INFEWS/T2: Improving crop yield and soil salinity by cost-effective integration of microbial community, hydrology, desalination, and renewable power

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This project contributes new solutions to the problem of high salinity in agricultural soil and irrigation water that affect food production in water-limited areas of the western United States and in other countries. Major project goals are to increase crop yields in areas with high salinity soils by improving irrigation water quality through desalination powered by renewable energy, restoring soil fertility, and reducing fertilizer applications through regeneration of the soil microbial community. In addition to reducing fossil fuel use, the proposed system will increase soil fertility and soil carbon retention, thereby decreasing carbon dioxide emissions to the atmosphere and reducing the use of energy to produce fertilizers. Socio-economic analyses will evaluate potential adoption of the technologies as well as estimate long-term benefits on food and energy security, soil and water quality, and atmospheric carbon reductions. The project offers opportunities for students of various disciplines to work together on a challenging problem, thus preparing them for diverse professional positions. Results will be demonstrated for agricultural communities in the New Mexico and Colorado study areas to help increase producer understanding and adoption of the newly-developed technologies and practices.The overall project goal is to improve crop yields in areas with excess soil and water salinity by using high-quality irrigation water produced by solar-powered desalination and to enhance soil microbial communities. The project seeks long-term improvements of soil, reductions in atmospheric CO2, and increases in surface and ground water quality. The research will evaluate costs and benefits of improving crop yields while reducing carbon-based energy usage, improving the soil microbiome and irrigation water, reducing use of fertilizers and associated energy requirements, increasing soil carbon sequestration, and improving aquifer water quality. The project will develop off-grid brackish water desalination facilities and use desalinized water in agronomic experiments in two contrasting areas in the western United States. These areas are the Tularosa basin in New Mexico where water is brackish and the Lower Arkansas River Valley in Colorado where there are increased salinization problems that reducedcrop yields. A systems approach will be used to integrate food production with desalination and renewable energy. This approach includes: 1) Off-grid brackish water desalination pilots; 2) Multi-year agricultural trials; 3) Hydrological and crop models; 4) Assessment of impacts on atmospheric CO2; 5) Cyberinfrastructure for real-time monitoring of field trials; and 6) Socio-economic analyses to assess potential adoption technologies and implications for guiding policy. The project will lead to increased understanding of the soil microbiome and its influence on crop yield and to new developments in cyberinfrastructure for this type of integrated systems research. While none of the individual food, energy, and water components provide a complete solution, their integration has the potential to considerably increase food security and environmental quality, particularly in water-limited areas of the United States.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.