Speaker
Description
Nitrogen (N) is a fundamental nutrient ensuring crop health and productivity, yet future climate threatens to disrupt the N cycle, increasing N losses and reducing crop resilience. This project addresses an urgent environmental challenge in Belgium by investigating N-cycle fluxes across three agri-economically important systems: pear, winter wheat, and soybean.
Using the UHasselt state-of-the-art Ecotron and new Rapid Assessment Units (RAU), the project adopts a multi-scalar approach through three Work Packages: WP1 (Micro-scale) investigates microbial community dynamics and functional gene expression (transcriptomics) to assess microbial N-transformation potential; WP2 (Meso-scale) integrates root architecture analysis with VIB-partnered spatial metabolomics to map nutrient allocation and metabolic shifts within soy nodules; and WP3 (Macro-scale) quantifies ecosystem-level N-fluxes (N2O emissions and NO3- leaching) combined with lab incubation tests to determine specific N-transformations under realistic climate scenarios.
By bridging these scales, the research will identify the mechanistic drivers of N-transformation and loss, providing the scientific foundation to foster climate-resilient agriculture. Furthermore, findings will directly inform sustainable land-use policies, actively supporting the goals of the Flemish Blue Deal and the EU Climate Adaptation Strategy.
| Are you participating to the "AnaEE Environmental Rising Star Award "? | Yes |
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