Amitava Chatterjee, assistant professor of soil science at North Dakota State University, received a $20,000 grant from the North Dakota Corn Council and a $15,000 grant from the Minnesota Wheat Research and Promotion Council to help pay for a gas chromatograph that will measure soil greenhouse gas emissions.

Chatterjee is researching how interactions of subsurface drainage and nitrogen fertilizer application affect greenhouse gas emissions from corn, wheat and sugarbeet fields. The automated gas chromatograph, purchased with the help of the grant money, will allow him and other researchers to measure emissions in the test fields all year.

Chatterjee’s research will ultimately help farmers determine the right amount of fertilizer for the conditions, which might save money. It also will help farmers be proactive about reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

NDSU is recognized as one of the nation's top 108 public and private universities by the Carnegie Commission on Higher Education.