Lori Abendroth

Research Agronomist

Dr. Abendroth is a Research Agronomist within the Cropping Systems and Water Quality Research Unit of USDA-ARS in Columbia, Missouri. She strives to understand and develop cropping systems that are productive with high resiliency to climate change and a low footprint.

Her advanced degrees are in Crop Production and Physiology from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (MS, 2004) and Iowa State University (PhD, 2019). In her doctoral research, she investigated climate warming trends in the Midwest, changes in commercial hybrid corn maturities as a potential climate adaptation strategy, and corn yield response to improved practices across sites that differ substantially in overall productivity and soil carbon.

Prior to beginning with USDA ARS in 2021, Dr. Abendroth was at Iowa State University in managerial, research, and teaching roles. She has been a part of numerous multi-state and multi-institutional teams addressing climate adaptation strategies, nutrient and water quality, crop productivity, and overall sustainability challenges.

As a Research Agronomist with USDA ARS, she explores the productivity, sustainability, and environmental footprint of our Midwest cropping systems. She is particularly focused on climate adaptation strategies that build resiliency under our current climate and into the future. We are in a time of rapid change and she is striving for her work to advance our scientific knowledge while having strong implications for real-world agriculture.  

Dr. Abendroth conducts research in the Long-Term Agroecosystem Research experiment in Columbia, MO. Learn about the regional and national importance of this research.
LTAR in Missouri: Finding Sustainable Solutions  

  

My research
I explore the productivity, sustainability, and environmental footprint of our Midwest cropping systems. I am particularly focused on climate adaptation strategies that build resiliency under our current climate and into the future. We are in a time of rapid change and I am striving for my work to advance our scientific knowledge while having strong implications for real-world agriculture.

Agronomy is the study of genetics, environment, and management (G x E x M). Altering these components, even slightly, can have a ripple effect on crop productivity and environmental footprints. My research questions include:

• Characterizing climatic hotspots and micro-changes occurring in farming practices,
• Developing systems that increase cropping intensity and diversity,
• Measuring the footprints of our cropping systems particularly as it relates to water use,
• Studying the implications of warmer nights and overall stress on the grain filling period,
• Building high-resolution datasets that illustrate the capacity of our systems for greater resiliency and stabilization.

Why I’m doing this research
Our climate is currently at 416 ppm atmospheric CO2 with 2050 projected to reach 550 ppm. This elevation in CO2 has direct and indirect implications on our agricultural systems. Improving their resiliency to heightened temperatures and differing precipitation patterns is a key area of study. I believe we can integrate robust climate adaptation strategies that meet crop productivity and sustainability goals but this requires large amounts of data to understand slight changes across space and time.

How my research is conducted
My research is primarily conducted at field-scale under row crop (corn, soybean, wheat, cover crops) production. I measure crop development, crop biomass manually and also with an EarthSense robot, photosynthesis and respiration using a LI-COR Photosynthesis System, greenhouse gas emissions with automated samplers, and substantial plant dissection and processing for tissue and grain nutrient concentrations. I pair local field data withlong-term, multidisciplinary data to understand the bigger picture using statistical models.

• Publications

  • (Clicking on the reprint icon will take you to the publication reprint.)
  • The LTAR Common Experiment: Facilitating improved agricultural sustainability through coordinated cross-site research -(Peer Reviewed Journal)
    Liebig, M.A., Abendroth, L.J., Robertson, G., Augustine, D.J., Boughton, E.H., Bagley, G.A., Busch, D.L., Clark, P., Coffin, A.W., Dalzell, B.J., Dell, C.J., Fortuna, A., Freidenreich, A.S., Heilman, P., Helseth, C.M., Huggins, D.R., Johnson, J.M., Khorchani, M., King, K.W., Kovar, J.L., Locke, M.A., Mirsky, S.B., Schantz, M.C., Schmer, M.R., Silveira, M.L., Smith, D.R., Soder, K.J., Spiegal, S.A., Stinner, J.H., Toledo, D.N., Williams, M.R., Krecker-Yost, J.L. 2024. The LTAR Common Experiment: Facilitating improved agricultural sustainability through coordinated cross-site research. Journal of Environmental Quality. 53:787-801. https://doi.org/10.1002/jeq2.20636.
    
