness of a standard set of proposed soil health metrics. Specifically, efforts will contribute to the 1) identification of differences in soil health associated with land management, 2) assessment of the utility and reliability of a set of methodologies used to assess soil health, and 3) development of a national database on soil health indicators that will be maintained by NRCS.
Selected Publications:
Mujjabi, C. M.O. Bohn, M.M. Wander, and C.M. Ugarte. 2024. Participatory breeding in organic systems: Experiences from maize case studies in the United States. Journal of Agriculture, Food Systems, and Community Development. doi: https://doi.org/10.5304/jafscd.2024.132.008
Wander, M.M. and C.M. Ugarte. 2023. Improving the value of and reasoning behind farmer adoption of carbon centric practices. In C. Rampel (ed). Understanding and fostering soil carbon sequestration. Burleigh Dodds Science Publishing. doi: 10.19103/AS.2022.0106.27
Endres, A.B., M.O. Bohn, J.E. Andrade, W.A. Goldstein, E.E. Marriott, A.K. Formiga, C.M. Ugarte, and M.M. Wander. 2022. Influence of the seed loophole and bottleneck on quantity and quality of organic maize seed in the U.S. Frontiers in Agronomy. doi: 10.3389/fagro.2022.763974
Snapp, S.S., C.M. Ugarte, D.W. Hunter, and M.M. Wander. 2022. Cover crops and soil health. In: W.R. Horwath (ed). Improving soil health. Burleigh Dodds Science Publishing
Han, J., C.M. Ugarte, M. Nunez Flores, M. Hansen, C.R. Bowen, N. Schroeder, and G. Hartman 2021. Plant-parasitic and free-living nematodes in organically farmed fields in Illinois and Wisconsin. Plant Health Progress. doi: 10.1094/PHP-06-21-0096-S
Obour, P.B. and C.M. Ugarte. 2021. A meta-analysis of the impact of traffic-induced compaction on soil mechanical and hydraulic properties, and grain yield – perspectives for future research. Soil and Tillage Research. doi: 10.1016/j.still.2021.105019
Ngumbi, E.N. and C.M. Ugarte. 2021. Flooding and herbivory interact to alter volatile organic compound emissions in two maize hybrids. Journal of Chemical Ecology. doi: 10.1007/s10886-021-01286-7
da Costa, C., M. Wander, C. Crusciol, C. Ugarte, J. Rigon, R. Soratto, and J. Calonego. 2021. Long-term effects of lime and phosphogypsum on soil carbon and nitrogen and physical attributes under tropical no-till. Soil Science Society of America Journal. doi:10.1002/saj2.20182
Ugarte, C.M., and J.R. Taylor. 2020. Chemical and biological indicators of soil health in Chicago urban gardens and farms. Urban Agriculture and Regional Food Systems. doi:10.1002/uar2.20004
Xia, Y., C.M. Ugarte, K. Guan, M. Pentrak, and M.M. Wander. 2018. Developing Near- and Mid-Infrared spectroscopy analysis methods for rapid assessment of soil quality in Illinois. Soil Science Society of America Journal. doi:10.2136/sssaj2018.05.0175
Ugarte, C.M., H. Kwon, and M.M. Wander. 2018. Conservation management and ecosystem services in midwestern United States agricultural systems. Journal of Soil and Water Conservation. doi:10.2489/jswc.73.4.422
Luby, C., A.B. Endres, M. Wander, C. Ugarte. 2018. A primer on plant breeding and intellectual property rights in organic seed systems. eOrganic. Available at: https://eorganic.org/node/27215
Kwon, H., C.M. Ugarte, S.M. Ogle, S.A. Williams, and M.M. Wander. 2017. Use of inverse modeling to evaluate CENTURY-predictions for soil carbon sequestration in US rain-fed corn production systems. PLOS ONE. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0172861
Hurisso, T.T., S.W. Culman, W.R. Horwath, J. Wade, D. Cass, J.W. Beniston, T.M. Bowles, A.S. Grandy, A.J. Franzluebbers, M.E. Schipanski, S. Lucas, and C.M. Ugarte. 2016. Comparison of permanganate oxidizable C and mineralizable C for assessment of organic matter stabilization and mineralization. Soil Science Society of America Journal. doi: 10.2136/sssaj2016.04.0106
Marzano, S.Y., M.M. Wander, M.B. Villamil, C.M. Ugarte, and D. Eastburn. 2015. Organic transition effects on soilborne diseases of soybean and populations of Pseudomonadaceae. Agronomy Journal. doi:10.2134/agronj14.0318
Ugarte, C.M., H. Kwon, S.S. Andrews, and M.M. Wander. 2014. A meta-analysis of soil organic matter response to soil management practices: An approach to evaluate conservation indicators. Journal of Soil and Water Conservation. doi:10.2489/jswc.69.5.422
Marzano, S.Y., M.M. Wander, M.B. Villamil, C.M. Ugarte, E.R. Zaborski, and D. Eastburn. 2014. Transitional cropping systems and organic amendment effects on crop diseases. Agronomy Journal. doi:10.2134/agronj2013.0189
Ugarte, C.M., E.R. Zaborski, and M.M. Wander. 2013. Nematode indicators as integrative measures of soil condition in organic cropping systems. Soil Biology and Biochemistry. doi:10.1016/j.soilbio.2013.03.035
Ugarte, C.M. and M.M. Wander. 2013. The influence of organic transition strategy on chemical and biological soil tests. Renewable Agriculture and Food Systems. doi:10.1017/S1742170511000573
Ugarte, C.M. and E. Zaborski. 2009. Soil nematodes in organic farming systems. The eXtension Foundation. Available online at: https://eorganic.org/node/4495