MCRV: DISSECTING MICROBIOME-MEDIATED CROP ROTATIONAL VALUE OF PULSES AND OILSEEDS IN DRYLAND WHEAT SYSTEMS

Overall Objective:We will leverage ongoing research by WSU and USDA scientists to address fundamental questions about the microbial and soil health basis of crop rotational value, while also generating highly relevant system-specific knowledge (Fig. 5).Objective 1: Quantify the effects of rotational crops on soil health through the soil microbiome and soil physicochemical propertiesSampling ongoing USDA-funded field trials of legume varieties in development by breeders, as well as field trials of oilseeds and oilseed-legume intercrops to provide additional cropping system diversity, we will leverage these investments to generate a dataset to determine which attributed of soil health have the highest heritability and the greatest potential for improvement through rotational crop breeding.Objective 2: Link rotational crop impacts on soil health to subsequent wheat crop performance and other key agronomic propertiesUsing unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) mounted sensors, we will estimate yield, disease, and plant nitrogen content on wheat crops following legume and oilseed rotational crops. These data will be validated with ground-based measurements and supplemented with targeted analysis of grain nutrient content (protein, micronutrients) which will serve to link this project to the ultimate goal of enhancing consumer health.Objective 3: Determine whether legume rotational crops and oilseed rotational crops share general principles underlying rotational benefits, estimate heritabilities, and test whether microbially-mediated crop rotational value varies due to location and/or year.Conducting this study in two phylogenetically diverse plant families (Fabaceae and Brassicaceae) and repeating it across multiple years and locations, we will determine whether the relationships between rotational crop value, soil health, and the microbiome are consistent across locations, years, and rotational crop families and estimate heritabilities of these system-level traits.