Thomas E. Loynachan

Professor of Agronomy
Professor of Microbiology

Iowa State University
Department of Agronomy
1126H Agronomy
Ames, Iowa 50011-1010

Office: 515-294-3064
FAX: 515-294-8146
e-mail:teloynac@iastate.edu

Tom Loynachan (pronounced "law-na-cun") received his Bachelor of Science Degree from Iowa State University in 1968. He taught Vocational Agriculture at Grinnell, IA only a short time before being drafted into the U.S. Army. After honorable discharge, he received his Master of Science Degree in Soil Microbiology and Biochemistry from Iowa State in 1972 and his Doctor of Philosophy Degree in Soil Science from North Carolina State University in 1975. From 1975 until 1978, he was on the staff as an assistant professor at the University of Alaska doing research on oil-spill remediation. He has been a member of the Department of Agronomy at Iowa State since 1978, and currently serves the department as Director of Graduate Education.

Teaching:

Dr. Loynachan has a 90% teaching appointment. His current courses include:

Agron 354. Soils and Plant Growth. (Cross-listed with Hort). (3-0) Cr. 3. F.S.Prereq: Agron 154 and Biol 101 or 211. Killorn or Loynachan. Effects of chemical, physical, and biological properties of soils on plant growth, with emphasis on nutritive elements, pH, organic matter maintenance, and rooting development. Nonmajor graduate credit.

Agron 485. Soil and Environmental Microbiology. (Dual-listed with 585). (Cross-listed with EnSci, Micro). (2-3) Cr. 3. F.Prereq: 154 or 402, Micro 201 (Micro 203 recommended). Loynachan. The living organisms in the soil and what they do. Emphasis on soil biota composition, the carbon cycle and bioremediation, soil-plant-microbial relationships, and environmental issues. Nonmajor graduate credit.

Agron 500. Orientation Seminar. (2-0) Cr. 1. F.Prereq: International agronomy graduate students only. Loynachan. An introduction to Iowa and U.S. agriculture for international scholars in agronomic majors. Field trips when possible. Departmental role in the functioning of research, teaching, and extension in fulfilling the charge given the land-grant university.

Agron 512. Soil-Plant Environment. (3-0) Cr. 3. S.Prereq: 502. Recommended 501. Loynachan. Soil properties and their impact on soil/plant relationships. Soil structure, aeration, moisture, and nutrients will be discussed in the context of soil fertility and environmental quality management. Required course for the Master of Science in Agronomy degree program.

Research:

Dr. Loynachan has a 10% research appointment. Current research activities center around organismal ecology in soil, including establishment, persistence, and environmental interactions of organisms. Efforts are mainly directed at field ecology relationships. Earlier worked involved Bradyrhizobium on soybean and more recent work the mycorrhizae of soybean.

Selected Research Publications and Peer-reviewed Educational Media (recent years):

Ali, F. S., T. E. Loynachan, A. M. M. Hammad, and Y. Aharchi. 1998. Polyvirulent rhizobiophage from a soybean rhizosphere soil. Soil Biol. and Biochem. 30:2171-2175.

Loynachan, T. E. 1998. Soil life by digitized video for the Internet. J. Nat. Res Life Sci. Ed. 27:107-109.

Khalil, S., T. E. Loynachan, and M. A. Tabatabai. 1999. Plant determinants of mycorrhizal dependency of soybean. Agron. J. 91:135-141.

Loynachan, T. E., K. W. Brown, T. H. Cooper, and M. H. Milford. 1999. Sustaining our soils and society (book). American Geological Institute (with Soil Science Society of America), Washington, D.C.

Troeh, Z. I., and T. E. Loynachan. 2003. Endomycorrhizal fungal survival in continuous corn, soybean, and fallow. Agron. J. 95:224-230.

Ishii, S., and T. E. Loynachan. 2004. Rapid and reliable DNA extraction techniques from trypan-blue-stained mycorrhizal roots: comparison of two methods. Mycorrhiza 14:271-275.

Loynachan, T. E., K. W. Brown, T. H. Cooper, J. M. Kimble, M. H. Milford, and D. B. Smith. 2005. Soils, society, and the environment (book). American Geological Institute (with Soil Science Society of America), Washington, D.C.

Loynachan, T. E. 2006. Quick, easy method to show living soil organisms to high school or beginning-level college students. J. Nat. Res Life Sci. Ed. 35:202-208.

Loynachan, T. E. 2008. Soil biology (laboratory manual). Iowa State University Bookstore, Ames.

Loynachan, T. E. 2006. The soil food chain [Online]. Available at http://www.microbelibrary.org/ASMOnly/details.asp?id=2502&Lang=. MicrobeLibrary. American Society for Microbiology.

Loynachan, T. E. 2006. Vorticella [Online]. Available at http://www.microbelibrary.org/ASMOnly/details.asp?id=2509&Lang=. MicrobeLibrary. American Society for Microbiology.

Loynachan, T. E. 2006. Depth of field [Online]. Available at http://www.microbelibrary.org/ASMOnly/details.asp?id=2503&Lang=. MicrobeLibrary. American Society for Microbiology.

Loynachan, T. E. 2007. Endomycorrhizae [Online]. Available at http://www.microbelibrary.org/asmonly/details.asp?id=2504&Lang=. MicrobeLibrary. American Society for Microbiology.

Loynachan, T. E. 2007. Nematode-trapping fungi [Online]. Available at http://www.microbelibrary.org/asmonly/details.asp?id=2506&Lang=. MicrobeLibrary. American Society for Microbiology.

Loynachan, T. E. 2007. Ectomycorrhizae [Online]. Available at http://www.microbelibrary.org/asmonly/details.asp?id=2508&Lang=. MicrobeLibrary. American Society for Microbiology.

Loynachan, T. E. 2008. Soil algae [Online]. Available at http://www.microbelibrary.org/asmonly/details.asp?id=2800&Lang=. MicrobeLibrary. American Society for Microbiology.>

Loynachan, T. E. 2008. Soil actinomycetes [Online]. Available at http://www.microbelibrary.org/asmonly/details.asp?id=2803&Lang=. MicrobeLibrary. American Society for Microbiology.

Loynachan, T. E. 2008. Soil bacteria [Online]. Available at http://www.microbelibrary.org/asmonly/details.asp?id=2802&Lang=. MicrobeLibrary. American Society for Microbiology.

Loynachan, T. E. 2008. Soil fungi [Online]. Available at http://www.microbelibrary.org/asmonly/details.asp?id=2801&Lang=. MicrobeLibrary. American Society for Microbiology.

Lindbo, D.L., W. Greenberg, L. Hartley, J. Halvin, T. Loynachan, M. Mbila, B. Mobieus, E. Stockman, J. Boettinger, M. Collins, J. Omueti, D. Osborne, D. Kozlowski, C. Ping, R. Weil. 2008. Soil! Get the inside scoop (book). Soil Science Society of America, Madison.

If you REALLY want to be bored, read my complete CV.

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Feedback on my page to teloynac@iastate.edu
This page updated June 2009
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