PhD project title: Agronomic and Production Benefits of Grazing Herbal Leys

Supervisors:

Prof Davey Jones & Prof Dave Chadwick

• BSc: BSc (Hons) Geography
  2015–2018

Research Interests:

• Soil quality.
• Soil biogeochemistry.
• Herb- and legume-rich multispecies 'herbal' leys.
• Livestock GHG emissions.
• Livestock productivity and health.
• Sustainable agricultural intensification.

Current Research:

I am currently working as a Research Support Technician on the BBSRC-SARIC funded project Restoring soil quality through reintegration of sheep and leys in arable rotations led by the PI Prof Jonathan Leake at Sheffield University. 

This forms the basis of my PhD project, which aims to investigate livestock greenhouse gas (GHGs) emissions, soil quality and livestock productivity from lambs grazing multispecies 'herbal' leys in comparison to conventional grass-clover leys. Multispecies leys often contain herbs and legumes, such as chicory (Cichorium intybus), lucerne (Medicago sativa) and ribwort plantain (Plantago lanceolata), with high concentrations of plant secondary metabolites (PSMs). These PSMs may reduce parasite burden in grazing livestock, bind to proteins in the rumen, alter the rumen microbiome, reduce N excretion and subsequently reduce livestock GHG emissions.

In July 2020, we established a 2-ha split-field experiment at Bangor University's Henfaes Research Centre, North Wales, investigating the agronomic and environmental benefits of a herbal ley vs. a conventional grass-clover ley. So far we have investigated the impact of sward type on soil structure (e.g., soil porosity using X-ray CT, aggregate stability using wet-seiving), sward quality (e.g., macro- and micronutrient content), greenhouse gas emissions (e.g., from urine-patch N₂O emissions), changes in lamb excreta composition (e.g. urine nitrogen content), lamb productivity (e.g. liveweight gain) and lamb health (e.g. gastrointestinal parasite burden, blood urea content). 

I am currently aiming to finish my PhD in spring 2023, and will publish my results hereafter. 

Previous Research:

I have previously worked with Prof Daniel Murphy at the University of Western Australia on the Soils Quality project, funded by the GRDC (Grains Research and Development Corporation) on an Australian national soil quality project. Using radioisotopes (¹⁴C), we investigated microbial carbon use efficiency (CUE) of 970 agricultural soils taken from across Western Australia to determine the relationship between soil pH, cations (e.g. Al³⁺), and CUE.

BSc dissertation:

Title: Upland-N₂O emissions: Investigating spatial differences in urine-patch N₂O emissions.

Achieved the School of Environment, Natural Resources and Geography (SENRGy - now School of Natural Sciences) award for 'Best Undergraduate Project' for the 2018 cohort.

For my undergraduate thesis, I produced an incubation study based on the NERC funded Uplands-N₂O project, led by PI Prof Dave Chadwick. I investigated urine-patch N₂O emissions from artificial sheep urine applied to acid grassland “island” and peat cores taken from the uplands of North Wales to generate a 41-day IPCC upland specific emission factor.  

2022

• PublishedAGRONOMIC AND ENVIRONMENTAL BENEFITS OF REINTRODUCING HERB- AND LEGUME-RICH MULTISPECIES LEYS INTO ARABLE ROTATIONS: A REVIEW
  Cooledge, E. C., Chadwick, D. R., Smith, L. M. J., Leake, J. R. & Jones, D. L., Jun 2022, In: Frontiers of Agricultural Science and Engineering. 9, 2, p. 245-271
  Research output: Contribution to journal › Review article › peer-review

2021

• PublishedAddition of base cations increases microbial carbon use efficiency and biomass in acidic soils
  Horn, E. L., Cooledge, E., Jones, D. L., Hoyle, F. C., Brailsford, F. L. & Murphy, D. V., Oct 2021, In: Soil Biology and Biochemistry. 161, 108392.
  Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
• PublishedReintegration Of Crop-Livestock Systems In Europe : An Overview
  Schut, A. G. T., Cooledge, E., Moraine, M., van de Ven, G. W. J., Jones, D. L. & Chadwick, D., Mar 2021, In: Frontiers of Agricultural Science and Engineering. 8, 1, p. 111-129 18 p.
  Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

2019

• PublishedpH and exchangeable aluminum are major regulators of microbial energy flow and carbon use efficiency in soil microbial communities
  Jones, D. L., Cooledge, E., Hoyle, F., Griffiths, R. & Murphy, D., Nov 2019, In: Soil Biology and Biochemistry. 138, 107584.
  Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

2020

• Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment (Journal)

  Peer reviewer

  Mar 2020 →

  Activity: Publication peer-review (Peer reviewer)

2018

• Soil Biology and Biochemistry (Journal)

  Peer reviewer for Soil Biology and Biochemistry.

  Oct 2018 →

  Activity: Publication peer-review (Peer reviewer)