Poa secunda, a Promising Perennial Groundcover?

RegenPGC Graduate Education Community member Vipul Kumar has been showing his poster, “Vernalization response and freezing tolerance of Poa secunda, a promising perennial groundcover” far and wide, from Texas to Wisconsin. You can check his poster out right here! https://www.regenpgc.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/Kumar_Vipul_Poster_FINAL-2.pdf.

Working with RegenPGC Co-Project Director Dr. Shui-zhang Fei, Vipul is investigating the feasibility of using Poa secunda as a perennial groundcover. With support from RegenPGC and USDA NIFA, Vipul has presented his work at numerous professional gatherings, where he has received feedback on his research and presentation skills. Learn more about the RegenPGC Graduate Education Community at https://www.regenpgc.org/theme-3-education/graduate-education-copy/.

Mapping priority areas for runoff and erosion control in Iowa corn landscapes

Floyd River Watershed

Ralph Danquah-Acquah, a member of our RegenPGC Graduate Education Community, shares his research in this guest post, which previously appeared on LinkedIn (July 2026).

I completed my CRP 5510 GIS final project at Iowa State University, where I developed a GIS-based workflow to map runoff and erosion risk in corn landscapes in Floyd County, Iowa.

The motivation for this project came directly from my ongoing work with the RegenPGC project. My ALMANAC simulation work is connected to the Iowa State University Northeast Research and Demonstration Farm, and since that research location is in Floyd County, I chose Floyd County as the study area for this GIS project.

RegenPGC is exploring how perennial groundcover systems can help make corn production more resilient by reducing runoff, erosion, and other environmental losses. That made me think beyond the field scale and ask a broader spatial question:

If runoff and erosion are major concerns in corn systems, which places should be targeted first?

That question shaped the direction of my project. Instead of only looking at whether a conservation practice can reduce runoff and erosion, I wanted to explore where conservation practices may be most needed across the surrounding agricultural landscape.

The project focused on three main questions:

  • Where is runoff risk highest in corn areas?
  • Where is erosion risk highest in corn areas?
  • Which HUC12 subwatersheds contain the largest risk and high-risk corn land?

Using ArcGIS Pro, I worked with open geospatial datasets including USGS 3DEP DEM, USDA SSURGO soils, USDA NASS Cropland Data Layer, USGS NHD flowlines, and WBD HUC12 boundaries. I created runoff and erosion risk indices, mapped erosion hotspots, and summarized high-risk corn areas by HUC12 to develop a combined priority score.

One key finding was that runoff risk was more widespread than erosion risk across corn areas, while erosion risk appeared in more focused patches and hotspot clusters. The final HUC12 priority map helped identify subwatersheds where field verification and conservation planning could begin first.

See the visual in these six poster images:

Ralph Danquah-Acquah gets a presentation opportunity

Ralph and his poster

Great to see this opportunity for RegenPGC Graduate Education Community member Ralph Danquah-Acquah to present his poster, Green between the rows: modeling Corn-RhB perennial ground cover systems,” at th at the 2026 Iowa Water Environment Association Annual Conference in Des Moines.* Click here Ralph’s poster.

Ralph’s poster presentation shared his graduate research where, working with his advisor, RegenPGC CoPd Dr. Amy Kaleita, he uses the ALMANAC Simulation Model to evaluate corn-RHb perennial groundcover systems as part of the RegenPGC project. According to Ralph, “Perennial groundcover systems offer a promising way to reduce runoff and soil erosion while maintaining corn production. My work uses the ALMANAC model to compare PGC with conventional and strip tillage systems, with a focus on soil water dynamics, surface runoff, soil erosion, and corn yield performance under different rainfall conditions.”

Overall, Ralph’s work focuses on soil water dynamics, surface runoff, soil erosion, and corn yield performance under perennial groundcover systems.

*Danquah-Acquah, Ralph, & Kaleita, Amy. (2026, June 17). Green Between the Rows: Modeling Corn-RHb Perennial Groundcover Systems [Poster presentation]. 2026 Iowa Water Environment Association Annual Conference, Des Moines, IA, United States. https://www.regenpgc.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/IAWEA_Poster_Ralph.pdf.

Alex Haus

From Wartburg to Iowa State. Not a long journey if you know what a Wartburg is! Alex Haus, the third member of our 2026 REU class, is a student at Wartburg.

For you non-Iowans, Wartburg is a small liberal arts college in Waverly, Iowa (Learn more about Wartburg). We are so pleased to note that Alex is a returning Research Undergraduate Intern. His experience last year proved so valuable that he is now back to gain even more knowledge from his RegenPGC mentor team. (Learn more about Alex’s 2025 summer)

ALEX HAUS – WARTBURG COLLEGE

Brief Bio. I am currently a junior at Northern Arizona University studying Mathematics and Secondary Education with the goal of becoming a high school math teacher. I grew up in Gilbert and later moved to Flagstaff to attend college. Alongside school, I am also a licensed hairstylist and enjoy doing hair part-time while pursuing my degree.

