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Project properties |
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| Title | Getting to know soil functions and multifunctionality in Chinese agricultural soils: A modelling approach |
| Group | Soil Biology |
| Project type | thesis |
| Credits | 24-39 |
| Supervisor(s) | Yizan Li |
| Examiner(s) | prof.dr. Rachel Creamer |
| Contact info | yizan.li@wur.nl |
| Begin date | 2022/09/01 |
| End date | |
| Description | With the extensive discussion of soil health, more attention has been paid to the contribution of soil to ecosystem services, that is, soil functions, including: primary productivity; water purification & regulation; climate regulation & carbon sequestration; soil biodiversity & habitat provision; and nutrient cycling. Enhancing soil multifunctionality requires evaluation of the current soil function status and optimized soil management practices.
Existing soil evaluations in China do not fully implement the concept of soil health due to a lack of consideration of dynamic soil properties related to biological characteristics and processes. It is necessary to introduce a comprehensive evaluation system for soil functions and multifunctionality in Chinese agricultural soils. In this study you are expected to conduct Phospholipid-derived fatty acids (PLFA) analysis of soil samples to contribute to the soil health database (wheat-maize rotation system, the North China Plain); and adapt one of the existing soil function Decision Support models (from the LANDMARK project - http://landmark2020.eu/) to local specific conditions based on literature review and the soil health database. |
| Used skills | Literature review; Biological laboratory analysis; Statistical analysis (R); Writing proposal and thesis. |
| Requirements | See the WUR study handbook for the SBL thesis requirements |