PhD in Using organic fertilisers to manipulate soil microbiology for improved nutrient bioavailability

Soils are essential to food production through the delivery of bioavailable nutrients required for crop growth. Depleted nutrients are routinely replenished as mineral fertilizers at specific times of the crop growing season to promote productivity. However, this approach means that fertiliser application rarely matches crop demand, resulting in costly and often environmentally damaging over-application of mineral fertilizers. In addition, soil organic matter (the natural reserve of nutrients) becomes depleted with a resultant reduction in biodiversity. This reduced organic matter and biodiversity has essentially reduced the soils natural ability to deliver crop available forms of nutrients, increasing the reliance of food production on agrochemicals.

This project is part of the FoodBioSystems BBSRC Doctoral Training Partnership (DTP), it will be funded subject to a competition to identify the strongest applicants. Due to restrictions on the funding, this studentship is only open to UK students and EU students who have lived in the UK for the past three years.