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PhD defence: Is the decomposition of tea bags affected by long-term manure application and crop rotation?

During her PhD studies, Yuting Fu researched the effect of manure and crop rotation on soil physical, chemical and microbiological properties, and how these modified soil properties control the decomposition of tea bags in seven long-term experimental sites in Europe.

Photo: Yuting Fu

During her PhD studies, Yuting Fu researched the effect of manure and crop rotation on soil physical, chemical and microbiological properties, and how these modified soil properties control the decomposition of tea bags in seven long-term experimental sites in Europe. The sites encompassed different soil and crop types, and the role of these variables was also investigated.

Soil texture played a primary role in the initial decomposition of tea bags, followed by the management. The research findings contribute to our understanding of how agricultural managements affect the decomposition of organic materials. The findings can further contribute to the estimation of carbon sequestration for different agricultural practices under different soil textures.

The PhD study was completed at the Department of Agroecology, Faculty of Technical Sciences, Aarhus University.

This summary was prepared by the PhD student.

Time: 21 March 2023 at 10.00
Place: 8814-3075, Lecture Theatre, AU Viborg, Aarhus University, Blichers Allé 20, 8830, Tjele. 
Title of PhD thesis: Soil biophysical drivers for the decomposition of organic materials in agricultural systems across climate zones

Contact information: Yuting Fu, e-mail: yuting.fu@agro.au.dk, tel.: +45 50399573

Members of the assessment committee:
Senior Researcher Naoise Nunan, French National Centre for Scientific Research/Sorbonne Université, France

Associate Professor Dorette Sophie Müller-Stöver, Section for Plant and Soil Sciences, Faculty of Science, University of Copenhagen, Denmark

Associate Professor Lars Elsgaard (chair), Department of Agroecology, Aarhus University, Denmark

Main supervisor:
Professor Lis Wollesen de Jonge, Department of Agroecology, Aarhus University, Denmark

Co-supervisor:
Tenure track researcher Emmanuel Arthur, Department of Agroecology, Aarhus University, Denmark

Fellow Marcos Paradelo, Natural Resources Institute, University of Greenwich, the United Kingdom

Language: The PhD dissertation will be defended in English

The defence is public.
The PhD thesis is available for reading at the Graduate School of Technical Sciences/GSTS