Developing soil health indicators to inform land management decisions, increase crop yield and quality.

改善土壤管理是解决近年来产量平台期和养活日益增长的人口的办法之一。健康的土壤是更肥沃的土壤，但很难定义或衡量“土壤健康”。农民和种植者迫切需要农场土壤健康指标，以使他们能够评估管理决策，例如有机改良剂的应用，是否正在改善土壤健康。该博士生将开发和试验一套农田土壤健康指标。你将在剑桥郡与G‘s建立和管理一个商业田间试验，并经常访问以评估土壤特性和作物表现。所得到的数据以及从专家意见中获得的数据将被用于在Rothamsted Research的安置期间使用先进的统计技术来探索土壤健康的概念。该项目将利用结合了主观(专家意见)和客观信息的贝叶斯推理技术，适合已经具备这些技能的候选人。然而，学员将接受贝叶斯方法论方面的培训，并在必要时进行实地实验。学员身份提供了广泛的机会，让他们与欧洲领先的家族生鲜农产品公司之一打交道，为这家英国主要零售商和许多欧洲零售商种植和供应大量优质作物。因此，个人将获得关于农业企业及其特殊压力的可靠知识。该项目是BBSRC资助的合作培训伙伴关系(CTP)的一部分，该合作培训伙伴关系由韦特罗斯伙伴关系、其国际食品生产和供应公司、兰开斯特大学、雷丁大学、华威大学和Rothamsted Research之间的合作培训伙伴关系组成。在2017年至2023年期间，农业技术合作计划将提供20个为期四年的奖学金，主题是可持续作物生产、可持续土壤和水以及农业中的生物多样性和生态系统服务。

Improving soil management is one solution to the yield plateau of recent years and to feeding a growing population. Healthy soils are more productive soils, but 'soil health' is difficult to define or measure. On-farm indicators of soil health are urgently required by farmers and growers to enable them to assess whether management decisions, e.g. application of organic amendments, are improving soil health. This PhD studentship will develop and trial a suite of on farm soil health indicators. You will establish and manage a commercial field trial with G's in Cambridgeshire and make frequent visits to assess soil properties and crop performance. The resulting data, along with that obtained from expert opinion will be used to explore the concept of soil health using advanced statistical techniques during a placement at Rothamsted Research.The project will make use of Bayesian inferential techniques that incorporate subjective (expert opinion) as well as objective information and would suit a candidate who already has these skills. However, the student will be given training in both Bayesian methodology as well as field experimentation if necessary.The studentship offers extensive opportunities to engage with one of Europe's leading family-owned fresh produce companies, growing and supplying a vast array of high quality crops to all the major UK retailer and many European retailers. The individual will thus derive a sound knowledge of agri-business and its particular pressures. Upon graduation the graduate would then be in an excellent position to develop into a future leader in the interface between agricultural practice and research.This project is part of a BBSRC-funded Collaborative Training Partnership (CTP) between the Waitrose Partnership, their international food production and supply companies, Lancaster University, the University of Reading, the University of Warwick and Rothamsted Research. Between 2017 and 2023, the CTP will deliver 20 four-year studentships on the themes of sustainable crop production, sustainable soil and water and biodiversity and ecosystem services in agriculture.