The Ohio State University College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences
COLLEGE OF FOOD, AGRICULTURAL, AND ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
The Sequestration
November 4, 2024

Cover for the Autumn 2024 edition of The SequestrationWelcome to the 2024 Autumn Edition of The Sequestration, containing in-depth news about events at the Lal Carbon Center this season.

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A Warm Welcome to Punjab Agricultural University!

By Maggie Willis The Ohio State University was thrilled to welcome a delegation from Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) to the College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences (CFAES) for the first time since the turn of the century. The guests from PAU included Vice Chancellor Satbir Singh Gosal; Dean of Postgraduate Studies Manav Indra Singh Gill; Director of Research Ajmer Singh Dhatt; Dean of the College of Agricultural Engineering and Technology Manjeet Singh Makkar; and...

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Seminar by Vice Chancellor Satbir Singh Gosal of Punjab Agricultural University

During his visit to Ohio State, esteemed Vice Chancellor Satbir Singh Gosal presented a seminar titled “Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana: Exploring the Transformative Role of Teaching, Research, and Extension Activities.” Held in Kottman Hall 333, this engaging seminar attracted an enthus

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The Lal Carbon Center and C-FARM at the 2024 Farm Science Review

By Maggie Willis The Lal Carbon Center joined Ohio State Extension’s Agronomic Crops team at the Farm Science Review for the second year in a row, hosted by CFAES in London, Ohio. Over September 17th, 18th, and 19th, our researchers, visiting fellows, research technicians, and graduate students interacted with more than 500 attendees who visited our booth. This year, our table featured an improved the soil cores display by transforming it into a soil health guessing game designed by...

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Dr. Ippolito Helps Lead Soil Health Survey at Ohio State’s Grace Drake Farm

By Jim Ippolito In April 2024, Jim Ippolito, Rattan Lal Endowed Professor of Soil Health and Soil Fertility, and his colleagues Drs. Manbir Rakkar, Doug Jackson-Smith, Steve Lyon, Kevin Armstrong, Ryan Haden, and Xucheng Hu, began research to quantify soil health at the Ohio State Grace Drake Farm near Wooster, Ohio. Within this working farm, soil physical, chemical, and biological attributes are measured in deciduous and evergreen forests (i.e., potential benchmarks for soil health...

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Shri Ratan Naval Tata

On October 9th, the world lost an innovative industrial and philanthropic giant when Shri Ratan Naval Tata passed away at the age of 86, leaving behind a legacy valued at over $100 billion. Trained as an architect at Cornell University, he graduated with a bachelor’s degree in 1962 and returned to India in 1970 to take a managerial position within the Tata Group, a successful conglomerate led by his father, Naval Tata, since 1941. In 1991, Ratan Tata was named the successor by Chairman...

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Quarterly Viewpoint

From the Desk of Visiting Scholar Dr. Noor-Us-Sabah Pollution has transboundry effects and so does carbon. Once carbon enters the atmospheric pool, one cannot differentiate between the carbon generated from any source, country, or region.  Nowadays, carbon emissions are one of the major threats to food security and sustainability. Thus, there should be balance between sink and source. 

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C-FARM: USDA-ARS

C-FARM Update from the Southern US By Alan Franzluebbers, USDA-ARS, Raleigh, NC  A total of 73 farms in the Southern Coastal Plain and Atlantic Flatwoods Major Land Resource Areas were sampled during the winter of 2023/24.  Depth distribution of soil organic C and N, soil-test biological activity, water-stable aggregation, and routine chemical analyses are being analyzed to understand the impact of conservation management of cotton and other cash crops on soil health and carbon...

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C-FARM: Midwest

By Yadunath Bajgai Soil sampling tasks for C-FARM project in 2024 continued until early July. Apart from a few sites in Pickaway and Wyandot counties, most of the sampling this year were done in Delaware and Coshocton counties. The soil series covered are Blount, Warsaw, Pewamo, Eldean, Spinks, Gilpin and Coshocton. Soil samples were collected by a team of researchers led by Dr. Scott Demyan and supported by Alex Ogg and Yadunath Bajgai. Dr. Klaus Lorenz and Dr. Vairton Radmann have been...

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C-FARM: Graduate Research - Munna

Understanding Soil Health through the Constant Head Method at the Lal Carbon Center By Md. Nayem Hasan Munna As autumn arrives and Ohio’s landscape begins to shift into fall colors, the Soil Physics lab at the Lal Carbon Center is bustling with activity. Recently, I undertook an analysis to measure the saturated hydraulic conductivity of various soil samples using the constant head method. This experiment sheds light on how water moves through soil—a key factor influencing...

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C-FARM: Graduate Research - Multer Hopkins

Environmental Impacts of Concrete Weathering in Soil By Brittany Multer Hopkins C-FARM Graduate Student Brittany Multer Hopkins is studying the carbon capture potential and environmental impacts of concrete weathering in soil. Sampling continues at her plots at Waterman Agricultural and Natural Resources Laboratory and will wrap up in November. Brittany will be presenting a poster on her research at the 2024 ASA, CSSA, SSSA International Annual Meeting in San Antonio, Texas in November. 

