Is agriculture bad for soil? Testing the hypothesis that optimal crop yields are linked to the healthy functioning of soil microbiology that drives soil health and function

20% of the global land area under agricultural production is classified as ‘degraded’ causing substantial losses in net primary productivity, threatening our capacity to meet the urgent requirement to increase the yield and nutrient content of crops. Our understanding of the relationship between soil microbial function and crop quality are vital to supplying sufficient safe and nutritious food for all.

This PhD project will test the hypothesis that optimal crop yields are linked to the healthy functioning of soil microbiology that drives soil health and function. It will reveal whether C and/or nutrient availability controls microbial community level responses to temperature change in plant-soil systems, and quantify and model the relationships between soil fertility and resilience of soil-plant systems to climate change effects in farmed systems around the world, as part of the strategic programmes on global soil health in agricultural systems at Rothamsted Research and the University of Lancaster.