This grant supports an interdisciplinary project led by Laura Lindsey at Ohio State University to study how various agricultural practices might promote the uptake and storage of carbon dioxide (CO2) in soils, plants, and crops. Lindsey and her team of soil scientists, biologists, and environmental scientists drawn from multiple institutions will focus on examining three practices that could be deployed in commercial agriculture. The first is the application of biochar into crop systems. Biochar is a charcoal-like material that is applied to soils to improve carbon uptake from the atmosphere. The second process is the use of cover crops, which are plants designed to help maintain carbon fixation in soils. The third process is the implementation of better nitrogen management practices that reduce nitrous oxide emissions. In addition to laboratory research, Lindsey and her team will conduct five field studies across Kentucky, Ohio, and Michigan, testing different combinations of these three agricultural practices (biochar, cover crop, nitrogen management) to determine their relative impact, alone and in combination, on carbon sequestration in agriculture systems.