Soil and Crop Sciences

Field Description

The Field of Soil and Crop Sciences occupies a modern and diversified agronomic research facility. An air-conditioned, eleven-story research tower and adjoining wings incorporate fully equipped laboratory, teaching, office, and supporting spaces. Growth chambers and greenhouses are on the campus, and there are three main field stations near Ithaca. Some members of the field are staff members at the Robert W. Holley Center for Agriculture and Health or the Boyce Thompson Institute for Plant Research, both of which are on campus.

Many of the faculty members have research programs concerning international agricultural and environmental issues in tropical and subtropical regions. A limited number of students can do most or all of their research overseas. In addition, the M.P.S.(A.L.S.) program has a Peace Corps option in which the student undertakes two semesters of academic work at Cornell and a Peace Corps assignment. For information and instructions on how to apply, visit the M.P.S. (Agriculture and Life Sciences)/Peace Corps website, or contact International Programs, 33 Warren Hall, Ithaca, NY 14853; phone 607 255-3037; e-mail mpsag_peacecorps@cornell.edu.

Field Crop Science covers a wide spectrum, from field-scale applied projects to cell physiology and biotechnology. Studies seek to improve crop productivity and quality, both nationally and internationally, and to identify physiological factors that could be improved through plant breeding or genetic engineering.

Soil Science focuses on the processes and properties of the soil environment. It emphasizes improving the suitability of soil for crop growth while preserving its value as a natural resource by using ecologically sound approaches.

Detailed academic requirements can be located in the graduate field handbook.

Contact Information

Website: https://scs.cals.cornell.edu/
Email: amd33@cornell.edu
Phone: 607 255-3267

231 Emerson Hall
Cornell University
Ithaca, NY  14853

Data and Statistics

• Doctoral Program Statistics
• Research Master's Program Statistics

Subject and Degrees

Soil and Crop Sciences

• Soil and Crop Sciences (M.S.) (Ithaca)
• Soil and Crop Sciences (M.S./Ph.D.) (Ithaca)
• Soil and Crop Sciences (Ph.D.) (Ithaca)

Concentrations by Subject

Agriculture and Life Sciences (Soil and Crop Sciences)

• agronomy
• environmental information science
• environmental management
• field crop sciences
• geospatial applications (minor) (minor)
• soil science

Soil and Crop Sciences

• agronomy
• environmental information science
• field crop science
• soil science

Faculty

Rachel Bezner Kerr

• Campus: Ithaca
• Concentrations: Soil and Crop Sciences: soil science; Agriculture and Life Sciences (Soil and Crop Sciences): soil science
• Research Interests: agroecology, food systems, International Agriculture and Rural Development

Daniel H Buckley

• Campus: Ithaca
• Concentrations: Soil and Crop Sciences: soil science
• Research Interests: soil microbiology; microbial genetics; microbial ecology; microbial diversity and ecosystem function

Jerome Henry Cherney

• Campus: Ithaca
• Concentrations: Soil and Crop Sciences: agronomy; field crop science
• Research Interests: forage production management and quality

Antonio Ditommaso

• Campus: Ithaca
• Concentrations: Soil and Crop Sciences: agronomy; field crop science
• Research Interests: weed ecology; biological control; integrated weed management

Laurie E. Drinkwater

• Campus: Ithaca
• Concentrations: Soil and Crop Sciences: agronomy; soil science
• Research Interests: soil ecology; nutrient cycling; soil/organic matter dynamics; plant-microbial interactions; soil management; agroecology; biogeochemistry; organic agriculture

Timothy James Fahey

• Campus: Ithaca
• Concentrations: Soil and Crop Sciences: soil science
• Research Interests: forest soils; forest ecosystems

Katie Gold

• Campus: Ithaca
• Concentrations: Agriculture and Life Sciences (Soil and Crop Sciences): geospatial applications (minor)
• Research Interests: Plant disease detection and epidemiology; Grape pathology; Remote sensing and imaging spectroscopy

Christine L Goodale

• Campus: Ithaca
• Concentrations: Soil and Crop Sciences: soil science
• Research Interests: biogeochemistry; carbon cycle; climate change; forest ecosystems; nitrogen cycle

Anthony G Hay

• Campus: Ithaca
• Concentrations: Soil and Crop Sciences: agronomy; soil science
• Research Interests: microbiology; soil ecotoxicology

Robert Warren Howarth

• Campus: Ithaca
• Concentrations: Soil and Crop Sciences: environmental information science; soil science
• Research Interests: biogeochemistry; human acceleration of nutrient cycles at regional to global scales; watershed management; coastal nutrient pollution, eutrophication, and hypoxia; the effects of biofuels on environmental quality; greenhouse gas emissions and water quality problems from shale-gas development

Quirine M. Ketterings

• Campus: Ithaca
• Concentrations: Soil and Crop Sciences: agronomy; field crop science; soil science
• Research Interests: farm nutrient management; soil fertility; fertilizer recommendations; environmental risk indicators

