Dr R.M. Brook - Staff Profile

Dr Rob Brook
Senior Lecturer in Agriculture & Rural Development

Thoday Building, room S4

Tel: 01248 382517 (from U.K.)
+44 1248 382517 (International)

Fax: 01248 354997 (from U.K.)
+44 1248 354997 (International)

Responsibilities within SENRGY/BU

Director of Postgraduate Studies
Course Director BSc Agriculture Conservation and Environment

Qualifications and Membership of Professional Bodies

BSc Botany (hons), University of Dundee (1975)
PhD Crop physiology, University of Dundee (seconded to Scottish Crop Research Institute) (1980)

Member Association of Applied Biologists
Member Tropical Agriculture Association

Research Interests

This can be summarized as sustainable land use, particularly in the tropics. This encompasses agronomy, crop physiology, agroforestry, rural development and effects of urbanization on peri-urban land use.

Current research projects:

INSPIRE programme, British Council (Principal Investigator): Linking urban waste management and farmers’ needs for soil organic matter in Mymensingh, Bangladesh. Partner: Bangladesh Agricultural University. 2009-12.
Cefn Conwy, Welsh Assembly Gov’t Rural Development Programme (Co-I): Improving catchment environmental quality through better nutrient management in the livestock farming landscape, Conwy, Wales. 2009-11.

Current research students:

Al-Soul, A. Degradation of natural resources in the coastal plain of Libya (2010 – 13)
Mujalde, S. Effects of weed competition upon establishment of soybean (2010 – 13)
Merzaei-Heydari, M. Phosphorus nutrition of barley (2009 – 12)
Keerio, M. Breeding of naked barley for improved establishment (2008– 2011)
Bautista-Solis, P. Factors affecting adoption of agroforestry intervention by livestock farmers in Central America (2007 – 11)

Recent Publications

Namirembe, S., Brook, R.M. and Ong, C.K. (2009) Manipulating phenology and water relations in Senna spectabilis in a water-limited environment in Kenya. Agroforestry Systems 75: 197-210.

Andrade, H.J., Brook, R. and Ibrahim, M. (2008) Growth, production and carbon sequestration of silvopastoral systems with native timber species in the dry lowlands of Costa Rica. Plant and Soil 308: 11-22.

Brook, R.M., Hillyer, K.J. and Bhuvaneshwari, G. (2008) Microfinance for community development, poverty alleviation and natural resource management in peri-urban Hubli-Dharwad, India. Environment and Urbanization 20: 149-163.

Brook, R.M., Bhat, P. and Nitturkar, A. (2006) Livelihoods from dairying enterprises for the landless in the peri-urban interface around Hubli-Dharwad, India. In: The peri-urban interface in developing areas: approaches to sustainable natural and human resource use (ed. McGregor, D.F.M., Simon, D. and Thompson, D.A.), Earthscan, London. pp 94-103.

Prasad, R.B. and Brook, R.M. (2005) Effect of varying maize densities on intercropped maize and soybean in Nepal. Experimental Agriculture 41: 365-382.