About

Sarah Strauss is an Associate Professor in the Department of Soil, Water, and Ecosystem Sciences at the University of Florida, within the Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences. She is based at the Southwest Florida Research and Education Center, where she specializes in soil microbiology. Her research focuses on examining the relationship between plant and soil microbial communities within citrus and vegetable crops, exploring methods to manage or alter the soil microbial community to improve crop health and productivity. In addition to her research, she provides extension services to growers, offering information on improving soil health and crop productivity through changes to the soil microbiome.

Research topics

• Biology
• Environmental science
• Agronomy
• Ecology
• Chemistry
• Soil science
• Forestry
• Environmental chemistry
• Geography
• Pulp and paper industry
• Engineering
• Food science
• Animal science

Selected publications

• Response to “Legacy Knowledge on Landscape Soil Carbon—Concentrated Organic Input to Selected Sites Comes With the Expense of Soil Health of Larger Areas”

  Journal of Plant Nutrition and Soil Science · 2026-02-26

  article

  Take‐home message Our study (Xu et al. 2025) evaluated the field‐scale soil health effects of incorporating bagasse—an industrial byproduct—into sugarcane soils and did not involve or imply redistribution of organic matter across the landscape. The Comment's landscape‐scale concerns do not apply to this closed‐loop system. Bagasse incorporation remains a practical field‐level soil improvement strategy, while broader sustainability questions require additional, multi‐scale research.

  PublisherDOI

• Robustness of Sample Rankings by Fluorimetric Enzyme Activities Against Varied Protocol Conditions in Coarse-Textured Soils

  Soil Systems · 2026-03-26

  articleOpen access

  Soil enzyme activities are sensitive biochemical indicators that could benefit soil health assessments, especially in coarse-textured soils. Current protocols are inconsistent for fluorimetric assays and an optimized assay would facilitate comparisons of activities across climates and soils. A factorial experiment was conducted to evaluate how assay conditions affect the activity of three enzymes (acid phosphatase, β-glucosidase, and N-acetyl-β-glucosaminidase) across seven Florida mineral soils (>89% sand) by crossing two temperatures, four pH values, and two reaction termination reagents. Results between microplate fluorimetry and benchtop colorimetry and between air-dried and frozen (−80 °C) soils were also compared. For these soils, a pH of 4.5 with sodium hydroxide termination and a temperature of 25 °C were deemed “optimal” for maximizing activities and maintaining consistent trends. Activities measured with benchtop colorimetry and microplate fluorimetry were related for each enzyme (R2 range: 0.58–0.83) and activities from air-dried soils were 50–90% of those from frozen soils (R2 range: 0.75–0.91). Enzyme activities were positively correlated with other indicators (total C, nutrients), supporting their use in soil health assessments. As the rankings of soil samples by highest enzyme activities were similar regardless of protocol variations, this suggests that inherent soil properties were the dominant drivers of enzymatic activity.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Large-scale Field Evaluation of Compost Applied to Sweet Orange Trees Grown on Four Rootstocks

  Proceedings of the Florida State Horticultural Society · 2026-04-10

  article
  PublisherDOI

• Orchard management alters citrus root and rhizosphere microbiomes with functional consequences for plant performance

  bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory) · 2026-04-17

  articleOpen access

  Abstract Agricultural management practices act as ecological disturbances that can restructure soil and plant-associated microbial communities, but the functional consequences of these microbial shifts on crop performance remain poorly understood. Here, we examined how common orchard inputs, including wood mulch, glyphosate, and humic acid, affect citrus root and rhizosphere microbiomes and tree performance over a three-year field experiment. Mulch emerged as the dominant driver of microbiome structure, significantly altering bacterial and fungal community composition and increasing rhizosphere alpha diversity. Root microbiomes remained comparatively stable, suggesting stronger host selective forces within root tissues. Mulched rhizospheres were enriched with saprotrophic fungi and metabolically diverse bacteria, while non-mulched soils contained taxa typically associated with nutrient cycling, like Rhizobium , Sphingomonas , and Nitrososphaera . Interactions between mulch and glyphosate further reshaped bacterial communities and corresponded with reduced tree physiological performance, including photosynthesis rates. To verify whether these microbial shifts were contributing to these plant phenotype changes, we conducted a greenhouse experiment using field-derived soil microbiota. Active microbiota from mulch-treated soils reduced citrus seedling establishment and root growth relative to microbiota from non-mulched soils, whereas heat-killed controls eliminated these negative effects, demonstrating a causal relationship between management-induced microbiota changes and decreases in plant performance. In contrast, humic acid influenced plant growth primarily through direct abiotic effects rather than microbial community-level traits. Together, our results show that orchard management practices can restructure citrus microbiomes and generate community-level traits that influence plant performance, highlighting the importance of incorporating microbial ecology and microbiome information when designing and testing crop management strategies.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Topsoil sampling depth impacts on soil microbial communities in cover-cropped perennial tree systems

  Applied Soil Ecology · 2026-04-13

  articleSenior author
  PublisherDOI

• Soil Health Assessment of Incorporating Bagasse in a Commercial Sugarcane Production System on Mineral Soils