Christopher Johannes Lehmann

• Campus: Ithaca
• Concentrations: Soil and Crop Sciences: soil science
• Research Interests: soil fertility management; soil biogeochemistry

Louis Longchamps

• Campus: Ithaca
• Concentrations: Soil and Crop Sciences: agronomy; field crop science; Agriculture and Life Sciences (Soil and Crop Sciences): agronomy; field crop sciences; geospatial applications (minor)
• Research Interests: agronomy

Carmen Enid Martinez

• Campus: Ithaca
• Concentrations: Soil and Crop Sciences: agronomy; soil science; Agriculture and Life Sciences (Soil and Crop Sciences): agronomy; soil science
• Research Interests: Soil chemistry, biogeochemistry, environmental chemistry, soil-plant interactions, metal biogeochemistry, organic matter, soil, soil processes

Murray Brian McBride

• Campus: Ithaca
• Concentrations: Soil and Crop Sciences: agronomy; soil science
• Research Interests: soil chemistry and mineralogy; soil surface reactions

Andrew James McDonald

• Campus: Ithaca
• Concentrations: Soil and Crop Sciences: agronomy; environmental information science; Agriculture and Life Sciences (Soil and Crop Sciences): agronomy; environmental information science
• Research Interests: international cropping systems, sustainability

Virginia Moore

• Campus: Cornell ILR NYC
• Concentrations: Soil and Crop Sciences: agronomy; field crop science; Agriculture and Life Sciences (Soil and Crop Sciences): agronomy; field crop sciences
• Research Interests: Sustainable cropping systems

Susan Jean Riha

• Campus: Ithaca
• Concentrations: Soil and Crop Sciences: agronomy; environmental information science; soil science
• Research Interests: environmental biophysics; plant-environmental modeling; climate change; drought stress

David G Rossiter

• Campus: Ithaca
• Concentrations: Soil and Crop Sciences: agronomy; environmental information science; soil science
• Research Interests: Spatial modelling and analysis of soil resources.

Jonathan Matthew Russell-Anelli

• Campus: Ithaca - (Minor Member)
• Concentrations: Soil and Crop Sciences: agronomy
• Research Interests: soil and crop sciences

Matthew Ryan

• Campus: Ithaca
• Concentrations: Soil and Crop Sciences: agronomy; field crop science; soil science
• Research Interests: sustainable cropping systems; cover crops; integrated pest management; weed science

Timothy Lloyd Setter

• Campus: Ithaca
• Concentrations: Soil and Crop Sciences: agronomy; field crop science
• Research Interests: crop physiology; environmental stress responses; drought; elevated atmospheric carbon dioxide; hormonal signaling systems

Diana S Sinton

• Campus: Ithaca - (Divisional Member)
• Concentrations: Agriculture and Life Sciences (Soil and Crop Sciences): environmental information science; geospatial applications (minor)
• Research Interests: geospatial sciences with focus on geographic information science (GIScience) and cartographic communication.

Tammo S Steenhuis

• Campus: Ithaca
• Concentrations: Soil and Crop Sciences: environmental information science; soil science
• Research Interests: water scarcity; scion technical aspects watershed management; international hydrology

Ying Sun

• Campus: Ithaca
• Concentrations: Soil and Crop Sciences: environmental information science
• Research Interests: geospatial sciences

Alan George Taylor

• Campus: Ithaca
• Concentrations: Soil and Crop Sciences: agronomy; field crop science
• Research Interests: seed science and technology: aging, storage, quality, coating, enhancement, establishment

Janice E Thies

• Campus: Ithaca
• Concentrations: Soil and Crop Sciences: agronomy; soil science
• Research Interests: soil biology and biochemistry; soil microbiology

Harold Mathijs Van Es

• Campus: Ithaca
• Concentrations: Soil and Crop Sciences: agronomy; environmental information science; soil science
• Research Interests: soil and water management; precision agriculture; soil quality; nitrogen dynamics

Olena K. Vatamaniuk

• Campus: Ithaca
• Concentrations: Soil and Crop Sciences: field crop science
• Research Interests: molecular analysis of mechanisms of heavy metal detoxification; analyses of specific aspects of proteome and metabolome response of plants, fungi, and c. elegans to heavy metal toxicity

David Walter Wolfe

• Campus: Ithaca
• Concentrations: Soil and Crop Sciences: agronomy; field crop science; soil science
• Research Interests: plant environmental physiology; crop and soil ecology; climate change

Peter Benson Woodbury

• Campus: Ithaca - (Minor Member)
• Concentrations: Soil and Crop Sciences: environmental information science; soil science; Agriculture and Life Sciences (Soil and Crop Sciences): environmental information science; soil science

Dominic Woolf

• Campus: Ithaca - (Divisional Member)
• Concentrations: Agriculture and Life Sciences (Soil and Crop Sciences): environmental information science; environmental management; geospatial applications (minor); soil science
• Research Interests: soil carbon modeling, soil carbon sequestration, microbial dynamics of soil carbon, climate-change mitigation, biochar and bioenergy with carbon capture and storage.