  • USDA LTAR Common Experiment measurement: Aboveground biomass -(Research Notes)
    Wilke, B.J., Abendroth, L.J., Vanderwulp, S. 2024. USDA LTAR Common Experiment measurement: Aboveground biomass. Protocols.io. https://doi.org/10.17504/protocols.io.bp2l62zmkgqe/v1
    
  • USDA LTAR Common Experiment measurement: Post-processing of spatial grain yield data -(Research Notes)
    Owen, O.K., Sudduth, K.A., Abendroth, L.J. 2024. USDA LTAR Common Experiment measurement: Post-processing of spatial grain yield data. Protocols.io. https://doi.org/10.17504/protocols.io.4r3l2qmy3l1y/v1
    
  • USDA LTAR Common Experiment measurement: Collection of grain yield data using a yield monitor -(Research Notes)
    Owen, O.A., Sudduth, K.A., Abendroth, L.J. 2024. USDA LTAR Common Experiment measurement: Collection of grain yield data using a yield monitor. Protocols.io. https://doi.org/10.17504/protocols.io.rm7vzjm1rlx1/v1
    
  • The LTAR Cropland Common Experiment at Central Mississippi River Basin -(Peer Reviewed Journal)
    Abendroth, L.J., Schreiner-Mcgraw, A.P., Ransom, C.J., Baffaut, C., Sudduth, K.A., Veum, K.S. 2024. The LTAR Cropland Common Experiment at Central Mississippi River Basin. Journal of Environmental Quality. p. 1-10. https://doi.org/10.1002/jeq2.20614
    
  • U.S. cereal rye winter cover crop growth database -(Peer Reviewed Journal)
    Huddell, A.M., Thapa, R., Needelman, B., Mirsky, S.B., Davis, A.S., Peterson, C., Kladivko, E., Law, E., Darby, H., Mcvane, J.M., Haymake, J., Balkcom, K.S., Reiter, M., Vangessel, M., Ruark, M., Well, S., Gailans, S., Flessner, M.L., Mulvaney, M.J., Bagavathiannan, M., Samuelson, S., Ackroyd, V., Marcillo, G., Abendroth, L.J., Armstrong, S.D., Asmita, G., Basche, A., Beam, S., Bradley, K., Canisares, L.P., Devkota, P., Dick, W.A., Evans, J.A., Everman, W.A., Ferreira De Almeida, T., Fultz, L.M., Hashemi, M., Helmers, M.J., Jordan, N., Kaspar, T.C., Ketterings, Q.M., Kravchenko, A., Lazaro, L., Ramon, L.G., Liebert, J., Lindquist, J., Loria, K., Miller, J.O., Nkongolo, N.V., Norsworthy, J., Parajuli, B., Pelzer, C., Poffenbarger, H., Poudel, P., Ryan, M.R., Sawyer, J.E., Seehaver, S., Shergill, L., Upadhyaya, Y.R., Waggoner, A.L., Wallace, J.M., White, C., Wolters, B., Woodley, A., Ye, R., Youngerman, E. 2024. U.S. cereal rye winter cover crop growth database. Scientific Data. 11. Article. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41597-024-02996-9.
    