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C-FARM: Microsoft

Assessing Soil Organic Carbon: Can Your Smartphone Do the Job? By Nancy Loria The importance of soil organic carbon (SOC) in climate change mitigation and sustainable agriculture has gained significant attention due to its critical role in sequestering atmospheric carbon, enhancing soil fertility, improving water retention, and promoting ecosystem health. Traditionally, measuring SOC has required sophisticated laboratory techniques, which are often time-consuming and costly. However,...

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Alfred P. Sloan Foundation Update

To research the development and evaluation of pathways to net-zero emission agriculture and cropping systems By Sandhya Karki Soil management practices that enhance soil health are increasingly recognized as crucial strategies for mitigating climate change. Applying biochar and integrating cover crops in crop rotation are commonly recommended soil management practices for enhancing carbon sequestration and improving soil health. However, limited studies exist on the combined effect of...

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World Food Day 2024

By Maggie Willis In observance of the FAO’s World Food Day on October 16th, the Lal Carbon Center held a potluck on Friday, October 18th, in Kottman Hall. The spread featured dishes from Nepal, India, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Pakistan, and the US, with flavors that, in my opinion, surpassed what one might find in a restaurant. The group watched a short video about World Food Day and shared thoughts on this year’s theme: “Right to Foods for a Better Life and a Better Future: No One Gets...

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The Lal Carbon Center at Canaan Middle School

By Maggie Willis The Lal Carbon Center was honored to present at Boy’s Exploration Day at Jonathan Alder Canaan Middle School in Plain City, Ohio, on October 21, 2024. This event aims to provide 5th and 6th grade boys with a school day filled with new experiences focused on STEAM, technology, and future-ready skills. Research Technician Alex Jones and Maggie Willis collaborated with Ohio State Extension Educator Amanda Douridas to deliver two soil-centric sessions for the students....

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Congratulations, Brittany!

Congratulations to Brittany Multer Hopkins, who passed her candidacy exam on October 9th. Brittany’s work focuses on the potential of concrete weathering in soil to capture carbon and the subsequent environmental impacts.

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C-FARM Researchers Recognized Among Top 2% of Scientists

A hearty congratulations is due to Dr. Rattan Lal and Dr. Alan Franzluebbers, both recognized among the ‘World’s Top 2% Scientists” by Stanford University/Elsevier. These rankings use standardised data on citations, h-index, and other bibliometric indicators to identify the world’s leading researchers by their publications.  Dr. Rattan Lal ranked 1st in Agronomy and Agriculture, and in the same subfield, Dr. Alan Franzluebbers ranked 45th and Dr. Klaus Lorenz 392nd. Explore more...

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Dr. Rattan Lal Inducted as Honorary Member of the International Union of Soil Scientists (IUSS)

IUSS President Dr. Edoardo A.C. Constantini released a declaration on the 28th of October 2024 that as a “recognition of [his] exceptional contributions and unwavering support for our mission,” and the fact that Dr. Lal’s “dedication and influence [has] left a significant impact on [the IUSS] community,” the IUSS is “thrilled to welcome [Dr. Lal] into this esteemed group of Honorary Members. [Dr. Lal’s] experience and insights will be invaluable as [the IUSS continues] to pursue...

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Midwestern Legislative Conference (MLC)

July 21, 2024 • Columbus, Ohio The Midwest Legislative Conference brings together legislators and their staff from eleven Midwestern states and four Canadian provinces to improve state government by fostering the exchange of information, sharing ideas, and discussing common problems through effective collaboration. Dr. Lal was honored to be able to present “Managing Soil Health for Carbon Sequestration and Water Conservation,” and he was encouraged that the issues of anthropogenic...

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Rio-Agro

July 30th, 2024 • Rio de Janeiro, Brazil The International Forum for Sustainable Agro-Environmental Development Dr. Lal was honored to be invited to speak at Rio Agro 2024. On the second day of Rio-Agro on July 30th, 2024, Dr. Lal gave a lecture entitled “Managing Tropical Agriculture in Sustainable Agri-Food Systems for Food and Climate Security” to the audience as part of the Main Plenary Session. The focus of that day was “Food Security and Sustainable Agricultural...

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Aapresid Congress

August 7th, 2024 • Buenos Aires, Argentina Dr. Rattan Lal was pleased to join the gathering of influential national and international leaders in Buenos Aires, Argentina at the 2024 Aapresid Congress for a lively collaboration between the scientific and agricultural production sectors to build an effective and transformative future for all. The 2024 Congress has a focus on “4 great axes: economic, productive and environmental, social, and technological.” The more than 30 years of the...

