EASTBIO: Soil carbon for soil performance at the University of Edinburgh

Supervisors: 

Dr Jon Hillier, Professor Pete Smith.

With increasing public and private commitment to net zero emissions there is increasing interest in the role of agriculture to contribute to these goals through carbon sequestration. This presents a challenge for agriculture given the need to deliver on carbon mitigation while feeding a growing global population, but at the same time an opportunity since there is significant potential for carbon sequestration in soils and biomass to improve the soil function, and thus the productivity and resilience of farming.

The benefits of SOC on soil physical functions, such as water holding capacity, are widely recognised, while many recent studies have explored the potential benefits of soil carbon on crop productivity. Soussana et al (2017) estimated the potential impact of a 0.4% increase in SOC using 32 studies in developing countries, while Oldfield et al (2019) showed that together SOC and nitrogen dose were important determinants of crop yield.

This project will explore the impact of different types of soil organic matter on soil performance and function. We will develop existing carbon turnover models to differentiate between different types of organic matter in a more refined way than existing SOM turnover models and explore how the different types of SOM affect not only soil carbon turnover in the shorter and longer terms but also how they affect other soil health characteristics supporting increased yields and resilience (for example shorter term mineralisation and longer-term structural benefits).

The main activities in this PhD will be:

1. Review existing studies studying the role of soil organic matter on soil performance

1. Using existing work between the University of Edinburgh and Syngenta, model how soil organic matter affects soil performance in the context of other important physical, chemical, and biological factors affecting soil performance

1. Conduct field studies with the industry partner, Syngenta, to calibrate and validate the above models and identify important soil management practices providing win:win in terms of soil carbon sequestration and performance

1. Develop practical metrics and a decision support tool for use at scale by non-experts to predict soil performance as a function of soil organic matter additions and management

The student will receive training in statistical meta-analysis, mixed-effects modelling, and process-based soil carbon modelling, and support the development of a Soil Health module suitable for inclusion in the Cool Farm Tool (www.coolfarmtool.org).

Oldfield E. et al (2019). Global meta-analysis of the relationship between soil organic matter and crop yields. SOIL, 5, 15–32,

Soussana, J.-F. et al. 2018. Matching policy and science: rationale for the ‘4 per 1000 soils for food security and climate initiative. Soil & Tillage Research (online). doi: 10.1016/j.still.2017.12.002.

This 4 year PhD project is part of a competition funded by EASTBIO BBSRC Doctoral Training Partnership (DTP) http://www.eastscotbiodtp.ac.uk/how-apply-0 .

EASTBIO Application and Reference Forms can be downloaded via   http://www.eastscotbiodtp.ac.uk/how-apply-0

Please send your completed EASTBIO Application Form along with a copy of your academic transcripts to [email protected]

You should also ensure that two references have been send to [email protected]  by the deadline using the EASTBIO Reference Form.

This opportunity is open to UK and international students and provides funding covering stipend and UK level tuition fees.  The University of Edinburgh covers the difference between home and international fees meaning that the EASTBIO DTP offers fully-funded studentships to all appointees.  There is a cap on the number of international students the DTP recruits.  It is therefore important for us to know from the outset which fees status category applicants will fall under when applying to our university.

Please refer to UKRI websiteand Annex B of the UKRI Training Grant Terms and Conditionsfor full eligibility criteria.

Closing Date: 16th December 2021