Cover crops (CC) protect the soil between cereal crop harvesting (August) and subsequent planting (February). We are testing three CC mixes across 11 farms. We hypothesise that frost-sensitive mixes promote earthworms, carbon, and crop yield, by gradually releasing organic matter. You will identify earthworms, process barley, and analyse the treatments.
Department: Sustainable Land Management
Supervised by: Dr Amelia Hood
Soil is understudied and often managed in ways that cause it to degrade. For example, arable fields are often left bare between one cereal crop being harvested (August) and the next being planted (February). Bare soil can be an environmental and ecological disaster – it reduces belowground biodiversity and can cause permanent soil degradation via erosion. There is growing interest in planting cover crops during this time to protect the soil, and even increase the subsequent crop yield, e.g. via improving soil fertility. However, the most common method for removing these cover crops is using environmentally-harmful herbicides. We have co-designed three cover crop mixes with a group of 15 farmers and industry partners Oakbank to test whether mixes that die off in colder winter temperatures (frost-sensitive mixes) can reduce the need for herbicide removal. We hypothesise that the gradual release of organic matter into the soil as the cover crops decompose may promote important belowground biodiversity (earthworms) that improve soil health. We expect that via this soil carbon may increase (and therefore carbon sequestration), and the subsequent crop yield. In this project, you will use samples collected in 2022 from 11 arable farms across southern England to determine the impact of the cover crop treatments. Following training, you will identify earthworms to species using a microscope and measure barley yield at Sonning Farm. Soil carbon has already been calculated, but you will include it in your analysis. You will be trained in data analysis and coding. You may conduct fieldwork to help collect another round of samples. The results will be written up in a report and contribute to a future publication, which you will co-author. We have co-designed three bespoke cover crop mixes with a group of 15 farmers to test whether mixes that die off in colder winter temperatures (frost-sensitive mixes) can reduce the need for herbicide removal. We hypothesise that the gradual release of organic matter into the soil as the cover crops decompose may promote important belowground biodiversity (earthworms) that improve soil health. We expect that via this, soil carbon may increase (and therefore carbon sequestration), and the subsequent crop yield. In this project, you will use samples collected in 2022 from 11 arable farms across southern England to determine the impact of the cover crop treatments. Following training, you will identify earthworms to species using a microscope and process barley yield at Sonning Farm using a thresher and seed counter. Soil carbon has already been calculated, but you will include it in your analysis. You will be trained in data analysis and coding. You may conduct fieldwork to help collect another round of samples. The results will be written up in a report and contribute to a future publication, which you will co-author.
The student will process earthworm and barley samples collected from 11 arable farms in 2022-23. Following training, they will identify earthworms to species using a microscope. They will be trained in lab techniques at Sonning to process yield samples, e.g. using the thresher and seed counter. They will then be trained in data analysis and coding, and run models to analyse their data. They may come on fieldwork to help collect another round of samples. The results will be written up in a report.
Essential: • Ability to work at a microscope in a lab in Reading • Interest in agriculture, conservation and/or entomology • Ability to work independently Desirable: • Some practical work experience (in the field or lab) • Experience with or interest in learning species identification and using entomological keys • Attention to detail
The student will learn how to identify earthworms to species and process barley samples to calculate yield. They will gain skills in field data collection methods, experimental design, microscope use, data management and manipulation, statistical analysis, and report writing. As a result of this placement the student will get the experience of working in a laboratory, collaborating with researcher students and staff, and attending relevant symposiums. This work forms part of the EU-wide SHOWCASE project and the student will benefit from knowledge exchange between other European partner organisations. There may be the opportunity to get involved in data collection during the 2023 field experiments. The student will also gain knowledge and understanding of arable farm management in the UK. The placement will result in an opportunity to co-author a research publication.
School of Agriculture, Policy, & Development (SAPD)
9-5 mostly, but flexible hours possible
Monday 12 June 2023 - Sunday 20 August 2023
The deadline to apply for this opportunity is Monday 3rd April 2023. Students should submit their CV and Cover Letter by email to urop@reading.ac.uk (applications will then be collated and passed onto the project supervisor). Please ensure you quote the title of the opportunity in the email subject line. Successful candidates will be invited for an interview.