Impact assessments of agriculture on soil health and environment

Possible theses:

Evaluation of sustainable fertilizer strategies world wide

1. Collect and evaluate sustainability of fertilization strategies in relation to crop yield response and optimum nutrient threshold values (first focus);
2. Analyze effects of antagonism and synergism for major and minor nutrients and their impact on crop yield and the relationship with agroecosystems (in-depth analysis);
3. May include multiple regression or simple machine learning techniques.

Farming system assessment

Agricultural System comparison: how rely agriculture systems varying in intensity (nature-inclusive, intensive, extensive, biological) on regional agroecosystem properties (climate, soil, water availability, economy) and what are their impacts on crop yield, soil nutrient status, soil organic matter levels, and environmental impacts (GHG or losses to water).

1. First-hand searching, screening, and collection of data reported by field studies or CENSUS data (and regional available datasets);
2. Extending and modelling the fate of carbon and nutrients in these farming systems
3. Compare (and eventually quantify) variation (and impact of systems) on crop yield, soil quality ad nutrient budgets for current and optimum agricultural practices.

Regional soil quality assessment

Recently an innovative soil quality assessment framework have been designed in order to evaluate the contribution of soils to multiple ecosystem services. This approach has been tested under Dutch conditions, but has high potential to be applied across Europe.

1. First-hand searching, screening, and collection of data reported by field studies or existing knowledge base for the evaluation of chemical, physical and biological soil properties
2. Analysing and defining optimum threshold values for soil functions in view of their contribution to multiple ecosystem services
3. Quantifying and evaluating the developed functions for various ecosystems and countries across Europe.

Quantifying the impact of SOC on soil health

The main objective of this thesis is to explore the impact of additional carbon on crop yields and soil health: what are the benefits and disadvantages of an increase in SOC?

1. First-hand searching, screening, and collection of data reported by field studies or existing knowledge bases for the impact of SOC on chemical, physical and biological soil properties and functions
2. Analysing the improvement in soil health via SOC
3. Quantifying and evaluating the developed functions for various ecosystems and countries across Europe.

Quantifying the impacts of agricultural management measures on soil compaction

The aim of this thesis is a quantification of impacts of agronomic management measures on soil compaction and (the effects of compaction on) crop yields, accounting for differences in agro-ecological conditions.

1. Empirical relationships between management and impacts will be assessed based on published scientific field studies using meta-analytical techniques.
2. A distinction will be made in meta-analysis, while distinguishing agro-ecological conditions affecting the impacts and meta-regression, accounting explicitly for those agro-ecological conditions in a meta-regression model.

Economic value of soil management

The main objective of this thesis is to identify and quantify both the short and long term costs and benefits of sustainable soil management.

1. First-hand searching, screening, and collection of data reported by field studies or existing knowledge base for the evaluation of chemical, physical and biological soil properties
2. Evaluate most common threads for soil quality for various farming systems
3. Evaluate cost and benefits of tailor-made soil improvement measures
4. Extrapolate the findings to most common agroecosystems on regional level

Assessment of best management measures and stakeholder farming goals for EU27

1. Systematic literature and database review on baseline/current management around Europe;
2. Analysis of feasibility of applying management measures on arable land (e.g. no tillage is not possible on heavy soils);
3. Assessment of the monetary costs involved in management practices and/or management shifts for farmers and society;
4. Investigation into the willingness of farmers to shift management;
5. Investigation of the preferences of stakeholders (farmers, policy-makers, etc.) for various goals: production (crop yield, cost), environment (nutrient use efficiency, minimizing N and P losses), climate mitigation (soil carbon storage);
6. Can involve mapping of agricultural management situation of EU as well as link to Common Agricultural Policy (CAP).