Allen Torbert

EDUCATION

• 1989 Ph.D., University of Illinois (Agronomy and Soils)
• 1985 M.S., Auburn University (Agronomy and Soils)
• 1983 B.S., Auburn University (Agronomy and Soils)

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

• 2005 – present Research Leader, USDA-ARS Auburn, AL

• 2001 – 2005 Soil Scientist, Lead Scientist – USDA, ARS Auburn, AL

• 1992 – 2001 Soil Scientist, Lead Scientist – USDA, ARS Temple, TX

• 1989 – 1992 Postdoc Research Associate -USDA, ARS Auburn, AL (Appointed Affiliate Faculty AU)

• 1985 – 1989 Research Assistant – (appointed Affiliate Faculty AU Agronomy and Soils Dept.) University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, IL.

• 1983 – 1985 Research Assistant- Auburn University, Auburn, AL

HONORS & AWARDS

• 2008 – Fellow of the American Society of Agronomy

• 2009 – Fellow of the Soil Science Society of America

• 2015 – American Coal Ash Association “Champion Award” (the highest honor of the organization)

• 2023 – USDA ARS Southeast Area Senior Research Scientist of the Year

• 2023 – ARS National Technology Transfer Award

• 2023 – REE Under Secretary’s Award for outstanding technology transfer

• 2023 – USDA Secretary’s Honor Award, (highest non-monetary recognition of Dept. of Agriculture)

• 2024 – American Society of Agronomy – Environmental Quality Research

• 2024 – Soil Science Society of America – Soil Science Applied Research

PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS

• American Assoc. for the Advan. of Science

• American Society of Agronomy (Fellow)

• Soil Science Society American (Fellow)

• International Soil Tillage Research Organization

• Soil and Water Conservation Society of America

PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITIES

As ARS Research Leader, 2005 – present:
My assignment is that of a Supervisory Soil Scientist and Research Leader of the USDA, ARS National Soil Dynamics Laboratory, Auburn, AL. As the Research Leader, responsibilities include managing coordinating research programs for the laboratory which has the mission to develop technologies and strategies for managing soils that increase adoption of sustainable production/cropping systems, particularly conservation systems that reduce economic risk and farm production costs; improving soil quality and productivity; and relating agriculture to global change. Specific research focuses on improving methods for waste application to maximize plant nutrient use efficiencies, while minimizing pollution potential. Other important objectives of the research program are to develop conservation systems that reduce drought risk of cash crops, develop environmentally sound waste management systems, and determine the effects of atmospheric CO2 levels on above- and below ground processes that affect crop production, soil carbon storage and trace gas emissions.

