PhD Student Profile

Soil organic carbon significantly affects soil fertility and grain yield, making it crucial for agricultural production and food security. Among different soil management strategies, restoring soil carbon levels of degraded ecosystems with various organic amendments (OAs) is a timely requirement.

Approximately 7 Mt of organic wastes are currently recycled to produce various organic amendments in Australia, which features a wide range of soil types and climate regimes. However, the underlying biogeochemical mechanisms responsible for carbon sequestration and their influence on long-term soil fertility are still poorly understood.

My project aims to monitor the turnover and stabilisation of different OAs concerning their chemical composition, rate of microbial decomposition, and interaction with varying soil types. Additionally, the research aims to assess the long-term impact of OAs on organic carbon stabilisation and nutrient dynamics in soils.

PhD Title: “Impacts of organic amendments on soil carbon sequestration: soil type, type of amendment and climatic condition”

PhD start date: October 2023

Supervisors: Professor Chengrong Chen (Griffith University), Dr Yunying Fang (Griffith University)

What interested you about this research?
Fundamental research is the key to innovation. A comprehensive understanding of different types of organic amendments used in Australia and related chemical, biological, and physical mechanisms and long-term impacts on soil and crop performances are crucial to maximise its benefits.

What do you love about your PhD?
The current research will be helpful in achieving the goals of sustainable agriculture practices that fulfil the environmental, social and economic requirements.

What do you love about soil?
Soil is teeming with life, and it is a field rich in opportunities for discovery. There are a lot of opportunities to constantly uncover new insights about soil properties, functions and their role in the environment, which can have practical applications in agriculture, ecology and environmental conservation.

How will your PhD help to make a difference for farmers or other next/end-users?
The outcome impacts the development of the organic recycling industry and agriculture. Improving our understanding of the factors governing soil carbon dynamics related to recycled organic products will be vital in developing novel organic amendment products that are suitable for diverse soil and climatic conditions. Moreover, the study will help achieve targets on climate change mitigation.

What do you want to do when you finish your PhD? 
I would like to advance my career as a researcher and tackle the critical issues impacting our environment and society.

Find out more

• Connect with Thilakshi on LinkedIn
• View her publications on ORCID or Google Scholar