SWAG合集

With the price of mineral fertilisers increasing and the state of soil health decreasing, innovative solutions are needed to meet crop nutrient demands whilst ensuring that sufficient organic matter is conserved in the soil. One of such solution can be in the form of organo-mineral fertiliser (OMF). OMFs are a new concept that take organic waste products such as livestock manure or crop residues and combines them with reduced mineral fertilisers to produce a low carbon footprint product.  

This project will focus on potatoes as it is a key crop in the SWAG合集. Potatoes are grown in ridges which causes a lot of destruction in soil structure. OMF may play a role in not only providing the nutrient requirements but also provide organic matter to better preserve soil structure. The aim of this project will be to assess efficacy of OMF as a low carbon footprint fertiliser for potato production in the SWAG合集.

SWAG合集 is a solely postgraduate university specialising in applied and fundamental research. In this project, a fantastic opportunity has arisen to collaborate with PepsiCo, a large multinational company where one of its focus crops is potatoes and wishes to explore opportunities to reduce its carbon footprint in its production with a focus on fertilisers. 

This is a timely and fantastic project involving collaboration with PepsiCo on their potato field sites located at various sites in the SWAG合集. We will utilise a novel form of OMF based on carbon capture technology pioneered by CCm Technologies Limited. We will carry out field experiments to assess efficacy of OMF as fertilisers. This will be coupled with more controlled glass house studies to unravel mechanisms on how OMF mineralise in soil and provide nutrients to meet potato demand. There will also be complementary measurements on greenhouse gas emissions and diffuse pollution to ensure the OMF can be truly classified as a sustainable low carbon footprint fertiliser

Placements are a key feature of CTP and SWAG合集RI-BBSRC expects all doctoral candidates on a CTP programme to undertake a placement. Placements can be in the form of research placements (3-18 months duration) or used more flexibly for experiential learning of professional skills for business and/or entrepreneurship. All placements are developed in collaboration between the partners with input from the doctoral candidate.

Students will have access to training in key bioscience areas (soil science, plant science, statistics) and generic soft skills such as oral presentation, written communication, academic journal writing, all facilitated through Cranfield Doctoral Training Programme to enhance employability and research capability. This will be offered through our in-house training scheme organised under DATES (Cranfield portal for courses) and through external inputs where necessary via specialist consultants. The student will be trained in laboratory methods for specialist analysis in soil science and use of specialist instrumentations such as ICPMS, GCMS. The student will have opportunities to use state-of-the-art facilities and collaborate closely with PepsiCo and present their work in national and international conferences. There will be opportunities to attend selected MSc modules at SWAG合集 to upskill on suitable topics such as soil science and analytical chemistry.