1. Watts, D.B., H.A. Torbert, and S.A. Prior. 2010. Soil properties and landscape position affects on seasonal nitrogen mineralization of composted dairy manures. Soil Science 175:27-35.
2. Sistani, K.R., C. Bolster, H.A. Torbert, T. Way, D.H. Pote, and D.B. Watts. 2010. Influences of poultry litter application methods on the longevity of nutrient and E. coli in runoff from Tall Fescue Pasture. Water Air and Soil Pollution 206:3-12.
3. Busby, R., D.L. Gebhart, H.A. Torbert, J.O. Dawson, G.A. Bollero, K.N. Potter, and D. Curtin. 2010. Effects of a new waste processing byproduct on soil and vegetation at Fort Campbell, TN. Commun. Soil Sci. Plant Anal. 41:250-266.
4. Watts, D.B., H.A. Torbert, S.A. Prior, and G. Huluka. 2010. Long-term tillage and poultry litter impacts soil carbon and nitrogen mineralization and fertility. Soil Sci. Soc. Am. 74:1239-1247.
5. Smith, K.E., Runion, G.B., Prior, S.A., Rogers, H.H., and Torbert, H.A. 2010. Greenhouse gas flux from agricultural soil: Impacts of 10 years of management and elevated CO₂. Soil Sci. 175:349-356.
6. Adesemoye, A.O., H.A. Torbert, and J.W. Kloepper. 2010. Increased plant uptake of nitrogen from ¹⁵N-depleted fertilizer using plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria . Applied Soil Ecology 66:54-58.
7. Marble, S.C., C.H. Gilliam, J L. Sibley, G.B. Fain, H.A. Torbert, T.V. Gallagher, and J.W. Olive. 2010. Evaluation of Composted Poultry Litter as a Substrate Amendment for WholeTree, Clean Chip Residual, and Pinebark for Container Grown Woody Nursery Crops. J. Environ Hort. 28:107-116.
8. Watts, D.B., H.A. Torbert, Y. Feng, and S.A. Prior. 2010. Soil microbial community dynamics as influenced by soil properties and landscape position. Soil Science 175:474-486.
9. Murphy, A., C.H. Gilliam, G.B. Fain, H.A. Torbert, T.V. Gallagher, J.L. Sibley, S.C. Marble, and A.L. Witcher. 2010. Extending pine bark supplies with wholetree and clean chip residual substrates. J. Environ. Hort. 28:217-223.
10. Prior, S.A., G.B. Runion, S.C. Marble, H.H. Rogers, H.A. Torbert, C.H. Gilliam. 2011. A review of elevated atmospheric CO₂ effects on plant growth and water relations: implications for horticulture. HortScience 46(2):158-162.
11. Marble, S.C., S.A. Prior, G.B. Runion, H.A. Torbert, C.H. Gilliam, and G.B. Fain. 2011. The importance of determining carbon sequestration and greenhouse gas mitigation potential in ornamental horticulture. HortScience 46(2):240–244.
12. Way, T.R., D.B. Watts, K.E. Smith, H.A. Torbert. 2011. Calculation of effective gas flux from soil following band application of manure or fertilizer. Trans. Am. Soc. Agric. Biol. Engin. 54:337-345.
13. Watts, D.B., T.R. Way, and H.A. Torbert. 2011. Subsurface application of poultry litter and its influence on nutrient losses in runoff water from permanent pastures. J. Environ. Qual. 40:421-430.
14. Watts, D.B., and H.A. Torbert. 2011. Long-Term Tillage and Poultry Litter Impacts on Soybean and Corn Grain Yield. Agron. J. 103:1479-1486.
15. Murphy, A.M., C.H. Gilliam, G.B. Fain, H.A. Torbert, T.V. Gallagher, J.L. Sibley and C.R. Boyer. 2011. Low-value trees as alternative substrates in greenhouse production of three annual species. J. Environ. Hort. 29:152-161.
16. Nyakatawa, E.Z., D.A. Mays, T.R. Way, H.A. Torbert, D.R. Smith, and D.B. Watts. 2011. Tillage and Fertilizer Management Effects on Soil Emissions of Methane and Nitrous Oxide.   Applied and Environ. Soil Sci. http://www.hindawi.com/journals/aess/2011/475370/.
17. Marble, S.C., J.L. Sibley, C.H. Gilliam, and H.A. Torbert. 2011. Application of Composted Poultry Litter as a Fertilizer for Landscape Bedding Plants. HortScience 46(10):1367-1372.
18. Fortuna, A., C.W. Honeycutt, G. Vandemark, T.S. Griffin, R.P. Larkin, Z. He, B.J. Wienhold, K.R. Sistani, S.L. Albrecht, B.L. Woodbury, H.A. Torbert, J.M. Powell, R.K. Hubbard, R.A. Eigenberg, R.J. Wright, J.R. Alldredge, and J.B. Harsh. 2012. Links among nitrification, nitrifier communities, and edaphic properties in contrasting soils receiving dairy slurry.   J. Environ Qual. 41:262-272.
19. Torbert, H.A., H.W. Polley, and H.B. Johnson. 2012. Nitrogen and carbon cycling in a grassland community ecosystem as affected by elevated atmospheric CO2. International J. Agron. Article ID 817343. doi:10.1155/2012/817343. http://www.hindawi.com/journals/ija/2012/817343/.
20. Boyer, C.R., H.A. Torbert, C.H. Gilliam, G.B. Fain, T.V. Gallagher, and J.L. Sibley. 2012. Nitrogen immobilization in plant growth substrates: clean chip residual, pine bark and peat moss. International J. Agron.. Article ID 978528. doi:10.1155/2012/978528, http://www.hindawi.com/journals/ija/2012/978528/.