  • Revamping nitrogen fertilizer recommendations for Missouri-(Proceedings)
    Singh, G., Lory, J., Nelson, K., Davis, M., Abendroth, L.J., Kaur, G., Calhoun, J., Chlapecka, J. 2023. Revamping nitrogen fertilizer recommendations for Missouri. Proceedings of 53rd North Central Extension-Industry Soil Fertility Conference, November 15-16, 2023, Des Moines, IA. p. 206-212. Available: northcentralfertility.com/files/NCSFC_2023_Proceedings.pdf
    
  • Quantifying the impact of climate smart agricultural practices on soil carbon storage relative to conventional management -(Peer Reviewed Journal)
    Schreiner-McGraw, A.P., Ransom, C.J., Veum, K.S., Wood, J.D., Sudduth, K.A., Abendroth, L.J. 2023. Quantifying the impact of climate smart agricultural practices on soil carbon storage relative to conventional management. Agricultural and Forest Meteorology. 344. Article 109812. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agrformet.2023.109812.
    
  • Revamping nitrogen fertilizer recommendations for Missouri-(Abstract Only)
    Singh, G., Lory, J., Davis, M., Abendroth, L.J., Kaur, G., Nelson, K., Calhoun, J., Chlapecka, J. 2023. Revamping nitrogen fertilizer recommendations for Missouri [abstract]. Proceedings of 53rd Annual North Central Extension Industry Soil Fertility Conference, Des Moines, Iowa. p. 206-212.
    
  • A holistic assessment of climate smart agricultural practices at a long-term research site in the U.S. Corn Belt-(Abstract Only)
    Schreiner-McGraw, A.P., Wood, J.D., Ransom, C.J., Sudduth, K.A., Veum, K.S., Abendroth, L.J. 2023. A holistic assessment of climate smart agricultural practices at a long-term research site in the U.S. Corn Belt [abstract]. American Geophysical Union Meeting Abstract. Paper 1391354.
    
  • USDA Long-Term Agroecosystem Research: four data workflows for network data integration-(Abstract Only)
    Abendroth, L.J., Kleinman, P.J., Armendariz, G.A., Coffin, A.W., Cosh, M.H., Heilman, P., Hoover, D.L., Kaplan, N.E., White, W.A., Bestelmeyer, B.T., Browning, D.M., Carlson, B.R. 2023. USDA Long-Term Agroecosystem Research: four data workflows for network data integration [abstract]. 2023 ASA-CSSA-SSSA International Annual Meeting, October 29-November 1, 2023, St. Louis, Missouri. Available: https://scisoc.confex.com/scisoc/2023am/meetingapp.cgi/Paper/152342
    
  • Quantifying the relative impact of climate smart agricultural practices on soil carbon uptake in the Central Mississippi River Basin Long-Term Agroecosystem Research (CMRB-LTAR) site-(Abstract Only)
    Schreiner-Mcgraw, A.P., Ransom, C.J., Veum, K.S., Wood, J.D., Sudduth, K.A., Abendroth, L.J. 2023. Quantifying the relative impact of climate smart agricultural practices on soil carbon uptake in the Central Mississippi River Basin Long-Term Agroecosystem Research (CMRB-LTAR) site [abstract]. ASA-CSSA-SSSA Annual Meeting Abstracts. Paper 14837.
    
  • USDA Long Term Agroecosystem Research: Carrying out multi-site research in the Cropland Common Experiment-(Abstract Only)
    Abendroth, L.J., Liebig, M.A., Robertson, P. 2023. USDA Long Term Agroecosystem Research: Carrying out multi-site research in the Cropland Common Experiment [abstract]. Association of Applied Biologists Conference: Rothamsted Research, Long Term Experiments: meeting future challenges, June 20-22, 2023, Hertfordshire, UK
    
  • Southeast Purdue Agricultural Center (SEPAC) drainage research data, 1984-2020 -(Database / Dataset)
    Kladivko, E., Bowling, L., Giorgi, C., Abendroth, L.J. 2022. Southeast Purdue Agricultural Center (SEPAC) drainage research data, 1984-2020 [data set]. Purdue University Research Repository. https://doi.org/10.4231/CTM1-0Y45
    
