Research

Nitrogen pools, cycling, and flow

Our research program:

• Traces the transformation, movement, and fate of soil N compounds
• Quantifies N-based indicators of soil health, and develop tools for soil health management
• Contributes to understanding the role of soil organic N to the supply of bioavailable N for crops

Current projects include:

• Benchmarking indicators of biological soil health by soil zone for field cropping systems
• Developing methods for estimating depolymerization and mineralization supply rates for crops
• Linking organic matter indicators of soil health for urban agriculture and tree health  

*Beta version of the scoring tool for biological indicators of soil health in Saskatchewan   documents/betasoilhealthscoringtool.xlsx

We lead the Jarislowsky & BMO Research Chair in Regenerative Agriculture program at USask

Nitrogen use and recovery efficiency

Our research program:

• Traces crop N uptake and allocation of fertilizer-derived and soil-derived N sources
• Quantifies crop N removal and N return to soil
• Contributes to understanding how crop phylogenetic and functional diversity influences N use efficiency across spatial and temporal scales

Current projects include:

• Determining fertilizer recovery efficiency of specialty crops
• Quantifying the variability in fertilizer N recovery of diverse wheat genotypes
• Measuring the transfer of N from lentil to wheat production, and potential genetic variability 
• Developing N budgets by rotation diversity 

Nitrous oxide emissions and losses

Our research program:

• Measures N₂O emissions via micrometeorological techniques and chamber methods
• Contributes to understanding how agronomic management and edaphic factors influence N₂O production and emission
• Models N losses and N budgets 

Current projects include:

• Operating the Greenhouse gas Towers for Agriculture (GreTA) research site at USask, using flux gradient methods to measure field-scale N₂O fluxes year-round
• Testing different 4R N management practices and rotation diversity on N₂O emissions
• Modelling N₂O emissions on the Canadian Prairies