Application Deadline: 19 February 2025
Details
This fully funded PhD project is part of the QUARTILES Doctoral Landscape Award, a BBSRC and NERC-funded research and training programme designed to equip PhD students with the skills, expertise, outlook, and real-world experience needed to become the next generation of scientific leaders capable of addressing pressing environmental grand challenges such as climate change, biodiversity loss, and sustainability.
Rice is a dominant food but also the most water-demanding staple crop globally. This high-water use is due to its cultivation; in flooded fields it requires 2-3 times more water than other arable crops. The high dependency of conventional paddy rice production on water makes this cropping system unsustainable in some parts of the world and vulnerable to water shortages. To address these challenges several water saving techniques have been developed. One of these techniques is alternate wetting-and-drying (AWD). During AWD rice fields undergo multiple rounds of flooding. During these cycles water levels in the soil are then allowed to naturally drain away then the fields are flooded again. Work using this technique has demonstrated that water used for irrigation can be reduced by 20-40% while rice yield can be maintained or even increased (Norton et al., 2017). Additionally, when AWD is applied to fields the release of the greenhouse gas methane is reduced compared to fields that a kept constantly flooded.
While the impact of AWD on reducing water for irrigation, reducing methane emissions and impacts on yield has been studied, less is known about the impact of AWD on the soil environment. When soil undergoes changes between flooded and non-flooded conditions the redox potential alters. Many of the nutrients required by rice plants, will undergo changes in chemical form and therefore changes in availability to the plant. It has been demonstrated that when plants are grown under AWD compared to continuously flooded conditions nutrient acquisition alters (Norton et al., 2017). Additionally, the soil is likely to undergo changes to its physical structure (Islam et al., 2024).
This project’s goal is to understand how nutrient availability and soil physical properties are altered under AWD and in doing so explore the potential of an optimised AWD system for nutrient availability and rice growth. In addition to water management, a range of soil amendments (e.g. organic matter) will be used in conjunction with AWD, to assess the impact these have on nutrient cycling in the soil. To understand how these amendments effect the AWD system measurements of greenhouses gases (methane) will be determined.
The work will utilise pot experiments under controlled conditions for plant experiments and soil mesocosm experiments in the lab. These approaches have been selected to allow a wide range of variables to be tested under replicated conditions. We have already developed a system for AWD that allows for water control and gas measurements. This project will use a range of cutting-edge techniques to determine nutrient availability in soils. Techniques include; diffusive gradients in thin films (DGT) multilayer chemical-imaging, which provides a high-lateral resolution (sub-mm), two dimensional mapping of in situ porewater solute fluxes (Yin et al., 2020); frequency quintupled 213 nm Q-switched Nd:YAG laser ablation-ICPMS; DIFS (DGT Induced Fluxes in Sediments) model for parametrising solid-solute kinetics and equilibrium resupply; HPLC-ICP-MS for metalloid speciation. X-Ray CT will be used to understand soil structure impacts on root growth.
Informal enquiries are encouraged. For further project information please contact the lead project supervisor by selecting the first listed name at the top of this advert and sending your enquiry.
———————————
ELIGIBILITY:
Promoting equality, diversity and inclusion is core to the QUARTILES Doctoral Landscape Award. We actively encourage applications from diverse career paths and backgrounds and across all sections of the community, regardless of age, disability, ethnicity, gender, gender expression, sexual orientation and transgender status, amongst other protected characteristics.
We also invite applications from those returning from a career break, industry or other roles. We typically require a minimum 2:1 in your first degree (or equivalent), but exceptions can be made where applicants can demonstrate excellence in alternative ways, including, but not limited to, performance in masters courses, professional placements, internships or employment – this will be considered on a case-by-case basis, and is dependent upon approval from the relevant host institution. We offer flexible study arrangements such as part-time study (minimum 50%), however this does depend on the nature of the project/research so will be considered on a case-by-case basis.
If you have any questions about your eligibility, please email us at quartiles-admissions@abdn.ac.uk
———————————
APPLICATION PROCEDURE:
- Please visit this page for full application information: How to Apply – QUARTILES DLA
- Please send your completed QUARTILES application form, along with academic transcripts and certificates to quartiles-admissions@abdn.ac.uk
- Please provide two academic references (we are unable to directly request references from your referees. If you would like to include references to support your application, please ensure they are provided directly to us. Some project supervisors may choose to contact your referees – please also include their contact details on your CV.
- Please ensure you submit all the required information and documentation.
- If you require any additional assistance in submitting your application or have any queries about the application process, please don’t hesitate to contact us at quartiles-admissions@abdn.ac.uk
Funding Notes
This 48 Month opportunity is open to UK and International students (The proportion of international students appointed to the QUARTILES DLA is capped at 30% by UKRI).
QUARTILES studentships include a tax-free UKRI doctoral stipend (estimated at £19,795 for the 2025/2026 academic year), plus a training grant of £15,000 to support data collection activities throughout the PhD.
QUARTILES does not provide funding to cover visa and associated healthcare surcharges for international students.
References
1. Islam, M., Price, A. & Hallett, P. 2024. Rhizosphere development under alternate wetting and drying in puddled paddy rice. European Journal of Soil Science, 75.
2. Norton, GJ, Travis, AJ, Danku, JMC, Salt, DE, Hossain, M, Islam, MR & Price, AH 2017. Biomass and elemental concentrations of 22 rice cultivars grown under alternate wetting and drying conditions at three field sites in Bangladesh. Food and Energy Security, vol. 6, no. 3, pp. 98-112.
3. Yin, DX, Fang, W, Guan, DX, Williams PN, Moreno-Jimenez, E, Gao, Y, Zhao, FJ, Ma, LQ, Zhang, H, Luo, J. 2020. Localized Intensification of Arsenic Release within the Emergent Rice Rhizosphere. Environ. Sci. Technol. vol. 54, pp. 3138–3147.
