THE SOIL MICROBIOLOGY
PROGRAM
P & T Presentation
2013 SPRING FACULTY MEETING, MACON, GA
Mussie Y. Habteselassie
Crop and Soil Sciences
UGA Griffin Campus
INTRODUCTION
 70% research & 30%
teaching appointment
 Outline:
 Research Program
(sample projects)
 Teaching
Responsibilities
RESEARCH PROGRAM
 Environmental Soil Microbiology Program (ESM)
I. The Ecology Of Human And Animal
Pathogens In Soils
II. Environmental Services Of Soil Microbial
Community
III. Microbial Water Quality
http://www.soilmicrobiology.griffin.uga.edu/index.html
I.
Ecology Of Human And Animal
Pathogens In Soils
Survival
Ecology of
pathogens in soils
Transmission
to produce
 Use of model microorganisms
 Lux/GFP marked E. coli
O157:H7/Salmonella spp
 Antibiotic resistant E. coli/Salmonella
spp
Current Projects
 1. Salmonella And Norovirus
Survival In Organic and
Conventional Soils
 2. The Role Of Microbial
Diversity And Activity In The
Suppression Of Salmonella
Persistence In Soils
 3. Soil Organic Matter
Accumulation On Gloves During
Lettuce Harvest and Its Effect
On Pathogen Persistence: CoPI On $338,414 Grant From UC
Davis.
Results so far….
II.
Environmental Services of Soil
Microorganisms
N & C cycling
Soil microbes & their
environmental
services
Pollutant
remediation
 Approach
 Molecular microbiology – targeting functional genes
 Stable isotope techniques – process characterization
Current Projects
 4. N Cycling Under Contrasting
Agricultural Management Systems
 Organic vs conventional farming
systems
 USDA-AFRI Microbial Communities
Program. Habteselassie, M.Y. (CoPI):$499,894
 Closely collaborates with Miguel
Fig. Simplified
Internal Soil N
Cycle
Results so far….
Current Projects…
 5. The Dynamics of Ammonia Oxidizers
In Pasture Lands Under Long-term
Poultry Litter Application
 Eatonton and Watkinsville long term field
plots
 In collaboration with Miguel Cabrera
Results so far….
 Changes in soil N cycling organisms following repeated
poultry litter application
Ammonia Oxidizing Bacteria
Ammonia Oxidizing Archaea
Control
Plots
Treatment Plots –
Litter @ different rates
Control
Plots
Treatment Plots – Litter @
different rates
Current Projects…
 6. Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC) Metabolizing
Bacteria In Indoor Plants
In collaboration with S. Pennisi and S. Kays - Horticulture
South Korea: huge interest in phytoremediation
Results so far….
III.
Microbial Water Quality
Sources
Emphasis
Survival in
contaminated
water
Food safety link – use of contaminated water for
irrigation
Current Project
 7. Impacts of On-site Wastewater
Treatment Systems (OWTS) On
Water Quality and Quantity In
Streams Of Urbanizing Watersheds
of Metro-Atlanta Area
 Supported by $567,000 NIFA Grant:
M. Habteselassie, J. Clarke, D.
Radcliffe, Q. Huang, M. Risse, E.
Bauske, J. Mullen
Study Site
Watershed Characteristics
OWTS
Density
Drainage
area
(mi2)
#OWTS/
mi2
Low
High
0.78
1.15
57
559
River
Basins
Oconee and
Ocmulgee
County
Gwinnett
Results so far…
2012: Habteselassie, M.Y. Radcliffe, D., Clarke, J.,… Evaluation
of the impact of on-site wastewater treatment systems on water
quality in urbanizing watersheds. In Annual Meetings Abstracts.
ASA, CSSA, and SSSA, Madison, WI.
2012: Habteselassie, M.Y. Radcliffe, D., Clarke, J.,…
Watershed-scale impacts of on-site wastewater treatment
systems on water quality and quantity: Results for Water Quality
Indicators. In Land Grant/See Grant National Water Conference,
Portland, OR.
2012: Radcliffe, D., Clarke, J., Habteselassie, M.Y.,…
Watershed-scale impacts of on-site wastewater treatment
systems on water quality and quantity: Results for nitrogen and
base-flow yield. In Land Grant/See Grant National Water
Conference, Portland, OR.
Results so far…
TEACHING
#
Courses
Yr Taught
Student #
1 *CRSS 4610/6610: Soil Microbiology
Every Fall
69
2 CRSS 3060: Soils and Hydrology
Every Fall
23
3 CRSS 4580/6580: Soil Erosion and
Conservation
2010
4
4 AESC 3920: Ag. and Environmental
Sc. Internship
2010,
2011
2
2009 - 2012
3
5 AESC 4960: Undergraduate
Research
…TEACHING
Environmental Resources Science Major
@ the Griffin Campus
Required
Courses
Course Name
CRSS 4610/6610
Soil Microbiology
CRSS 3060
Soils and Hydrology
AESC 4960
Undergraduate Research
AESC 3510
AESC 4190/6190
CRSS 4440/6440
CRSS 3050
43%