By Marlee Jackson

Dr. Rishi Prasad’s nutrient management research is at the intersection of two Alabama agriculture behemoths.

An Auburn University (AU) associate professor and an Alabama Extension specialist, Prasad is seeking a sustainable sweet spot for using poultry litter as natural fertilizer on fields and pastures — analysis that earned him the Rittenour Award for Excellence in Production Agriculture & Forestry Research.

Prasad received the award Aug. 16 during the Alabama Farmers Federation Farm & Land Conference in Chattanooga, Tennessee.

“I really enjoy what I do at Auburn,” Prasad said. “I’m a problem solver. My clients are poultry producers whose farms generate the litter, row croppers who apply the litter and, eventually, all these different agencies who create policies.”

In its seventh year, the Federation’s Rittenour Award recognizes researchers whose work tangibly impacts Alabama agriculture. It’s named after Charles Rittenour, the first president of what is now the Federation, and includes $10,000 from the Alabama Farmers Agriculture Foundation.

Prasad joined AU’s faculty in 2017. In the decade since, he and his team of research assistants have used high-tech laboratory equipment to analyze soil, water and other resources gathered from Alabama farms and research stations.

Projects include reducing ammonia emissions in poultry houses, evaluating the Phosphorous Index and studying the Phosphorus Saturation Ratio. That concentration on phosphorus, a macronutrient essential for plant growth, is important in Alabama, the No. 2 state for poultry production. That’s because poultry litter — a mixture of bedding material, manure and feathers routinely removed from poultry houses — is rich in phosphorus and is often spread as natural fertilizer on row crop and pasture land.

He’s now researching a technique that pelletizes litter to create a slow-release fertilizer.

Prasad’s sharp instinct for problem-solving extends his scope across stakeholder groups — from farm organizations like the Federation to state and national agencies. 

“We appreciate Dr. Prasad’s proactive work to help both poultry and row crop farmers,” said Federation Poultry Division Director Colton Christjohn. “Adding value to a byproduct like poultry litter is especially important during the current tight farm economy. We’re pleased to recognize his commitment to solving real problems.”

Before moving to Auburn, Prasad worked with the U.S. Department of Agriculture Agricultural Research Service in Pennsylvania studying weather patterns’ impact on row crop farms and a Michigan-based technology company focused on farm profitability. 

He holds degrees from the University of Florida, West Virginia University, and G.B. Pant University of Agriculture and Technology in India.

While not in his lab tucked off University Drive, Prasad enjoys time with his wife, Dr. Debolina Chakraborty, and their two children, Rohan and Deeyan. Prasad’s research occasionally converges with that of Chakraborty, an assistant research professor in the Department of Biosystems Engineering. 

“What keeps me moving is to think forward,” Prasad said. “How can we meet future demands while keeping things we do today as well? We want to make sure our air is breathable, our water is drinkable, our food is nutritious, and at the same time, people are happy and healthy.”