Drought-tolerant summer cover crop impact on soil health and fertility

Hotter and drier summers increase the potential value of adding drought- and heat-tolerant summer cover crops (e.g., sunn hemp, teff, millet) to a New England vegetable crop rotation under conservation tillage. These crops are locally uncommon and have biomass and biochemical distributions that vary from traditional winter cover crops.  We have grown these crops for two months, harvested above and belowground biomass, and collected soil samples at harvest.  We have planted purple top turnips to assess whether the summer cover crops promote cash crop growth by providing or retaining key soil macronutrients.  The student will engage in a suite of soil and plant nutrient analyses and, schedule permitting, will assist with maintenance and harvest of the fall turnip crop. 

Name of research group, project, or lab
The Naughton Lab
Website
https://websites.umass.edu/hnaughton/
Why participate in this opportunity?

This opportunity will be great exposure to a mix of field and lab work.  It will expose the student to critical farm operations and soil health assessment techniques.  It will offer them insight into the nature of working with soil and plants.  It will train them on lab etiquette, organization, and techniques.  

Logistics Information:
Field(s) of Study
Environmental Science
Plant and Soil Science
Sustainable Food & Farming
Student ranks applicable
Freshman
Sophomore
Junior
Student qualifications

We seek a curious and internally motivated student who wants to learn about our project and develop lab and field research skills. Fine motor skills, patience, respect for ethical data collection, and self-reflection are key skills for students in our lab.  Introductory background in Biology or Ecology, Environmental Science, Chemistry (inorganic or organic), and Soil Science is helpful but not required.  A time commitment of 3 to 9 hours a week would be ideal.   

Time commitment
5-7 h/wk
Position Types and Compensation
Credit for Research and Teaching
Number of openings
1
Techniques learned

The student intern will assist in laboratory soil and plant nutrient and physical characteristic analysis and field work managing and harvesting the turnip crop.  Daily tasks in lab will include weighing soil and plant samples, grinding or sieving samples to prepare for weighing, and preparing samples for nutrient analysis by combustion.  The student will have opportunities to collect “litter bags” from the field to test how rapidly cover crop species decompose and release nutrients to the cash crop, and then to harvest the turnips and measure their growth and nutrient profiles in October.  

Project start
9/8/2026
Contact Information:
Mentors
Hannah Naughton
hnaughton@umass.edu
Principal Investigator
Charles Williamson
cdwilliamson@umass.edu
Graduate Student
Name of project director or principal investigator
Hannah Naughton
Email address of project director or principal investigator
hnaughton@umass.edu
1 sp. | 9 appl.
Time commitment
5-7 h/wk
Field(s) of Study
Sustainable Food & Farming (+2)
Environmental SciencePlant and Soil ScienceSustainable Food & Farming