Kelp shows a lot of promise to improve soil health and crop production in Alaska. Potential benefits include increased nutrient availability, improved soil pH, increased seed germination rates, and increased crop biomass. Using Alaska grown kelp in agricultural soils provides both economic benefits for the mariculture industry and provides an alternative to commercial, inorganic fertilizers produced outside of Alaska. Existing studies have found that the benefits of kelp vary by soil type and amendment rates, but little research has been done in Alaska on this subject. The goal of this project is to determine the best method for applying kelp to Alaska soils. This talk will discuss both lab and field studies conducted at Matanuska Experiment Farm investigating the effects of kelp on soil health and crop production.
Dr. Erin Oliver is a postdoctoral researcher with Washington State University as well as a USDA Climate Hub Fellow for Alaska Agriculture stationed in Palmer. She is a soil scientist with experience working in soil health across a variety of landscapes. She received her Ph.D. in Ecology from San Diego State University and University of California Davis where her dissertation focused on the role of soil health in microbial carbon cycling.
WHEN: Wednesday, Oct. 29, 12 p.m. – 1 p.m.
WHERE: Zoom. Register at
https://bit.ly/KelpFertilizer
COST: Free
For more information contact Molly Johansson at 907-786-6313 or
bWpvaGFuc3NvbiB8IGFsYXNrYSAhIGVkdQ==
Accommodation requests related to a disability should be made five business days in advance to Alda Norris at
YW1ub3JyaXMyIHwgYWxhc2thICEgZWR1 or 907-474-7120. Language access services, such as interpretation or translation of vital information, will be provided free of charge to individuals with limited English proficiency upon request to
YW1ub3JyaXMyIHwgYWxhc2thICEgZWR1. The University of Alaska (
http://www.alaska.edu/alaska) is an equal opportunity/equal access employer and educational institution. The university is committed to a policy of nondiscrimination (
http://www.alaska.edu/nondiscrimination) against individuals on the basis of any legally protected status. This work is supported by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture.
