On November 9–12, scientists Dr. Arman Shamshitov and Dr. Skaidrė Supronienė from the Microbiology Laboratory of the Institute of Agriculture, Lithuanian Research Centre for Agriculture and Forestry (LAMMC), participated in the conference CANVAS 2025 in Salt Lake City, Utah, USA. The event is organised each year by the American Society of Agronomy, the Crop Science Society of America, and the Soil Science Society of America. It is considered one of the central international meetings for experts working in environmental and agricultural sciences. CANVAS combines scientific discussion with opportunities for collaboration and attracts specialists from various industries, academia, and public institutions.
The 2025 congress was attended by more than 3,750 participants, representing all United States and 41 countries. The scale of the meeting allowed researchers to explore a wide range of current challenges in soil and plant science. Sessions covered topics related to microbial processes in nutrient cycling, rhizosphere biology, soil microbial ecology, soil biota outside the well-studied bacterial and fungal groups, and interactions between soil organisms and organic matter. These discussions featured new analytical tools and experimental approaches that advance the study of soil ecosystems under changing environmental conditions.
Dr. Shamshitov and Dr. Supronienė presented the study “Volunteer barley as a bioindicator of short-term arbuscular mycorrhizal responses to white mustard cover crops and tillage practices.” Their presentation highlighted the value of volunteer barley as an early indicator of how management practices influence arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi, which play a central role in soil function and plant nutrition.
The visit was funded by the EU Structural Funds Investment Programme 2021–2027 under the Recovery and Resilience Facility project “NextGeneration Lithuania” (No. 10-038-T-0304). The research presented at the congress was supported by the Research Council of Lithuania (No. S-MIP-24-104).
