MS Positionin Agroecology: Cover Crops in the Southwest: Obtaining Ecosystem ServicesWhile Minimizing Water Use
New Mexico StateUniversity, Las Cruces, NM ProjectSummary: The agroecosystem services provided by cover crops, including enhancedsoil health, erosion prevention, carbon sequestration, nutrient provision andpest management, are widely recognized. Nonetheless, in arid environments thebenefits received from cover crops must be balanced with their waterconsumption. Growers in the Southwest USA desire the benefits of cover crops,but are concerned about the impacts of irrigation requirements on economicreturns. Thus, we will conduct a study focusing on minimizing irrigation needswhile still obtaining cover crop agroecosystem services. Using three cover cropspecies plus a three-way mixture under five irrigation regimes, we will assessimpacts to a suite of characteristics including soil organic matter, aggregatestability, nutrient availability, and the rhizosphere microbiota includingnematode, bacterial and fungal communities. Further, we will assess fungaldisease and weed pressure and impacts to productivity and profits. We areseeking an outstanding MS student to conduct this research under the directionof Dr. Erik Lehnhoff within the Department of Entomology, Plant Pathology &Weed Science (https://eppws.nmsu.edu/). The successful candidate willassociate with a diverse team of faculty within the College of Agricultural,Consumer and Environmental Sciences to gain broad experience in soil science,plant pathology, soil microbiology and weed science, and will have the opportunityto acquire more in-depth experience in an area of their choice. Basicqualifications: Candidates should have: a BS degree (3.2 GPA minimum) in plantecology, weed ecology, agroecology or agronomy (or a closely related field);the ability to communicate effectively both in writing and orally; laboratoryor field research experience; and a willingness to work in inclement weatherincluding extreme heat. Preferredqualifications: Ideal candidates will have: strong quantitative and statisticalskills; and a demonstrated ability to perform independent field research. The positionwill start in late summer 2018 (start date negotiable), and interestedcandidates should apply no later than February 2, 2018. To apply, submit (1) acover letter describing experience and interests, (2) CV, (3) transcripts, (4) GREand TOEFL (if required) scores, and (5) contact information for threeprofessional references to: [email protected]. Salary: $22,620. For moreinformation, interested candidates should call Dr. Erik Lehnhoff(575.646.2328).
