Can Native Tallgrass Prairies Serve as a Model for Sustainable Agroecosystems?
(Steve Culman, Graduate Student, Crop and Soil Sciences, Cornell University) Abstract: A model agroecosystem would support long-term nutrient export mostly though endogenous sources – namely biological nitrogen-fixation and mineral weathering of soil. The native tallgrass prairies of north-central Kansas may meet these requirements, as they have been annually hayed for the last 75 years or more without experiencing a decline in above ground biomass yield. This long-term nutrient removal with no anthropogenic nutrient inputs can be contrasted to neighboring annual agricultural fields which require a large amount of nutrient inputs to sustain current yields. Research at the Land Institute, in Salina, Kansas has catalyzed a collaborative effort to look at differences in soil biology and nutrient dynamics between prairies and annual agricultural fields in order to better understand the mechanisms which allow prairies to export large amounts of nitrogen over time. My specific role in this e
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- Can Native Tallgrass Prairies Serve as a Model for Sustainable Agroecosystems?