  • Indicators of water use efficiency across diverse agroecosystems and spatiotemporal scales -(Peer Reviewed Journal)
    Hoover, D.L., Abendroth, L.J., Browning, D.M., Saha, A., Snyder, K.A., Wagle, P., Witthaus, L.M., Baffaut, C., Biederman, J.A., Bosch, D.D., Bracho, R., Busch, D., Clark, P., Ellsworth, P.Z., Fay, P.A., Flerchinger, G.N., Kearney, S.P., Levers, L.R., Saliendra, N.Z., Schmer, M.R., Schomberg, H.H., Scott, R.L. 2022. Indicators of water use efficiency across diverse agroecosystems and spatiotemporal scales. Science of the Total Environment. 864. Article e160992. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.160992.
    
  • Impact of controlled drainage on corn yield under varying precipitation patterns: A synthesis of studies across the U.S. Midwest and Southeast -(Peer Reviewed Journal)
    Youssef, M., Strock, J., Bagheri, E., Reinhart, B.D., Abendroth, L.J., Chighladze, G., Ghane, E., Shedekar, V., Fausey, N., Frankenberger, J., Helmers, M.J., Jaynes, D.B., Kladivko, E., Negm, L., Nelson, K., Pease, L. 2022. Impact of controlled drainage on corn yield under varying precipitation patterns: A synthesis of studies across the U.S. Midwest and Southeast. Agricultural Water Management. 275. Article 107993. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agwat.2022.107993
    
  • Regional and seasonal differences in nitrate-N (NO3-N) load in U.S. agroecosystems instrumented with water quality conservation practices-(Abstract Only)
    Abendroth, L.J., Helmers, M., Reinhart, B., Chighladze, G., Pease, L., Bowling, L., Youssef, M., Ghane, E., Ahiablame, L., Brown, L. 2022. Regional and seasonal differences in nitrate-N (NO3-N) load in U.S. agroecosystems instrumented with water quality conservation practices [abstract]. American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting, December 12-16, 2022, Chicago, Illinois.
    
  • Use of improved nutrient practices in maize-based agroecosystems alter allocation between leaching and denitrification loss pathways-(Abstract Only)
    Abendroth, L.J., Eagle, A., Mcclellan Maaz, T., Helmers, M., Brouder, S., Christianson, L., Drury, C., Emmett, B.D., Fernandez, F., Gentry, L. 2022. Use of improved nutrient practices in maize-based agroecosystems alter allocation between leaching and denitrification loss pathways [abstract]. American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting, December 12-16, 2022, Chicago, Illinois.
    
  • Corn belt nutrient-loss mitigation guided by multi-site research network testing environmental and production synergies and tradeoffs-(Abstract Only)
    Eagle, A., Mcclellan Maaz, T., Abendroth, L.J. 2022. Corn belt nutrient-loss mitigation guided by multi-site research network testing environmental and production synergies and tradeoffs [abstract]. 2022 ASA-CSSA-SSSA Annual Meeting, November 6-9, 2022. Baltimore, Maryland. Paper No. 145544. Available: https://scisoc.confex.com/scisoc/2022am/meetingapp.cgi/Paper/145544
    
  • Integrating sap flow and eddy covariance to improve vegetation representation in a process-based hydrologic model-(Abstract Only)
    Schreiner-Mcgraw, A.P., Wood, J.D., Abendroth, L.J. 2022. Integrating sap flow and eddy covariance to improve vegetation representation in a process-based hydrologic model [abstract]. 2022 ASA-CSSA-SSSA Annual Meeting, November 6-9, 2022. Baltimore, Maryland. Paper No. 146353. Available: https://scisoc.confex.com/scisoc/2022am/meetingapp.cgi/Paper/146353
    
