This scholarship has been extracted from the BEST GRANTS WEB: Grant 2016 - 2016 =)
Wheat root growth and nitrogen relations – effects of agronomic practices
Department of Agriculture and Ecology, Faculty of Life Sciences at University of Copenhagen is offering a PhD scholarship commencing 1 May 2011 or soon thereafter. The application deadline is 22 March 2011.
Project description
With reference to the project manager, the work of the Ph.D. fellow will consist mainly of work on root growth and nitrogen relations of winter wheat under field conditions and effects of agronomic practice, within the research group of Crop Physiology and production systems.
The PhD project will include field studies on:
Effects of sowing date on root growth of winter wheat
Effects of sowing date on root growth of catch crops as alternatives to winter wheat
Effect of N fertilization on root growth and utilization of deep N resources by winter wheat
If possible studies will include modelling of wheat root growth and its effects on nitrogen dynamics
The PhD fellow will work closely with senior staff and other PhD students within the area of crop root growth and its significance for water and nutrient uptake within the research group. There will be good opportunities for participating in international cooperation.
The appointee should have qualifications within the following areas:
A background in agronomy, soil science, plant physiology/nutrition and/or environmental science
Good knowledge on nutrient dynamics in the plant and soil system
Interest and background in (crop) modelling will be an advantage
Previous experience with research, analytical work and data analyses will be an advantage
By understanding and improving crop root growth we may improve crop use of soil resources and thereby increase yield as well as design cropping systems with reduced nutrient losses to the environment. Our current knowledge on the influence of design of cropping systems or agronomic management of crops on variation in root growth and the ability of crops to utilize resources from deeper soil layers is quite limited.
In Denmark as in many other temperate areas winter wheat is a main field crop. However, winter wheat typically take up little nitrogen in the autumn, and it is assumed that this may lead to significant leaching losses. Growing nitrogen catch crops in the autumn followed by spring cereals could reduce the nitrogen losses from the system. However, spring cereals do not grow their roots as deep as winter cereals during their main growing season, wherefore winter cereals may be able to assimilate nitrogen from much deeper in the soil and still have a good environmental effect compared to spring cereals. We need better understanding of the actual ability of winter wheat to take up nitrogen from deep soil layers, and the effects of growing practices such as sowing date and nitrogen fertilization on their ability to do so, in order to be able to understand the effect of the different options and to know how the effect of winter cereals may be optimized.
Within this PhD scholarship it is the goal to study the root growth of winter wheat and how it is affected by agronomic practices. Can we increase the root depth development of winter wheat by earlier sowing, and how much may this improve the ability of winter wheat to reduce nitrogen leaching losses? Does winter wheat actually have an effect comparable to that of catch crops and spring cereals, and how early must it be sown to have this? Does conventional N fertilization of winter wheat prevent it from taking up nitrogen from deep soil layers even when it grow its roots there?
Principal supervisor
Professor
Kristian Thorup-Kristensen
ktk@life.ku.dk
Direct Phone: (+45) 3533 2216
Department of Agriculture and Ecology
Job description
Your key tasks as a PhD fellow at LIFE are:
Manage and carry through your research project
Take PhD courses
Write scientific articles and your PhD thesis
Participate in international congresses
Stay at a research institution abroad for a few months
Teach and disseminate your research
Key criteria for the assessment of candidates
A master´s degree related to the subject area of the project
The grade point average achieved
Professional qualifications relevant to the PhD programme
Previous publications
Relevant work experience
Other professional activities
Language skills
Interpersonal skills
Marks obtained during the first year of study on the master programme (only relevant for applicants applying for a 4-year scholarship)
Formal requirements
The positions are available for a 3-year period for applicants holding a relevant master´s degree or for a 4-year period for applicants who are already enrolled or are accepted to be enrolled at one of the Faculty´s master´s programmes.
At the time of commencement, applicants for the 4-year period must have approximately one year of study remaining before graduating from their MSc programme.
The successful applicant of the PhD scholarship must pass an enrolment in the LIFE Graduate School before the Faculty can finish the letter of employment.
Graduate School of Faculty of Life Sciences, LIFE strives to give our students the best international career prospects within our main research areas.
Terms of employment
The position will be filled according to the agreement between the Danish Ministry of Finance and the Danish Confederation of Professional Associations. The post is covered by the Protocol on Job Structure.
Application Procedure
All applicants must use the formal PhD application form, F1, the specified annexes, excl. annex 3, are to be included in the application.
Applicants whose principal language of instruction during their BSc/MSc was not Scandinavian or English must enclose IELTS or TOEFL test scores.
The application should be submitted in one signed printed copy and one complete PDF file on a CD-ROM or USB memory stick (i.e. forms F1 and all enclosures gathered in a single PDF file).
It is not possible to submit the application via e-mail.
The applicant will be assessed according to the Ministry of Science Technology and Innovation Executive Order no 284 of 25. April 2008.
By the end of March 2011, all applicants will have received information regarding the evaluation of their application. Receipt of the application will not be acknowledged.
The application, marked 625/05171-331 should be sent to:
Faculty of Life Sciences
Department of Agriculture and Ecology
Thorvaldsensvej 40, stairway 2, 3rd floor
1871 Frederiksberg C
DENMARK
The application must be received no later than 22 March 2011 at 12.00 pm (noon). Applications received later than this will not be considered.
Questions
For specific information about the PhD scolarship, please contact the principal supervisor.
General information about PhD programmes is available at www.LIFE.ku.dk/LIFEphd.
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