I recently began my practicum experience, where I have worked in both science and math classrooms, which has strengthened my passion for teaching and working with students.

Outside of academics and work, I enjoy watching movies and TV shows, working out, and spending quality time with friends and family. Something unexpected about me is that even though I am a huge math enthusiast, geometry is actually my least favorite area of math.

Why I applied… I applied again to meet new people and build meaningful connections, because last year I met some amazing individuals and had a truly positive experience. Last time, the program provided me with valuable knowledge, new perspectives, and strong relationships, and I am hoping to continue building on that experience. I want to keep growing by learning from others, challenging myself in a new environment, and gaining skills that will support me throughout my college experience and future career.

My expectations for the REU program include… My expectations for the summer RET/REU program include gaining hands-on research experience, building meaningful connections, and finding opportunities to thrive in a new and challenging environment. I want to push myself to grow both personally and academically while learning from others and developing skills that will support me in my future career in education.

From Arizona to Iowa: Meet Kaylee

Kaylee Johnson

From sunny and DRY Arizona to humid Iowa can be a bit of schock in the summer, but having met 2026 Research Undergraduate Intern and future math teacher Kaylee Johnson, we are sure she will take the change in stride.

Kaylee comes to Iowa State University from Northern Arizona University. Here at ISU, Kaylee will work with RegenPGC Collaborator, Dr. Richard Roth and the staff at the Iowa State University Biotechnology Outreach Education Center. We look forward to an excellent summer experience for Kaylee and the entire REU class!

Meet Research Intern Kaylee Johnson

Brief Bio.  I am currently a junior at Northern Arizona University studying Mathematics and Secondary Education with the goal of becoming a high school math teacher. I grew up in Gilbert and later moved to Flagstaff to attend college. Alongside school, I am also a licensed hairstylist and enjoy doing hair part-time while pursuing my degree. I recently began my practicum experience, where I have worked in both science and math classrooms, which has strengthened my passion for teaching and working with students.

Outside of academics and work, I enjoy watching movies and TV shows, working out, and spending quality time with friends and family. Something unexpected about me is that even though I am a huge math enthusiast, geometry is actually my least favorite area of math.

Why I applied… I applied because I wanted the opportunity to explore science in a deeper and more hands-on way. I have always enjoyed physics and even considered minoring in it at one point. I believe this program will help me expand my knowledge and experience within the science field while also strengthening my background as a future math educator.

Math and science naturally connect, and participating in science-based research will allow me to bring more real-world applications and interdisciplinary learning into my future classroom. I am excited to challenge myself, grow academically, and gain experiences that will help me become a more well-rounded educator.

My expectations for the REU program include… My expectations include gaining new knowledge, experiences, and friendships while growing both personally and academically. I hope to learn more about the science field and discover new ways I can apply research and problem-solving skills to my future classroom. I also want to step outside of my comfort zone, contribute meaningfully to the program, and make the most of the opportunity while enjoying the experience along the way.

From North Carolina to ISU – Meet Preston

Preston Marrable

It’s summer, and we welcome another class of Undergraduate Research Interns. This year we have three interns. Today, meet Preston Marrable from North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University. Preston will be working with RegenPGC CoPD Dr. Shuizhang Fei.

Preston’s goals for the summer are to “gain more knowledge and strengthen my work ethic and attention to detail. As much as I want to improve on a professional level, I also want to build friendly relationships with my fellow peers.”

We are pleased to welcome Preston to Iowa State University,  where we know he will learn a lot with Dr. Fei!

Meet Preston Marrable

Brief Bio. I grew up in Los Angeles while moving around Southern California as a kid. I currently live in North Carolina, and I attend North Carolina Ag & Tech State University as a rising junior. My favorite subjects are English and History. My personal hobbies are cooking, exercise, and listening to music. Something unexpected about me is that I went to Japan last year, and I enjoyed every minute of it.

Why I applied… I applied to the program because I want to gain research experience in STEM and mathematics. I also want to gain professional insight and experience by building a coalition of connections among my Iowa State colleagues before, during, and after the program has finished.

My expectations for the REU program include… I want to gain more knowledge and strengthen my work ethic and attention to detail. As much as I want to improve on a professional level, I also want to build friendly relationships with my fellow peers.

Welcome, Gabriel!

We are excited to welcome a new member to the RegenPGC team, Gabriel J. Gabriel comes to our project from The Land Institute, where he is a new Agronomical Data Scientist. Gabe joins the Land Institute to help advance their Perennial Legume program into a more fully data-enabled platform by building systems for data curation and long-term accessibility, developing web-based tools for analysis, and enabling real-time, decision-driven insights. 

