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Project properties |
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| Title | Impacts of antibiotic residues in manure on soil microorganisms, N-cycling &N2O emissions |
| Group | Soil Biology |
| Project type | thesis |
| Credits | 24-39 |
| Supervisor(s) | Zhongchen Yang, Gerlinde De Deyn, Jan Willem van Groenigen |
| Examiner(s) | prof.dr. Rachel Creamer |
| Contact info | zhongchen.yang@wur.nl; gerlinde.dedeyn@wur.nl |
| Begin date | 2022/02/02 |
| End date | |
| Description | Circular agriculture aims to close elemental cycles which increases reliance on animal manure. However, veterinary antibiotics are still commonly used in animal husbandry to treat bacterial infections. As antibiotics are not fully adsorbed within the animals, large amounts of antibiotics are excreted in manure. Studies show that antibiotics in soil potentially impair soil microorganisms as well as the physiology of plants. Since soil microorganisms and plants play crucial roles in the soil nutrient cycle, the effects of antibiotics in soil on nutrient cycles, especially the nitrogen (N) cycle, deserve further investigation.
Within the topic, students are given the option to indicate their preferred focus and the opportunity to design their own greenhouse or incubation experiments. We use various analytical methods to reach our research goal, which includes the measurement of soil greenhouse gases, soil mineral nutrients, LC-MS analysis of antibiotic residues and soil functional gene analysis. |
| Used skills | Plant and soil sample analysis, LC-MS, statistical analysis |
| Requirements | See study handbook SBL-81836 or PPS-80436 |