Collaborative Research: SitS NSF UKRI: Decoding Nitrogen Dynamics in Soil through Novel Integration of in-situ Wireless Soil Sensors with Numerical Modeling

合作研究：SitS NSF UKRI：通过原位无线土壤传感器与数值建模的新颖集成解码土壤中的氮动态

• 批准号: 1935599
• 负责人: Baikun Li
• 金额: $ 64万
• 依托单位: University of Connecticut
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2020
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2020-01-01 至 2024-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1935599&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Collaborative; Research; SitS; NSF; UKRI

This project was awarded through the "Signals in the Soil (SitS)" opportunity, a collaborative solicitation that involves the United States Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture (USDA NIFA) and the following United Kingdom Research and Innovation (UKRI) research councils: 1) The Natural Environment Research Council (NERC), 2) the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC), 3) the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), and the Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC). Nitrate runoff from soil in drainage water from agricultural and horticultural lands into waterways, a process that is increased even more by nitrogen-containing fertilizer use, is a long-standing challenge for agricultural sustainability and environmental protection. One effective approach to improve efficiency of water and fertilizer use, and thereby decrease nitrate runoff, is through precision farming practices guided by real-time monitoring and near-term forecasts of crop irrigation and fertilization needs. Currently, there is a severe lack of reliable sensing technologies and modeling tools for monitoring the variability of soil moisture and nitrogen concentration over different scales. This interdisciplinary collaborative project involving researchers at the University of Connecticut and the University of New Hampshire in the U.S., and at the University of Southampton and the University of Reading in the U.K., aims to tackle the grand challenge of decoding nitrogen dynamics in soil through integration of four innovative solutions: 1) High frequency wireless nitrogen sensing technology; 2) Field-deployable high-accuracy calibration sensors in soil; 3) Real-time profiling of nitrogen species and soil moisture levels in two typical ecosystems (corn farm and deciduous forest); and 4) Data-driven modeling of nitrogen dynamics in the region of soil in the vicinity of plant roots where the soil chemistry and microbiology are influenced by root growth, respiration, and nutrient exchange. The proposed convergent research of innovative in-situ sensing and data-driven modeling will close the technology gap between soil signal detection and agricultural management. Unique integration of soil sensor development, lab-scale tests and field tests, wireless sensor networks, and model validation will yield significant impacts on broader scientific communities and key stakeholders. Multiple education and outreach initiatives, including hands-on experiments and online video clips, will stimulate student interest in STEM careers, especially for underrepresented groups. Interactions with industrial partners, policy makers, and end users will be strengthened through workshops and seminars. All these features contribute to improving resource use, better food security, and the reduction of soil and water contamination in the US and UK.By targeting two critical soil signals, nitrogen species (ammonium and nitrate) and soil moisture, this US-UK SitS collaborative project will be conducted through six interactive tasks. First, high frequency fine-resolution miniature hydrogel-coating solid-state ion selective membrane-based (HS-ISM) wireless nitrogen sensors will be developed by the US team to enable real-time in situ nitrogen detection in soil. Second, droplet-flow microfluidic-based sensors (DFMS) for nitrogen will be developed by the UK team for in situ calibration of the mass-deployed HS-ISM sensors. Third, low-cost and low-energy wireless networks will be developed for data collection from multiple sensors across large fields. Fourth, in a lab-scale soil system, HS-ISM nitrogen sensors, in conjunction with newly developed mm-sized soil moisture sensors (MSMS), will be assessed for high-resolution profiling and wireless data transmission capability and calibrated in situ using DFMS sensors. Fifth, wireless nitrogen sensors and MSMS sensors will be deployed at two ecosystems, a corn farm in the US and a forest ecosystem in the UK, and examined for 13 months. Finally, numerical models of the rhizosphere nitrogen cycle will be calibrated based on the in-situ nitrogen profiling data. These new numerical models will be used to simulate and predict the rhizosphere nitrogen dynamics under different weather and farming practices beyond the end of the project. This project will transform existing inefficient and labor-intensive soil analysis practices to an automated and highly-efficient soil nitrogen dynamics decoding and field modeling strategy. This project will lead to a better understanding of soil nitrogen dynamics and provide a new vision in nitrogen sensing technology and soil modeling methodology, enabling better soil management by key stakeholders in both the US and UK.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.

