Manganese (Mn) is an essential micronutrient for all organisms. In plants, Mn plays a critical role in photosynthesis and as a structural component of enzymes. In soils, Mn exists as different fractions of varying availability to plants. Mn fertilizers can be used to increase Mn availability to plants but are easily converted from a plant‐available fraction (exchangeable Mn) to an unavailable fraction (Mn‐oxides). Little research has been done in agricultural settings on soil Mn fractions; thus, the objective of this experiment was to study the effect of Mn additions on soil Mn fractions and plant Mn concentration. A greenhouse experiment was conducted by growing soybean (Glycine max) treated with three Mn application rates (recommended or 1×, 10×, and 50×) of two sources (MnSO4 and Mn ethylenediamine tetraacetic acid [MnEDTA]). Soil Mn fractions (Mehlich‐1 extractable, exchangeable, organic‐bound, Mn‐oxide, residual) were quantified via sequential Mn extraction procedures. Bioavailability was evaluated by measuring soybean leaf Mn concentrations. Both fertilizer types increased available soil Mn fractions. Leaf Mn concentration increased with MnSO4 50× application at the V3 stage and decreased with MnEDTA addition at the V3 and R2 stages. Mn additions likely resulted in the conversion of Mn into unavailable fractions. This was amplified by higher application rates, where total Mn increased by 18.5%, but available Mn decreased by 4.3% relative to initial soil values. Thus, our study showed that adding Mn to soils does not necessarily increase plant‐available Mn.
The ASA, CSSA, and SSSA Graduate Student Travel Grants were a great success for the 2021 International Annual Meeting! We awarded 11 students with travel grants to assist in their ability to participate in the meeting. "This opportunity gave me the encouragement to continue with the research that can advance the scientific community," says Marcia Quinby, one recipient of the travel grant. For the 2022 Annual Meeting in Baltimore, we hope to continue on that success and award at least 10 student (up to $750/student) travel grants.This program, which is the first of its kind within the Societies, was launched in 2020 and has been strategically raising funds with the support of the Agronomic Science Foundation (ASF). Currently, after awarding the 2021 recipients, the program has approximately $20,000, and we are eager to keep building these funds. As members of the ASA, CSSA, and SSSA Graduate Student Committee, we would like to see the program grow to be able to fund travel grants every year. The first step towards this goal
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.