Alwyn Williams

Biography

My research focuses around two core areas: 1) Cropping systems productivity and sustainability; and 2) Agricultural resilience to climate change. Within these, I am interested in identifying and minimizing trade-offs between agricultural production and soil ecosystem services, exploring the potential for temporal intensification (increased cropping frequency) to sustainably increase agricultural productivity, and understanding interactions between climate and soil factors that mediate crop yield stability. In terms of soil ecosystem services, my focus is on microbial processes, such as carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus cycling, the impacts of agronomic management on soil organic matter and microbial functioning, and plant-soil interactions; I have a particular interest in arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi. In addition, I am interested in how agronomic management and microbial processes interact to affect soil structure and the ability of soils to regulate fluctuations in water (precipitation) and temperature.

Research Interest

Food Sciences