Southwest Florida Research & Education Center

Soil Microbiology

Soil Microbiology Team in Action ....

Person using an electronic pipette in a laboratory.

Rachel using a multichannel pipette to transfer samples during DNA extraction.

Two people in a lab using a knife to cut into a large clump of dark material.

Dr. Nuzzo adds soil and tomato roots to a sample bag, held by Rachel, for future rhizosphere DNA extraction

Two people working with plants in a greenhouse.

Clayton and Rachel potting citrus seedlings for Clayton’s greenhouse experiment with cover crops and biological soil crusts

A person stands beside a scientific poster on citrus rhizosphere composition.

John presenting a poster on the research he completed for his Master’s degree, a study investigating the effects of potting media on rhizosphere community composition in citrus.

A person with gloves examines a hole in the ground next to green foliage, using a long tool.

Kira sampling biological soil crusts in a citrus grove

Person smiling in a greenhouse, standing by pots with small plants.

Rachel setting up the irrigation system for a tomato trial in the greenhouse, testing microbial biostimulants.

A woman stands at a wooden podium speaking into a microphone.

Dr. Strauss presenting her work at the 17^th annual soil and water sciences research forum.

Man in a white polo standing on a grassy path in an orchard with lush green trees.

Dr. Castellano-Hinojosa in a citrus grove.

Person using an electronic pipette in a laboratory.

Amanda using a vacuum manifold and spin columns to extract DNA from soil samples.

Person in a greenhouse transferring a plant into a pot with trays of seedlings around.

Dr. Nuzzo transplanting tomato seedlings into pots for a biostimulant trial in the greenhouse.

Six people wearing conference badges stand in front of a podium on a stage.

A group photo of Strauss lab members at the 19th annual soil and water sciences research forum. From left to right: John, Kira, Clayton, Dr. Strauss, Rachel, and David

Two people kneeling in tall grass near dense green shrubbery on a sunny day.

John sampling soil in a citrus grove.

A headshot of a smiling young man

Clayton Nevins

Person kneeling under a tree with a trowel, wearing a pink shirt and blue gloves.

Dr. Strauss sampling citrus roots and soil for rhizosphere DNA extraction.

A man in a blue shirt kneels on sandy ground with tools and a notebook, surrounded by green plants under a blue sky.

Clayton sampling biological soil crusts with a soil corer in a citrus grove.

Person working on two computer monitors displaying code and a scatter plot.

David analyzing DNA sequence data for statistical significance.

Person standing in an orange tree grove with green oranges and foliage.

Amanda holds back a citrus tree while a collaborator collects soil cores.

A person using a syringe with a white cylindrical device next to a small tree with green leaves.

Castellano-Hinojosa collecting gasses from soil in a citrus grove to measure nitrous oxide (N2O ) gas emissions.

Two people in blue shirts stand behind a table with a microscope and educational materials at a science exhibit.

John and Rachel at the SWFREC open house, displaying biological soil crusts, results of John’s project, and engaging with the community.

Two people examining soil and trees in an agricultural area with equipment.

Kira and Clayton collecting biological soil crusts and soil cores in a citrus grove

Two people stand indoors having a conversation in front of scientific posters.

John discussing soil microbiology with a community member at the 2018 SWFREC open house.

Person bending over reflective mulch-covered rows in an agricultural field.

Amanda using a soil corer to collect soil samples from a tomato bed.

Two people kneeling in a field, tending to plants supported by wooden stakes.

Strauss collecting tomato biomass samples with Dr. Albrecht (professor of plant physiology, UF).

A headshot of a smiling young man

David Toole