21. Prior, S.A., G.B. Runion, H.A. Torbert, S.B. Idso, B.A. Kimball. 2012. Sour orange fine root distribution after seventeen years of atmospheric CO2 enrichment. Agric. Forest Meterology. 162-163:85-90.
22. Watts, D.B., K.E. Smith, and H.A. Torbert. 2012. Impact of poultry litter cake, cleanout, and bedding following chemical amendments on soil C and N mineralization. International J. Agron,. Article ID 204629, doi:10.1155/2012/204629. http://www.hindawi.com/journals/ija/2012/204629/ .
23. Boyer, C.R., T.V. Gallagher, C.H. Gilliam, G.B. Fain, H.A. Torbert, and J.L. Sibley. 2012. Description of clean chip residual forest harvest and its availability for horticultural uses in the southeastern United States. HortTechnology 22:381-387.
24. Marble, S.C., S.A. Prior, G.B. Runion, H.A. Torbert, C.H. Gilliam, G.F. Fain, S.F. Sibley, and P.R. Knight.   2012.   Effects of fertilizer placement on trace gas emissions from nursery container production. HortScience 47:1056-1062.
25. Torbert, H.A., D.B. Watts. 2012. Nitrogen mineralization in production agriculture.   International J. Agron. Article ID 989365. doi:10.1155/2012/989365, http://www.hindawi.com/journals/ija/2012/989365/.
26. Marble, C.S. G.B. Fain, C.H. Gilliam, G.B. Runion, S.A. Prior, H.A. Torbert, and D.E. Wells. 2012. Landscape establishment of woody ornamentals grown in alternative wood-based container substrates. J. Environ. Hort. 30(1):13–16.
27. Marble, S.C., S.A., Prior, G.B. Runion, H.A. Torbert, C.H. Gilliam, G.F. Fain, S.F. Sibley, and P.R. Knight. 2012. Determining trace gas efflux from container production of woody nursery crops. J. Environ. Hort. 30(3):118-124.
28. Smith, K.E., D.B. Watts, T.R. Way, H.A. Torbert, S.A. Prior. 2012. Impact of tillage and fertilizer application method on gas emissions (CO₂, CH₄, N₂O) in a corn cropping system. Pedosphere 22(5):604-615.
29. Dijkstra, F.A., S. A. Prior, G.B. Runion, H.A. Torbert, and C. Lu. 2012. Terrestrial greenhouse gas emissions with climate change: positive or negative feedback? Front. Ecol. Environ 10:520-527.
30. Nyakatawa, E.Z., D.A. Mays, T.R. Way, D.B. Watts, H.A. Torbert, D.R. Smith. 2012. Soil carbon dioxide fluxes in conventional and conservation tillage corn production systems receiving poultry litter and inorganic fertilizer. J. Sustain. Agric. 36:873-892.
31. Watts, D.B., F.J. Arriaga, H.A. Torbert, D.L. Gebhart, and R.R. Busby. 2012. Ecosystem biomass, carbon, and nitrogen five years after restoration with municipal solid waste. Agron. J. 104:1305-1311.
32. Watts, D.B., F.J. Arriaga, H.A. Torbert, D.L. Gebhart, and R.R. Busby. 2012. Non-composted municipal solid waste byproduct influences soil and plant nutrients five years after soil reclamation. Soil Science. 177:480-489.
33. Calvo, P., D.B. Watts, J.W. Kloepper, and H.A. Torbert. 2013. Microbial-Based Inoculants Impact N₂O Emissions from an Incubated Soil Medium Containing Urea Fertilizers. J. Environ. Qual. 42:704–712.
34. Kurtener, D., V. Yakushev, H.A. Torbert, and E. Krueger. 2013. Definition of zones with different levels of productivity within an agricultural field using fuzzy modeling. J. Agric. Sci. 176-181.
35. Torbert, H.A. and D.B. Watts. 2014. Impact of FGD gypsum application on water quality in a coastal plain soil. J. Environ. Qual. 43:273–280.
36. Way, T.R., D.B. Watts, H. Tewolde, K.R. Sistani, and H.A. Torbert. 2014. Implement with adjustable band spacing for subsurface band application of poultry litter. Applied Engineering in Agriculture 29(6): 831-839.
37. Watts, D.B., G.B. Runion, K.E. Smith, and H.A. Torbert. 2014.   Enhanced efficiency fertilizer’s effect on cotton yield and quality in the Coastal Plains. Agron. J. 106:745-752.
38. Runion G.B., S.A. Prior, A.J. Price, and H.A. Torbert. 2014. Effects of elevated CO2 on biomass and fungi associated with two ecotypes of ragweed (Ambrosia artemisiifolia L.). Front. Plant Sci., doi: 10.3389/fpls.2014.00500.
39. Kavetskiy, A., G.N. Yakubova, H.A. Torbert, S.A. Prior. 2015. Continuous versus pulse neutron induced gamma spectroscopy for soil analysis. Applied Radiation and Isotopes. 96:139-147. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.apradiso.2014.10.024.
40. Marble, S.C., S.A., Prior, G.B. Runion, H.A. Torbert. 2015. Control of yellow and purple nutsedge in elevated CO₂ environments with glyphosate and halosulfuron. Frontiers in Plant Science. doi: 10.3389/fpls.2015.00001 .
41. Yakubova, G., L. Wielopolski, H.A. Torbert and S.A. Prior. 2015. Field Testing a Mobile Inelastic Neutron Scattering System to Measure Soil Carbon. Soil Sci. (Accepted 1/1/15).