WITH today officially marking ‘World Soils Day’, two New South Wales soil scientists have been listed in the top 1 per cent of global researchers by the Web of Science group.

NSW Department of Primary Industries’ (DPI) senior principal research scientists Dr Lukas Van Zwieten and Dr Bhupinderpal Singh have been ranked at the top by Web of Science which calculates the number of multiple highly-cited papers published over the last 10 year.

NSW DPI technical officer, Josh Rust, and research scientist, Dr Lukas Van Zwieten, inspect a biochar soil amendment trial at the DPI Wollongbar Primary Industries Institute on the NSW far north coast.

“With a combined output of 233 scientific papers generating 9983 citations, research generated by Drs Van Zwieten and Singh is having a significant impact on local and international knowledge of soil and the chemical processes which boost environmental outcomes,” NSW DPI deputy director general research excellence, John Tracey, said.

“Their work underpins improved management strategies for sustainable agriculture.”

Dr Van Zwieten’s research has focused on soil processes including carbon and nitrogen cycling and the relationship to greenhouse gas emissions.

He continues to investigate contaminants in the soil environment, unravelling microbial, rhizosphere and soil chemical processes.

His research on biochar was acclaimed in the 2007 United Nations’ World Environment Day Award Meeting the Greenhouse Challenge and has been popularised through media coverage by ABC’s Catalyst and Landline programs, a CNN special report and Discovery Channel’s Ecopolis.

Dr Singh has demonstrated expertise in soil chemistry, ecology and isotope biogeochemistry.

Extensive work by Dr Singh on soil carbon and nutrient cycling in cropping, pasture and forest ecosystems has attracted more than $5 million in co-investments, which fund projects delivering sustainable outcomes.

Dr Singh has explored the role of organic and inorganic soil amendments, soil carbon in grain-based farming systems, the effects of land use on soil carbon and ways to manage urine patches in dairy pastures, which can reduce nitrous oxide emissions.

He is an editorial board member of international journal Agronomy and a recent guest editor of Biology and Fertility of Soils.

Source: NSW DPI