  • The Agricultural Research Data Network (ARDN)-(Abstract Only)
    Porter, C., Hoogenboom, G., Villalobos, C., Zhang, M., Abendroth, L.J., Baer, B., Basso, B., Chan, M.K., Mailhot, D., Lebauer, D., Sims, C.L., Reimer, K. 2022. The Agricultural Research Data Network (ARDN) [abstract]. 2022 ASA-CSSA-SSSA Annual Meeting, November 6-9, 2022. Baltimore, Maryland. Paper No. 144927. Available: https://scisoc.confex.com/scisoc/2022am/meetingapp.cgi/Paper/144927
    
  • Sustainable corn CAP research data (USDA-NIFA Award No. 2011-68002-30190): ARDN products-(Database / Dataset)
    Abendroth, L.J. 2022. Sustainable corn CAP research data (USDA-NIFA Award No. 2011-68002-30190): ARDN products [dataset]. Ag Data Commons. Available: https://data.nal.usda.gov/dataset/sustainable-corn-cap-research-data-usda-nifa-award-no-2011-68002-30190-ardn-products
    
  • Conditions potentially affecting corn ear formation, yield, and abnormal ears: a review -(Peer Reviewed Journal)
    Ortez, O., Mcmechan, J., Hoegemeyer, T., Ciampitti, I., Nielsen, R., Thomison, P., Abendroth, L.J., Elmore, R. 2022. Conditions potentially affecting corn ear formation, yield, and abnormal ears: a review. Crop, Forage & Turfgrass Management. 8(2). Article e20173. https://doi.org/10.1002/cft2.20173.
    
  • Paired field and water measurements from drainage management practices in row-crop agriculture -(Peer Reviewed Journal)
    Abendroth, L.J., Chighladze, G., Frankenberger, J., Bowling, L., Helmers, M., Herzmann, D., Jia, X., Kjaersgaard, J., Pease, L., Reinhart, B., Strock, J., Youssef, M. 2022. Paired field and water measurements from drainage management practices in row-crop agriculture. Scientific Data. 9. Article 257. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41597-022-01358-7.
    
  • The USDA-ARS Goodwater Creek Experimental Watershed enables long-term agroecosystem research at multiple scales-(Abstract Only)
    Baffaut, C., Schreiner-Mcgraw, A.P., Abendroth, L.J., Kitchen, N.R., Sudduth, K.A., Veum, K.S. 2022. The USDA-ARS Goodwater Creek Experimental Watershed enables long-term agroecosystem research at multiple scales [abstract]. Frontiers in Hydrology Meeting, June 19-24, 2022, San Juan, Puerto Rico. Available: https://agu.confex.com/agu/hydrology22/meetingapp.cgi/Paper/1033061
    
  • Maize leaf appearance rates: a synthesis from the United States corn belt -(Peer Reviewed Journal)
    Dos Santos, C.L., Abendroth, L.J., Coulter, J.A., Nafziger, E.D., Suyker, A.E., Yu, J., Schnable, P.S., Archontoulis, S.V. 2022. Maize leaf appearance rates: a synthesis from the United States corn belt. Frontiers in Plant Science. 13. Article 872738. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2022.872738.
    
  • Quantifying how much, where, and what form of legacy P across scales: the case of Illinois-(Abstract Only)
    Margenot, A., Sadeghpour, A., Christianson, R., Rothman, M., Zhou, S., Zandvakili, O., Gu, C., Abendroth, L.J., Nakayama, Y., Chighladze, G., Douglass, M., Li, C. 2022. Quantifying how much, where, and what form of legacy P across scales: the case of Illinois [abstract]. 22nd World Congress of Soil Science. July 31-August5, 2022. Glasgow, Scotland.
    
  • Impact of controlled drainage on subsurface drain flow and nitrate load: A synthesis of studies across the U.S. Midwest and Southeast -(Peer Reviewed Journal)
    Helmers, M.J., Abendroth, L.J., Reinhart, B.D., Chighladze, G., Pease, L., Bowling, L., Youssef, M., Ghane, E., Ahiablame, L., Brown, L., Fausey, N., Frankenberger, J., Jaynes, D., King, K.W., Kladivko, E., Nelson, K., Strock, J. 2021. Impact of controlled drainage on subsurface drain flow and nitrate load: A synthesis of studies across the U.S. Midwest and Southeast. Agricultural Water Management. 259. Article 107265. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agwat.2021.107265.
    
