Federal Grant Award Summary

The University of Kentucky Research Foundation received a $299,600 Project Grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) under the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative (AFRI) program (CFDA 10.310), awarded July 1, 2026, with completion targeted for June 30, 2028. This project develops and implements an innovative methodology to experimentally manipulate soil virus abundance and measure the resulting effects on critical soil functions that support food production and environmental quality. The research addresses a significant knowledge gap regarding viruses in soil ecosystems, which despite being the most abundant living organisms in soil (tens of billions per gram), have largely unknown impacts on nutrient cycling, carbon storage, and plant growth.

The project deliverables include the establishment of controlled growth chambers containing soil and wheat plants with altered virus abundances, creation of concentrated virus inoculums extracted through newly developed extraction methods, and comprehensive experimental data tracking plant growth rates, microbial activity levels, nutrient availability, and specific viral and microbial community composition via DNA sequencing. These research outputs will advance scientific understanding of soil viral ecology and provide evidence-based knowledge to improve agricultural productivity and soil health management practices. The research will be conducted at the University of Kentucky's facility in Lexington, Kentucky.