At RegenPGC, he will apply those skills to working witho ur team, especially members of the Graduate Education Community.

He brings valuable experience from Corteva Agriscience, where he worked as a Research Investigator on the Cropping Systems team and collaborated with Bo Meyering and the broader RegenPGC initiative to develop data management systems and image analysis models. Gabe also holds a master’s degree from Oklahoma State University. The Land Institute says, “We are thrilled to have him on the team and look forward to the impact his modeling and data science expertise and manuscript preparation will have on accelerating our work”

Moro, Franklin honored with Fellowships

Two members of our RegenPGC Graduate Education Community, Amina Moro and Rickiel Rodrigues Franklin da Silva have been named recipients of Iowa Crop Improvement Association Graduate Fellowships for the fall 2026 semester. Learn more about these awards click here.

Amina and Rickiel are working to advance the science involved in developing perennial ground cover systems. The entire RegenPGC team is very proud of the incredible work produced by the Graduate Education Community.

These fellowships, from the  Iowa Crop Improvement Association support graduate students whose research contributes to advancements in seed science, crop improvement, and agricultural innovation.

Malcolm Yusuf St Cyr completes his Master’s degree

Malcolm Yusef St Cyr Headshot

Today, we congratulate RegenPGC Graduate Education Community member Malcolm Yusuf St Cyr for his successful thesis defense and completion of his Master’s studies at Iowa State University under the mentorship of RegenPGC CoPd Dr. Marshall McDaniel. Learn more about Malcolm’s thesis, Perennial ground covers: A mitigation strategy to nitrous oxide (N₂O) emissions for maize cropping systems, at www.regenpgc.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/2026-05-19-StCyr-OFFICIAL-THESIS.pdf

ABSTRACT
Agricultural intensification in the U.S. Midwest has led to widespread of nitrogen (N) losses through nitrate (NO₃⁻) leaching and nitrous oxide (N₂O) emissions, two processes that threaten water and atmospheric quality. Traditional winter cover crops (WCCs) have proven to be effective in reducing NO₃⁻ leaching but remain limited in adoption due to economic and management challenges. Perennial ground cover (PGC) systems integrate non-leguminous perennial grasses in between annual row crops offering a potentially optimized alternative that maintains continuous soil cover without requiring annual replanting. However, their influence on soil nitrous oxide emissions and soil nitrogen and carbon pools remain poorly explored. In this study we used three PGC treatments: 1) Zea mays L. without PGC (Maize Control), 2) maize with Poa bulbosa, a summer-dormant grass commonly called bulbous bluegrass (Maize+BBG), and 3) maize with Poa pratensis, or Kentucky bluegrass (Maize+KBG) to analyze the impact of PGC on N₂O emissions and soil N and C pools. Both PGC treatments reduced interrow cumulative N₂O emissions by 38–81% relative to the control in both years (p < 0.01), although row-position emissions were more variable and influenced by fertilizer placement. Despite these consistent interrow reductions, field-level cumulative N₂O emissions were not significantly different among treatments in either year. Overall, our results indicate that PGC does not affect field-level soil N₂O emissions, while maintaining similar levels of plant-available N, and had no effect on maize yield.

New RegenPGC publication hits the “Streamosphere”

Chart

RegenPGC Ph.D. student Memiş Bilgici, joined by RegenPGC colleagues Sara Lira, Lucas Borras, Ken Moore & Thomas Lübberstedt, has authored a new academic publication for the academic journal Frontiers in Plant Science.

The article, Trends in stomatal density and size in maize hybrids representing 100 years of long-term breeding for yield* highlights four main research findings:

  • Modern hybrids had higher stomatal density but lower total stomatal pore area than historical hybrids.
  • Across 27 Pioneer hybrids, stomatal density was negatively correlated with stomatal size, length, width, and leaf area.
  • Over the past 100 years, the total stomatal pore area on leaves decreased, while stomatal density increased as leaf area declined, revealing a connection between these two patterns.
  • Total stomatal pore area was negatively correlated with release-year atmospheric CO2 concentration and temperature anomaly (°C) over the past century.

According to Memiş, “To the best of our knowledge, this is the first crop-focused study to show century-scale changes in stomatal traits associated with long-term maize breeding for yield.”

*Bilgici, Memiş, Ebrahimi, Elnaz, Prada de Miranda, Leticia, Lira, Sara, Borras, Lucas, Young, Thomas, Yavuz, Recep, Moore, Kenneth J., Dixon, Philip, & Lübberstedt, Thomas. (2026). Trends in stomatal density and size in maize hybrids spanning 100 years of long-term yield breeding. Front. Plant Sci., 17:1829321. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2026.1829321