Manuscripts

Scearce et al. (2023)
Goossen et al. (2023)
Scearce et al. (2025)

Factsheets

Thapa et al. (2025)
Scearce et al. (2025)

Posters

Rural issues symposium Poster (2024)
PFAS policy framework in Maine and beyond (2024)

PFAS contamination and agroecosystems

The widespread presence of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) is a source of ecological disturbance, economic loss and emotional hardship within agricultural ecosystems. Our group is exploring soil x plant and plant x plant interactions with a focus on the uptake of PFAS into crops, and how contamination may be mitigated by farm management practices. We are conducting a paired greenhouse and field experiment through which we aim to: (a) Compare and contrast greenhouse vs. field approaches in PFAS research; (b) investigate soil-to-plant PFAS transfer among crops with distinguished physiologies; and (c) examine impacts of interspecific plant interactions on contaminant uptake in PFAS-disturbed soils as they relate to management practices and farm viability. We are also engaged in a policy review of Maine’s response to PFAS in agricultural soils, including an analysis of the multi-pronged approach our state is taking to address the complex factors associated with widespread contamination of agricultural soils.

Collaborators: Alexandra Scearce (UMaine), Rachel Schattman (UMaine), Caleb Goossen (MOFGA), Jean MacRae (UMaine), Yong-Jiang Zhang (UMaine), Ling Li (UMaine), Ellen Mallory (UMaine), Eddie Nachamie (UMaine)

Funding: The Maine Agriculture and Forestry Experiment Station (MAFES) through Hatch Project ME0-0223322, American Farmland Trust (AFT), the Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association (MOFGA), and Maine Farmland Trust (MFT)