Sub sections:
Research Fellows
Dr Suphadip Ghosh
Postdoctoral research fellow
Room 212
Agronomy and Soil Science
University of New England
Ph: + 61 2 6773 3545
Fax: + 61 2 6773 3238
Email: subhadip.ghosh@une.edu.au
Dr Subhadip Ghosh is a soil scientist with a specialisation in soil quality, soil organic matter and carbon pools.
His research priorities for PIIC involve the collation and synthesis of North West New South Wales soil data under various land use practices (cropping, unimproved native pasture, improved pasture, woodland). Research outputs will include an end-user tool aimed at natural resource practitioners which will enable them to predict gross soil carbon change across a variety of soil types should the land use change.
The second stream of his research involves accounting for the various pools and fractions of carbon in the soil. This will enable natural resource managers to have a better understanding of the diversity in soil organic carbon and will contribute to a better understanding of how carbon fractions are affected by increasingly diverse agricultural practices.
Dr Melinda McHenry
Research fellow
Room 210
Agronomy and Soil Science
University of New England
Ph: + 61 2 6773 3929
Fax: + 61 2 6773 3238
Email: melinda.mchenry@une.edu.au
Melinda McHenry is a plant population ecologist with special interest in plant/soil interactions, the ecology of invasive plants and the integration of native vegetation into production systems.
Her research priorities for PIIC involve accounting for carbon in stands of native woody vegetation in agricultural landscapes, classified under state legislation as Invasive Native Scrub (INS). The first priority for the project is to identify areas affected by INS at a variety of densities across a range of soil types and rainfall zones before assessing the carbon content of INS species, populations and the soils and pasture beneath them. The second priority of the project is to investigate carbon storage potential in managed stands of INS.
Research outputs include the production of new allometric equations for some common INS species that are known to differ in growth habit depending on site conditions. End-user outputs will include management prescriptions and a tool to predict changes in carbon storage potential between INS species and treatment regimes across a variety of soil types and rainfall zones.
Project Team
The highlight of the year in terms of UNE and NSW DPI staff involvement in joint project development was the development of “Land – the Carbon Bank” an application for $5.6 million in funding in the DAFF Australia’s Farming Future climate change research program. The development of this project application involved 12 UNE, 12 NSW DPI staff as well as staff from DECC. The project was pledged $400K support from GRDC prior to submission to DAFF. DAFF requested a revised application focussed on one aspect of the proposal - soil C monitoring on selected sites in NSW. The revised project is still under negotiation but is likely to involve 4-5 staff each from UNE/DPI and is expected to receive over $1 million over 3 years.
Members of the soil carbon research team from left: Dr Brian Wilson (DECC, Dr Melinda McHenry, Dr Subhadip Ghosh and Professor Heiko Daniel.
Soil carbon ARC linkage application
Melinda McHenry and Subhadip Ghosh submitted an ARC Linkage application for two PIIC post-doctoral positions. The application “Resilience of soil carbon fractions across a management intensity gradient in the northern agro-ecological zone of Eastern Australia” was submitted to the November 2008 ARC Linkage round. Participants in the project include Bob Martin, Heiko Daniel and Brian Wilson (DECC). The total value of project is $1,362,589 with a request to ARC of $621,546 and a $350K cash contribution from NSW DPI.