This project was awarded through the "Signals in the Soil (SitS)" opportunity, a collaborative solicitation that involves the United States Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture (USDA NIFA) and the following United Kingdom Research and Innovation (UKRI) research councils: 1) The Natural Environment Research Council (NERC), 2) the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC), 3) the Engineering and物理科学研究委员会（EPSRC）和科学技术设施委员会（STFC）。从农业和园艺土地进入水道的排水水中的土壤中的硝酸盐径流，这一过程通过使用氮肥而增加的过程是对农业可持续性和环境保护的长期挑战。一种有效的方法来提高水和肥料的使用效率，从而减少硝酸盐径流，这是通过实时监测和对作物灌溉和施肥需求的近期预测的指导下的精确耕作实践。当前，严重缺乏可靠的传感技术和建模工具，用于监测不同尺度上土壤水分和氮浓度的变化。这个跨学科的合作项目，涉及康涅狄格大学和美国新罕布什尔大学的研究人员，以及英国南安普敦大学和雷丁大学的研究人员，旨在通过四种创新解决方案集成土壤中的氮动态的巨大挑战：1）高频频率无线生氮气传感技术； 2）土壤中可野外的高准确校准传感器； 3）两个典型生态系统（玉米农场和落叶林）中氮种和土壤水分水平的实时分析； 4）在植物根部附近土壤区域中氮动力学的数据驱动模型，其中土壤化学和微生物学受根的生长，呼吸和养分交换的影响。拟议的对现场感应和数据驱动建模的收敛研究将缩小土壤信号检测与农业管理之间的技术差距。土壤传感器开发，实验室规模测试和现场测试，无线传感器网络和模型验证的独特集成将对更广泛的科学社区和关键利益相关者产生重大影响。多次教育和外展计划，包括动手实验和在线视频剪辑，将激发学生对STEM职业的兴趣，特别是对于代表性不足的团体。与工业合作伙伴，政策制定者和最终用户的互动将通过研讨会和研讨会得到加强。所有这些功能都有助于改善资源的使用，更好的粮食安全以及减少美国和英国的土壤和水污染。通过针对两个关键的土壤信号，氮种（铵和硝酸盐）和土壤水分，该US-UK SITS协作项目将通过六个交互式任务进行。首先，美国团队将开发高频微分辨率微型粘合固态固态离子基于选择性膜的无线氮传感器，以实现在土壤中实时的原位氮检测。其次，英国团队将开发用于氮的液滴基基微流体传感器（DFMS），用于对大规模部署的HS-ISM传感器的现场校准。第三，将开发低成本和低能无线网络，以从大型域中的多个传感器中收集数据。第四，在实验室规模的土壤系统中，HSism氮传感器以及新开发的MM大小的土壤水分传感器（MSMS）的结合，将评估用于高分辨率分析和无线数据传输能力，并使用DFMS传感器进行原位校准。第五，无线氮传感器和MSMS传感器将部署在两个生态系统，美国的一个玉米农场和英国的一个森林生态系统，并检查了13个月。最后，基于原位氮分析数据将校准根际氮循环的数值模型。这些新的数值模型将用于模拟和预测项目末尾的不同天气和农业实践的根际氮动力学。该项目将将现有的低效和劳动密集型土壤分析实践转变为自动化和高效的土壤氮动力学解码和现场建模策略。该项目将使人们对土壤氮动态有更好的了解，并在氮传感技术和土壤建模方法方面提供新的愿景，从而实现美国和英国的主要利益相关者的更好土壤管理。这项奖项反映了NSF的法定任务，并通过评估该基金会的知识分子优点和广泛的影响来评估NSF的法定任务，并被视为值得的支持。

项目成果

Enhancing the Understanding of Soil Nitrogen Fate Using a 3D-Electrospray Sensor Roll Casted with a Thin-Layer Hydrogel

• DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.1c05661
• 发表时间: 2022-04-19
• 期刊: ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
• 影响因子: 11.4
• 作者: Fan, Yingzheng;Wang, Xingyu;Li, Baikun
• 通讯作者: Li, Baikun

A Critical Review for Real-Time Continuous Soil Monitoring: Advantages, Challenges, and Perspectives

• DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.2c03562
• 发表时间: 2022-09-19
• 期刊: ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
• 影响因子: 11.4
• 作者: Fan, Yingzheng;Wang, Xingyu;Li, Baikun
• 通讯作者: Li, Baikun