  • Drainagedata.org: new data resource from the Transforming Drainage Project-(Abstract Only)
    Abendroth, L.J., Chighladze, G., Herzmann, D., Helmers, M., Ahiablame, L., Allred, B.J., Bowling, L., Brown, L., Fausey, N., Frankenberger, J., Jaynes, D., Jia, X., Kjaersgaard, J., King, K.W., Kladivko, E., Nelson, K., Pease, L., Reinhart, B., Strock, J., Youssef, M. 2021. Drainagedata.org: new data resource from the Transforming Drainage Project [abstract]. ASA, CSSA, SSSA International Annual Meeting, November 7-10, 2021, Salt Lake City, Utah. Available: https://scisoc.confex.com/scisoc/2021am/meetingapp.cgi/Paper/134632
    
  • Nitrous oxide emissions from a long-term research site with varying topsoil thickness-(Abstract Only)
    Bjorn, S.J., Davis, M.P., Abendroth, L.J. 2021. Nitrous oxide emissions from a long-term research site with varying topsoil thickness [abstract]. ASA, CSSA, SSSA International Annual Meeting, November 7-10, 2021, Salt Lake City, Utah. https://scisoc.confex.com/scisoc/2021am/meetingapp.cgi/Paper/138579
    
  • Corn yield response to drainage water recycling using subirrigation-(Other)
    Nelson, K., Kjaersgaard, J., Reinhart, B., Frankenberger, J., Willison, R., Gunn, K., Lee, C., Abendroth, L.J., Bowling, L., Rashid Niaghi, A. 2021. Corn yield response to drainage water recycling using subirrigation. Purdue University Extension Bulletin. ABE-163. Lafayette, Indiana: Purdue University. p. 1-8. Available: https://www.extension.purdue.edu/extmedia/ABE/ABE-163-W.pdf
    
  • Transforming Drainage Research Data (USDA-NIFA Award No. 2015-68007-23193) -(Database / Dataset)
    Chighladze, G., Abendroth, L.J., Herzmann, D., Helmers, M., Ahiablame, L., Allred, B.J., Bowling, L., Brown, L., Fausey, N., Frankenberger, J., Jaynes, D., Jia, X., Kjaersgaard, J., King, K.W., Kladivko, E., Nelson, K., Pease, L., Reinhart, B., Strock, J., Youssef, M. 2021. Transforming Drainage Research Data (USDA-NIFA Award No. 2015-68007-23193) [dataset]. Ag Data Commons. Available:https://doi.org/10.15482/USDA.ADC/1521092.
    

• Projects

  Linkages Between Crop Production Management and Sustainability in the Central Mississippi River Basin In-House Appropriated (D)   Accession Number:441477

  Innovative Cropping System Solutions for Sustainable Production on Spatially Variable Landscapes In-House Appropriated (D)   Accession Number:445325

  Croplands Emissions - Midwest Area - Columbia, MO Interagency Reimbursable Agreement (I)   Accession Number:446092

  Institutional Biological Safety Committee (IBC) Agreement - University of Missouri Non-Funded Cooperative Agreement (N)   Accession Number:441686

  Integrating Biological Nitrogen Management Systems into Missouri Fertilizer Recommendations Non-Funded Cooperative Agreement (N)   Accession Number:443302

  Measurements and Tools for Assessment of Ecosystem Services Non-Assistance Cooperative Agreement (S)   Accession Number:443873

  Climate Adaptation Strategies for Irrigated Crop Production in the Missouri Delta Non-Assistance Cooperative Agreement (S)   Accession Number:446371

• ARS News Articles

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