PRAIRIE VIEW, Texas (May 2, 2025) — Ripendra Awal, Ph.D., a research scientist and professor at Prairie View A&M University, has been awarded nearly $57,000 in grant funding from Texas A&M AgriLife Research to lead a project focused on sustainable agriculture in Southeast Texas.
Serving as co-principal investigators are PVAMU faculty members Ali Fares, Ph.D.; Alfred Parks, Ph.D.; Md Atikur Rahman, Ph.D.; Ram Ray, Ph.D.; and Anoop Valiya Veettil, Ph.D.
Ripendra Awal, Ph.D.
The project aims to develop sustainable, cost-effective, biochar-based farming practices to support crop production in a region increasingly challenged by drought and soil degradation. With global food demands rising, researchers will focus on grain sorghum—a resilient crop well-suited for dry, low-fertility conditions—and explore the use of carbon-rich biochar made from agricultural residues to improve soil health and yields.
The study will include laboratory analysis, pot trials, and field-scale experiments to evaluate biochar’s effects on soil quality, plant growth and water retention. An economic analysis will assess the profitability of different treatment levels based on input costs and crop performance. Through its outreach component, the project will engage local farmers and promote biochar as a sustainable solution to improve productivity, profitability and long-term environmental resilience.
By Joe McGinty