Soil
March 31, 2025
Xiaoping Xin
Dr. Xin’s research focuses on soil biogeochemistry processes, climate-resilient soil management, soil remediation, soil-plant interactions, crop production, precision agriculture, nanotechnology-enabled agriculture, and environmental risk assessment. She is committed to bridging the gap between academic research and practical agricultural applications, aiming to lead innovative studies in soil fertility and plant nutrition that enhance agricultural productivity and environmental sustainability in Missouri and beyond. Educational background Ph.D., University of Florida, 2020 Ph.D., Southwest University, China, 2017 B.S., Northwest A&F University, China, 2012 Courses taught Soil and the Environment (SOIL 3290) Soil Fertility and Plant Nutrition (SOIL 4313/7313) Soil Fertility and Plant Nutrition Lab…
Nov. 5, 2024
Muhammad Rasel Parvej
Rasel Parvej is the Director of the MU Soil and Plant Testing Laboratory and the Soil Health Assessment Center (SHAC), as well as an Assistant Professor and State Extension Specialist in Soil Testing and Interpretation within the Division of Plant Science and Technology and the School of Natural Resources. He has been serving as an Associate Editor for both the Soil Science Society of America Journal and Crop, Forage & Turfgrass Management since 2020. Parvej is also a certified crop advisor and has been elected vice-chair of the National Research Support Project (NRSP-11) at NIMSS in 2024.
Aug. 15, 2024
Alejandro Plastina
Plastina is the Director of the Rural and Farm Finance Policy Analysis Center (RaFF) at the University of Columbia-Missouri. His area of specialization is agricultural production and technology, with an emphasis on farm business and financial management. He has received multiple awards, including the 2023 Iowa State University (ISU) ANR Extension Team Award, the 2023 Outstanding Choices Magazine Article Award from the Agricultural & Applied Economics Association, the 2022 Dean’s Citation for Extraordinary Contributions to the ISU College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, the 2021 Farm Foundation Agricultural Economics Fellowship, the 2021 ISU Office of the President Excellence in…
June 3, 2024
Carson Roberts
Roberts is an Assistant Professor and State Extension Specialist for Forage Agronomy at the University of Missouri. Roberts holds a Ph.D. in Plant and Soil Science from Mississippi State University. Roberts leads an applied research program on forage-livestock systems to support one of the largest beef herds in the U.S. He has a particular interest in in regenerative systems that improve drought resiliency. Educational background Ph.D. Plant and Soil Science, Mississippi State University M.S. Plant Science, Utah State University B.S. Agronomy, Crop and Soil Science, Brigham Young University – Idaho…
Aug. 31, 2023
Jasmine Neupane
Jasmine Neupane is an Assistant Professor of Agricultural Systems Technology in the Division of Plant Science and Technology. Her faculty appointment includes research and teaching responsibilities in Plant Science and Technology. Before starting her position at University of Missouri-Columbia, Neupane was serving as an Assistant Research Professor of Precision Agriculture at Montana State University. Neupane’s research is at the forefront of agricultural innovation, focusing on seamless integration of advanced agricultural technologies into cropping systems. Her work is driven by a deep commitment to addressing the complex challenges facing modern agriculture, such as increasing food production to feed a growing…
Aug. 30, 2023
Zachary Leasor
Zack is an assistant professor in climate science within the School of Natural Resources. He also works as State Climatologist and director of the Missouri Climate Center. He serves on panels dealing with adverse weather conditions such as drought and flooding. He also works with the National Weather Service offices and regional climate services to provide climate data and prepare special summaries of significant weather and climate events. Originally from Louisville, Ky., Zack spent the last several years living in Columbus, Ohio, before moving to Missouri during the summer of 2023. Zack received a bachelor’s degree in meteorology, with a minor…
Sep. 22, 2022
Gurpreet Kaur
Kaur is based at the Northern Missouri Research, Extension, and Education Center, Novelty MO. Her responsibilities include conducting soil science research at the Northern Missouri Research, Extension, and Education Center farms including Lee Greenley Jr. Memorial farm, Cornett Research Farm, and Thompson Research Farm. Her research is focused on soil fertility and nutrient management to increase crop productivity, profitability, and nutrient use efficiency, while improving environmental quality. She is also interested in the impact of management practices such as tillage, crop rotations, cover crops, nutrient and water management on soil properties and agronomics. Specific research interests include evaluation of fertilizer…
May 31, 2022
Gurbir Singh
Singh’s faculty appointment includes research and Extension responsibilities in applied soil science-agroecology and landscape position management. He serves as State Extension Specialist for landscape position management. His research is focused on spatial/temporal modeling of nutrient dynamics in the plant, soil, water, and gaseous phases ranging from plot scale to watershed scale. His program includes developing prescription models for landscape position-based research. His research also involves understanding the effects of management practices such as cover crops, tillage, and topography on crop yields, soil and water quality in row crop production systems. At the Northern Missouri Research, Extension and Education Center, his…
Feb. 21, 2022
Sam Lord
Educational background Ph.D. (in progress), University of Missouri, Natural Resources – Emphasis in Soil B.S. 2016, University of Missouri, Soil, Environmental, and Atmospheric Sciences – Emphasis in Soil Courses taught Soil 2100 Lecture: Introduction to Soil Science Soil 2106 Laboratory: Introductory Soil Science Lab NATR 1070: Ecology and Conservation of Renewable Resources…
April 5, 2021
Heike Buecking
Plants are metaorganisms that engage in intimate associations with a wide diversity of microorganisms. Many of these microorganisms are beneficial and help plants to overcome a variety of abiotic and biotic stresses. In our research, we focus particularly on arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi and nitrogen fixing rhizobia bacteria. AM fungi played a significant role during land plant evolution and form close interactions with the roots of 70% of land plants, including many agronomically important species, such as corn, soybean, or wheat. AM fungi increase the nutrient acquisition of for example phosphate, nitrogen, sulfur, and potassium from the soil, and improve…