Overview

Bianca Moebius-Clune is an Extension Associate in the Department of Crop and Soil Sciences with research, extension, and teaching responsibilities. She coordinates Adaptive Nitrogen Management project activities funded by New York Farm Viability Institute and NRCS, and the Cornell Soil Health Team's research and extension activities. Bianca has conducted research on agricultural management impacts on soil quality in New York State, as well as in Kenya. She has published a number of peer-reviewed and extension articles. She co-authored the Cornell Soil Health Assessment Training Manual that is now widely used by growers and agricultural service providers in the Northeastern United States and abroad, and the book Soil! Get the Inside Scoop for the opening of the Smithsonian exhibit on soils.

Research and Extension

Development of indicators of soil health/quality and their interpretation, soil quality assessment, monitoring of human-induced soil change over time, and adaptive management (based on locally-specific, quantitative information) of identified constraints in soil quality and nitrogen for corn production. Providing tools to help growers target management decisions to alleviate identified soil constraints.

Teaching

CSS 3210 Soil Management for Sustainability - Integrated perspectives on the physical, biological, and chemical aspects of soils and their management in the broader context of agroecosystems. Interactions between soil, water, organisms and chemical inputs form the basis of discussions about cropping systems, soil health, water quality and quantity, bioenergy, greenhouse gas emissions, and sustainability. Students apply concepts in the lab through case studies to interactively develop sustainable soil management solutions.

Additional Links

• Curriculum Vitae
• Cornell Soil Health Program and Manual
• Adapt-N Tool
• New York Farm Viability Institute
• Cornell Science Inquiry Partnerships - Inquiry Unit on Runoff and Infiltration
• Soil! Get the Inside Scoop and other K-12 resources

Selected Publications

• Moebius-Clune, B.N., O.J. Idowu, R.R. Schindelbeck, H.M. van Es, D.W. Wolfe, G.S. Abawi, Gugino, B.K., 2011. Developing Standard Protocols for Soil Quality Monitoring and Assessment. In: Bationo, A.; Waswa, B.; Okeyo, J.M.; Maina, F.; Kihara, J.M. (Eds.) Innovations as Key to the Green Revolution in Africa: Exploring the Scientific Facts. Springer. ISBN: 978-90-481-2541-8.
• Moebius-Clune, B.N., van Es, H.M., Idowu, O.J., Schindelbeck, R.R., Kimetu, J.M., Ngoze, S., Lehmann, J., Kinyangi, J.M., 2011. Long-term Soil Quality Degradation along a Cultivation Chronosequence in Western Kenya. Agriculture Ecosystems and Environment, in press.
• Moebius-Clune, B.N., I. Elsevier, H.M. van Es and B.A. Crawford. 2011. Moving authentic soil research into high school classrooms: Student engagement and learning. Journal of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Education, in press.
• Idowu, O.J., van Es, H.M., Abawi, G.S., Wolfe, D.W., Schindelbeck, R.R., Moebius-Clune, B.N. and Gugino, B.K. 2009. Use of an integrative soil health test for evaluation of soil management impacts. Renewable Agriculture and Food Systems, 24:214-224.
• Tan, I.Y.S., H.M. van Es, J.M. Duxbury, J.J. Melkonian, R.R. Schindelbeck, L.D. Geohring, W.D. Hively, and B.N. Moebius. 2009. Single-event nitrous oxide losses under maize production as affected by soil type, tillage, rotation, and fertilization. Soil and Tillage Research, 102:16-29.
• Gugino, B.K., O.J. Idowu, R.R. Schindelbeck, H.M. van Es, B.N. Moebius-Clune, D.W. Wolfe, J.E. Thies, and G.S. Abawi. 2009. Cornell Soil Health Assessment Training Manual, Edition 2.0. Cornell University, Geneva, NY. Available at http://soilhealth.cals.cornell.edu/.
• Lindbo, D.L., W. Greenberg, L. Hartley, J. Havlin, T. E. Loynachan, M. Mbila, B. Moebius, E. Stockman, J. Boettinger, M.E. Collins, J. Omueti, D. Osborne, D.A. Kozlowski, C.-L. Ping, and R.R. Weil. 2008. Soil! Get the Inside Scoop. Soil Science Society of America, Madison, WI.
• Schindelbeck, R.R., H.M.v. Es, G.S. Abawi, D.W. Wolfe, T.L. Whitlow, B.K. Gugino, O.J. Idowu, and B.N. Moebius-Clune. 2008. Comprehensive Assessment of Soil Quality for Landscape and Urban Management. Landscape and Urban Planning 88:73-80.
• Moebius-Clune, B.N., H.M. van Es, J.O. Idowu, R.R. Schindelbeck, D.J. Moebius-Clune, D.W. Wolfe, G.S. Abawi, J.E. Thies, B.K. Gugino, and R. Lucey. 2008. Long-Term Effects of Harvesting Maize Stover and Tillage on Soil Quality. Soil Science Society of America Journal 72:960-969.
• Idowu, O.J., H.M. van Es, G.S. Abawi, D.W. Wolfe, J.I. Ball, B.K. Gugino, B.N. Moebius, R.R. Schindelbeck, and A.V. Bilgili. 2007. Farmer-Oriented Assessment of Soil Quality using Field, Laboratory, and VNIR Spectroscopy Methods. Plant and Soil 307:243-253.
• Moebius, B.N., H.M. van Es, R.R. Schindelbeck, O.J. Idowu, J.E. Thies, and D.J. Clune. 2007. Evaluation of Laboratory-Measured Soil Properties as Indicators of Soil Physical Quality. Soil Science 172:895-912.

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