  Journal of Plant Nutrition and Soil Science · 2025-01-28 · 2 citations

  article

  ABSTRACT Background Bagasse is a locally derived sugarcane ( Saccharum spp.) by‐product, which has the potential to improve the soil health of mineral soils. Aims This study aimed to determine the effects of bagasse on the soil health of an Entisol in Southern Florida. Methods A field experiment was conducted on a commercial sugarcane production farm for approximately 4 years, where four rates of bagasse, including 5 cm bagasse (85 Mg ha −1 ), 10 cm bagasse (170 Mg ha −1 ), 10 cm bagasse (170 Mg ha −1 ) plus 336 kg ha −1 ammonium nitrate, and one control (no bagasse), were incorporated into 15 cm topsoil. Soil health indicators, including bulk density (BD), water‐holding capacity (WHC), soil pH, cation exchange capacity (CEC), organic matter (OM), active carbon (C), soil protein, and nutrient contents—nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and potassium (K)—were evaluated. Results A single application of bagasse at 170 Mg ha −1 or 170 Mg ha −1 plus 336 kg ha −1 ammonium nitrate had positive short‐term effects on OM accumulation in soils, resulting in higher WHC and lower BD. Bagasse also significantly decreased soil pH, which is good for sugarcane production on alkaline soils. Soil CEC, Mehlich‐3 P and K levels, active C, and soil protein enhanced when bagasse was applied at 170 Mg ha −1 or 170 Mg ha −1 plus 336 kg ha −1 ammonium nitrate, which indicated an improvement of the overall soil chemical and biological health status. Conclusions 10 cm of bagasse (170 Mg ha −1 ) was recommended as a soil organic amendment for mineral soils in Southern Florida.

  PublisherDOI

• Integrating Cover Crops and Weed Management Practices in Mature HLB-affected Citrus Trees

  Proceedings of the Florida State Horticultural Society · 2025-04-14 · 1 citations

  articleOpen access

  This study aimed to evaluate the effect of combining cover crops and herbicide treatment on the performance of mature HLB-affected citrus trees.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Integration of Organic Amendments and Weed Management to Improve Young Citrus Tree Growth Under HLB-Endemic Conditions

  Agronomy · 2025-03-21 · 1 citations

  articleOpen access

  Florida citrus production has declined by over 90% since the bacterial disease huanglongbing (HLB) was found in the state. In the absence of an effective cure, growers are adopting more frequent fertilization and irrigation practices to improve tree health and prolong the life span of their orchards. However, Florida’s soils under citrus production are sandy, with little organic matter, a low water holding capacity, and a low cation exchange capacity (CEC), rendering them prone to nutrient leaching. Organic amendments can be used to improve soil health and the environment for citrus roots, but may promote a higher incidence of weeds competing with trees for water and nutrients. A large field trial was established in a commercial citrus orchard in southwest Florida to evaluate the effects of organic amendments and weed management on young tree growth. The organic amendment treatments were as follows: (1) plant-based compost, (2) humic acid, and (3) a non-amended control. The weed management (herbicide) treatments were (1) glyphosate, (2) glufosinate, (3) flumioxazin, and (4) a maintenance herbicide control. Trees were planted in August 2019, and treatments began in 2021. Tree growth and physiological variables and soil physicochemical properties were evaluated during the two-year study. Compost-amended plots had a higher volumetric water content throughout the experiment, and soil nutrient content, organic matter, CEC, and pH were higher after two years of application. Humic acid amendments were less effective in altering these soil properties. Compost’s effects on tree and fibrous root physiology were moderate, and tree growth, fruit yield and fruit quality were not affected by either organic amendment. In contrast, the use of post-emergent herbicides (glyphosate and glufosinate) improved tree growth and nutrient uptake. The results suggest that in Florida, the use of organic amendments needs to be integrated with weed management to prevent resource competition. In the short term, these practices did not improve the productivity of the trees in the current Florida production environment.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Resource-efficient compact bed plasticulture reduces production risks and sustainably intensifies agriculture

  npj Sustainable Agriculture · 2025-03-31 · 1 citations

  articleOpen access

  Plasticulture is a growing high-intensity production system with limited understanding of long-term consequences. We evaluated compact bed plasticulture (CBP), which features narrower and taller beds, on commercial farms with regards to input productivity, risks (biotic/abiotic stressors), and environmental and economical outcomes. CBP increased yield and nutrient uptake while reducing drought/saturation stress, nematodes, disease (fusarium), and nitrate leaching. It also cut pre-plant pesticides by 40%, making selective but more costly alternatives viable. These alternatives increased soil microbial diversity while reducing nematodes and fusarium wilt. CBP enhanced yields and profits (US$ 2798/ha) while increasing nitrogen, phosphorus, water, and plastic productivities, and reducing carbon footprint. Complete adoption of CBP on tomato farms in North America could reduce plastics by 4 Mt, pesticide by 22.8 Mt, and increase annual income by $183 million. This dual strategy of CBP and alternative pesticides is an innovation that enhances plasticulture’s productivity and sustainability while minimizing environmental impacts.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Nematodes are a dynamic and novel soil health indicator in a cover cropped tree system

  Applied Soil Ecology · 2025-01-31 · 7 citations

  article
  PublisherDOI

Frequent coauthors

• Antonio Castellano‐Hinojosa

  Universidad de Granada

  63 shared

• Clayton J. Nevins

  Pivot Bio (United States)

  22 shared

• Willm Martens‐Habbena

  University of Florida

  20 shared

• Patrick W. Inglett

  University of Florida

  16 shared

• Ute Albrecht

  U.S. Horticultural Research Laboratory

  16 shared

• Davie M. Kadyampakeni

  University of Florida

  14 shared

• Mark Mazzola

  Stellenbosch University

  12 shared

• Catherine L. Reardon

  Agricultural Research Service

  9 shared

Education

• Ph.D., School of Life Sciences

  Arizona State University

  2010

• Bachelors

  Washington University in Saint Louis

  2002