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University of Nebraska–Lincoln

Agronomy and Horticulture

The Science and Application of Plants to Sustain and Enhance Human Life

Rhae A. Drijber

Professor
Soil Microbial Ecologist

Contact Information
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DEGREES:

  • B.S., Agriculture, University of British Columbia, 1982
  • M.S., Soil Science, University of British Columbia, 1986
  • Ph.D., Soil Science, University of Alberta, 1993
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RESEARCH INTERESTS:

  • Biochemical and molecular approaches to characterize microbial community structure and function in soil systems.
  • Mechanisms of carbon sequestration in natural and agro-ecosystems.
  • Mycorrhizal function in natural and agro-ecosystems.

COURSES TAUGHT:

  • Soils 460/860, Soil Microbiology

MAJOR PROJECT ACTIVITIES:

  • Community Structure and Functional Diversity of Soil Microbial Communities in Natural and Agro-ecosystems
  • Genomics of Nitrous Oxide Flux Associated with Carbon Sequestration (pending)
  • Long-term Forest Establishment on Prairie Soils: Effects on Soil Microbiological, Mineralogical, Physical and Chemical Properties.
  • Role of Nutrient Dynamics in Soil Microbial Diversity and Early Season Corn Growth
  • Complex Lipid Biomarkers for Improved Quantification of Vesicular Mycorrhizal Fungi in Soil Systems
  • Accumulation of Microbial Biomass in Aging Golf Greens and its Relationship to Soil Organic Matter and Green Management

SELECTED PUBLICATIONS:

  • Liang, Z, Drijber, R.A., Lee, D.J., Dwiekat, I.M., Harris, S.D., Wedin, D.A. 2008. A DGGE-cloning method to characterize arbuscular mycorrhizal community structure in soil. Soil Biology & Biochemistry 40:956-966.

  • Conant, R.T., Drijber, R.A., Haddix, M.L., Parton, W.J., Paul, E.A., Plante, A.F., Six, J., Steinweg, J.M. 2008. Sensitivity of organic matter decomposition to warming varies with its quality. Global Change Biology 14:868-877.

  • Wortmann, C.S., Quincke, J.A., Drijber, R.A., Mamo, M., Franti, T.. 2008. Soil microbial change and recovery after one-time tillage of continuous no-till. Agronomy Journal 100:1681-1686.

  • Frey, S,D., Drijber, R., Smith, H., Melillo, J. 2008. Microbial biomass, functional capacity, and community structure after 12 years of soil warming. Soil Biology & Biochemistry 40:2904-2907.

  • Grigera, M.S., Drijber, R.A., Wienhold, B.J. 2007. Redistribution of crop residues during row cultivation creates a biologically enhanced environment for soil microorganisms. Soil and Tillage Research 94:550-554.

  • Grigera, M.S., Drijber, R.A., Wienhold, B.J. 2007. Increased abundance of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi in soil coincides with the reproductive stages of maize. Soil Biology & Biochemistry 39:1401-1409.

  • Grigera, M.S., Drijber, R.A., Shores-Morrow, R.H., Wienhold, B.J. 2007. Distribution of the arbuscular mycorrhizal biomarker C16:1cis11 among neutral, glyco and phospholipids extracted from soil during the reproductive growth of corn. Soil Biology & Biochemistry 39:1589-1596.

  • Garcia, J.P., Wortmann, C.S., Mamo, M., Drijber, R., Tarkalson, D. 2007. One-time tillage of no-till: effects on nutrients, mycorrhizae, and phoshorus uptake. Agronomy Journal 99:1093-1103

  • Quincke, J.A., Wortmann, C.S., Mamo, M., Franti, T., Drijber, R.A. 2007. Occasional tillage of no-till systems: carbon dioxide flux and changes in total and labile soil organic carbon. Agronomy Journal 99:1158-1168.

  • Quincke, J.A., Wortmann, C.S., Mamo, M., Franti, T., Drijber, R.A., Garcia, J.P. 2007. One-time tillage of no-till systems: soil physical properties, phosphorus runoff, and crop yield. Agronomy Journal 99:1104-1110.

  • Bradley, K., Drijber, R.A., Knops, J. 2006. Increased N availability in grassland soils modifies their microbial communities and decreases the abundance of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi. Soil Biology & Biochemistry 38:1583-1595.

  • Grigera, M.S., Drijber, R.A., Eskridge, K.M., Wienhold, B.J. 2006. Soil microbial biomass response to physicochemical properties that define apparent electrical conductivity classification. Soil Science Society of America Journal 70: 1480-1488.

  • Kerek, M., Drijber, R.A., Powers, W.L., Shearman, R.C., Gaussoin, R.E. and Streich, A.M. 2002. Accumulation of microbial biomass within particulate organic matter of aging golf greens. Agronomy Journal 94:455-461.

  • Kerek, M., Drijber, R.A., Gaussoin, R.E. 2003. Labile soil organic matter as a potential nitrogen source in golf greens. Soil Biology & Biochemistry 35:1643-1649.

  • Johnson, C.K., Wienhold, B.J., Doran, J.W., Drijber, R.A., Wright, S.F. 2004. Linking microbial-scale findings to farm-scale outcomes. Precision Agriculture 5:311-327.

  • Drijber, R.A., Doran, J.W., Parkhurst, A.M., Lyon, D.J. 2000. Changes in soil microbial community structure with tillage under long-term wheat-fallow management. Soil Biology & Biochemistry 32:1419-1430.