PRAIRIE VIEW, Texas (February 14, 2024) Richard Griffin, Ph.D., has been awarded two grants totaling nearly $170,000. One comes from Kansas State University via the US Department of Agriculture-NIFA, and the other originates from Harris County.
Griffin is a Professor and Research Scientist in the Cooperative Agricultural Research Center at the College of Agricultural, Food, & Natural Resources of Prairie View A&M University.
The grant of $30,000 from Kansas State University supports a project aimed at conducting coordinated sorghum nitrogen response trials in Texas. The objective is to contribute to the development of modern, climate-smart sorghum nitrogen fertility recommendations.
The second grant, totaling $138,250 and funded by the Harris County Soil and Water Conversation District, is focused on soil monitoring. This project will be conducted in the 15-acre Coastal Prairie Management Area within the Brays Bayou watershed in Harris County. Its primary goal is to investigate the spatial variability of soil physical and chemical properties along line transects within the Conservation Area. Specifically, the project aims to explore potential relationships between surface cover, soil compaction, surface soil color, and structure along these transects. Additionally, it will examine potential correlations between pH, electrical conductivity, and soluble minerals along the line transects. The research projects are also linked functionally with student success and extension outreach of the tripartite land grant mission.
By Joe McGinty