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Kari Reno, SNRE Undergraduate Student Researcher

SNRE Undergrad Publishes First Paper

By Patrick Heck

Not many undergraduate students have had their work published; Kari Reno is one of the exceptions. In the September/October issue of the UF’s Journal of Undergraduate Research, Kari was one of eight featured students who shared their research with the University.

Working in a greenhouse, Kari conducted hands-on research to investigate optimal fertilizer application rates for North Florida farms. Farmers often apply too much nitrogenous fertilizer to crops trying to increase yields. Fertilizer not used by plants or held in the soil ends up in groundwater sources, disrupting ecosystem functions and polluting drinking water. This process is called leaching.

“Nitrate leaching poses a sizable problem for farmers. In Florida, it is further exacerbated by our famous Myakka fine-sandy soil that readily leaches nitrates,” describes Kari. “Due to public health concerns, it is becoming increasingly important for farmers to design nutrient management plans that will maximize yield, while reducing fertilizer costs and potential groundwater contamination associated with leaching.”

As she was searching for a research topic, her University Scholars mentor Dr. Johan Scholberg was conducting research on nutrient uptake. “He expressed interest in adding resin traps as a nitrogen assessment tool, so I stepped out on a limb and ran with the idea,” says Kari, “I ended up doing two similar studies using the resin material. It was a unique undergraduate experience.”

"There are ways to measure the amount of nitrogen plants use, the amount of nitrogen that remains in the soil and the amount that ends up in the underlying soil beneath the root zone (location of groundwater). The whole amount can be accounted for using a nitrogen budget. What you put in equals what you get out," explains Kari

Farmers are offered incentives to create nutrient management plans to prevent the over application of fertilizer. Kari's research goal was to assess whether or not the resin material would help farmers efficiently and accurately measure nitrogen. After months of research, Kari has concluded that the major flaws including in the design of resin traps and the high cost associated with their implementation make current assessment methods such as soil coring more reliable. Kari asserts, "resin traps are a promising tool, they just need to be perfected."

Currently a senior, Kari is one the School's most productive undergraduates. During the 2004-2005 school year Kari was selected to be a University Scholar, to conduct her research and gain first hand experience. "I wanted to learn the critical skills needed to be successful in conducting any type of research-from research design to taking measurements to using new analytical tools," says Kari.

Her professor, Dr. Scholberg noted that Kari's eagerness to learn more about environmental quality issues went beyond the University Scholars program. "It was truly inspiring to see her evolve from an aspiring young scientist to an environmental professional during the time she participated in our research program. Following her research Kari presented her findings at the national meeting of the Soil Science Society of America. I am confident she will continue to pursue her passion."

Kari is pursuing a career and graduate school in the field of environmental science and public health. "The public should be aware of their environment, how they can help take care of it and its impact on their lives. To the same point, farmers also need to be educated on their impact on the environment and ways to address the problems. Working together, we can solve many of the current environmental problems in rural areas."

Kari will graduate with a major in Environmental Science and a minor in business. She plans on accepting a job as an environmental consultant following her graduation this spring. Kari was Quizbowl co-chair of the joint conference of the American Society of Agronomy, Crop Science Society of America and Soil Science Society of America's National Undergraduate Research Symposium, held in 2005. Kari was a member of the 2004 UF Collegiate Ethics Bowl Team and volunteers for the Juvenile Diabetes Foundation and the American Diabetes Association.

To learn more about the experiment Kari Reno conducted see her publication:

Using Resin Traps for Assessment of Nitrogen Leaching in Agricultural Production Systems