The Agroecosystem Sustainability Center (ASC) is jointly established by the Institute for Sustainability, Energy and Environment (iSEE), the College of ACES, and the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research and Innovation at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.
Research Themes
Agroecosystem is a comprehensive system that carbon, water, nutrient cycles are intrinsically connected, interacting with human management practices, providing critical food/energy/fiber needs for humanity and ecosystem service.
Agricultural Production
We study the complex dynamics of crop productivity, its response to management practices and environmental stresses, and its resilience to climate change.
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Carbon
Plant carbon input from residue and root exudates further drives soil carbon dynamics and microbe-mediated transformation.
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Nutrients
Nutrient (nitrogen, phosphorus and other nutrients) cycling in the agroecosystem is a critical determinant for both agricultural production and environmental sustainability.
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Water
Water quantity and quality are crucial for agroecosystems as they impact crop productivity and are also indicators of agriculture environmental outcomes.
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Digital Replica
Could the U.S. Midwest remain as the global food basket in the next 100 years? How can we ensure co-sustainability of food production and environmental quality in this landscape?
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Solutions
ASC aims to transform our advanced use-inspired and applied basic research outcomes into different practical solutions for various stakeholders in the agricultural sector.
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New AI Method Advances Prediction of Brazil’s National Soybean Yield
A new AI-based system can generate high-resolution soybean yield maps across Brazil using only limited local data, improving yield estimates for this key agricultural region and potentially providing strategic benefits to global soybean markets.
Illinois Researchers Untangle Drivers of Nitrogen Loss in the Upper Mississippi River Basin
Scientists at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign can now differentiate between human-derived and hydrological contributions of riverine nitrogen pollution in the Upper Mississippi River Basin.
Illinois scientists reveal how tile drainage transforms agroecosystems through soil oxygen
Research using a sophisticated ecosystem model shows how tile drainage increases yields by improving soil oxygen, a factor often overlooked in farming and climate adaptation strategies.
Driving Digital Innovation for Sustainable Agriculture: Insights from FAO’s IDASF 2025
ASC scientist Senior Technology Advisor Lesly Goh represented SIGMA at the FAO Inter-Regional Digital Agriculture Solutions Forum 2025 in Thailand.
ASC scientists have unified disparate transpiration theories into one framework
Researchers at the University of Illinois have synthesized different plant water use theories into one unified framework.