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2024 United Nations General Assembly and New York Climate Week

September 23rd, 2024 • New York, New York At the UN General Assembly and New York Climate Week, the Business Council for International Understanding hosted an event dedicated to “The Vision for Adapted Crops and Soils (VACS): Improving Food Security at the Nexus of Climate, Land Degradation, and Biodiversity” on September 23rd, 2024. At this event, VACS strove to bring stakeholders together to address major planetary issues and sustain agriculture’s essential societal contributions...

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Association of Nepalese Agricultural Professionals of America (NAPA)

September 29, 2024 • Baton Rouge, Louisiana Lal Carbon Center Alumnus Bharat Shrestha (2005) invited Dr. Lal to meet with the members of NAPA and present a keynote lecture on “Sustainable Soil Management and Agriculture as a Part of the Solution to Adaptation and Mitigation of Climate Change” online. Dr. Shrestha shared that “the lecture was followed by a panel discussion moderated by Dr. Rajan Ghimire with two panelists namely Dr. Roshan Bajracharya, and Dr. Gyami Shrestha. Dr....

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Welcome Ahmed Elgharably

By Ahmed Elgharably Dr. Elgharably obtained his Ph.D. in soil fertility and plant nutrition from the University of Adelaide, Australia (2008). He has been an academic, now professor, teaching soil science courses in Dept Soils and Water, Assiut University, Egypt, but also filled in postdoctoral positions at JIRICAS, Japan (2009-2010), the University of Maryland, College Park, MD, USA (2012-2013) and California State University Fresno, CA, USA (2016-2017). His research experience deals with...

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Farewell Toru Nakajima

By Toru Nakajima I am grateful to have been a Visiting Fellow at the CFAES Rattan Lal Center for Carbon Management and Sequestration (Lal Carbon Center) from November 2023 to October 2024. During this period, I studied “Soil Organic Carbon Stock for Carbon Credit in Smallholder Farms” and “Soil Health Assessment by Artificial Intelligence.”  While at Lal Carbon Center, I also enjoyed visiting the Waterman Farm and studying crop residue management. I also had the opportunity to...

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Farewell Lauren Baldarelli

By Lauren Baldarelli As a Postdoctoral Scholar at the Lal Carbon Center over the past year a half, I’ve gained on-farm experience that will undoubtedly advance my career in agricultural research. Working with the farmers on the Stark Sustainable Soils project has been an incredible experience and I’m forever grateful for the opportunity. 

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Farewell Carla Gavilan

By Carla Gavilan I just wanted to express my gratitude for the time I spent at Ohio State University and the Lal Carbon Center.  Thanks to all of you for being part of my time there; working (and learning) with you over the past year has been great, and I’m grateful for the support, collaboration, and camaraderie we’ve shared. Special thanks to Dr. Lal and the IICA team for giving me the chance to collaborate on the Living Soils of America initiative (LiSAm) as part of the C-FARM...

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Farewell Manan Kapoor

We wish Manan the best as he embarks on his new position at the University of Cincinnati! Thank you for your contributions to the Center, and please keep in touch!  

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Altitude, land use and soil depth effects on earthworm density and its relationship to soil properties in an on-farm study

By Ameeta Adhikari, Yadunath Bajgai, Jimba Rabgyal, Rattan Lal, Nima Tshering, Sarda Gurung, and Tashi Wangdi

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Books Edited

El-Beltagy, A., R. Lal, K. Malik. 2024. Climate Change and Sustainable Agro-ecology in Global Drylands. Centre for Agriculture and Bioscience International. ISBN: 978-1-80062-485-6. 

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Refereed Journal Articles

Adhikari, A., Bajgai, Y., Rabgyal, J., Lal, R., Tshering, N., Gurung, S., and Wangdi, T., (2024). Altitude, land use and soil depth effects on earthworm density and its relationship to soil properties in an on-farm study. Journal of Soil Science and Plant Nutrition. https://doi.org/10.1007/s42729-024-01990-9 Iqbal, A., R. Khan, Q. Hussain, M. Imran, Z. Mo, et al. 2024. Vermicompost application enhances soil health and plant physiological and antioxidant defense to conferring heavy metals...

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Chapters in Multi-Authored Books

D’Silva, J., & McKenna, C. (Eds.). (2024). Regenerative Farming and Sustainable Diets: Human, Animal and Planetary Health (1st ed.). Routledge. Part 2, Chapter 7: Regenerative Farming and Sustainable Diets: Human, Animal, and Planetary Health.  https://doi.org/10.4324/9781032684369  El-Beltagy, A., R. Lal, K. Malik. 2024. Introduction. In: Climate Change and Sustainable Agro-ecology in Global Drylands. Centre for Agriculture and Bioscience International. p. 1-19. ISBN:...

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Keynote Presentations

Lal, R. 2024. Soil Health as a Solution to Climate and Food Crisis. Aapresid Congress, Argentina, 7th August, 2024.  Lal, R. 2024. Climate Resilient Food Systems and Carbon Agriculture. Aapresid Congress, Argentina, 8th August, 2024. 

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Lal Carbon Center Seminars

Would you like to learn about advancements in soil science as they happen?

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