J. Diane Knight
Professor
Soil Science
University of Saskatchewan
Canada
Biography
Diane is a Saskatchewan Ministry of Agriculture co-chair of the Strategic Research Program (SRP) in Soil Biological Processes. The overall focus of the program is to develop innovative solutions to the problems facing today’s producers—focusing on biological aspects of the soil/water/plant continuum as they relate to nutrient cycling and the efficient use of nutrients by plants.
Research Interest
My research focuses on optimizing the benefits of biological nitrogen fixation in agroecosystems, examining the role of nitrogen fixing plants (trees and shrubs, perennial legumes and annual pulse crops) in agricultural landscapes. We use stable isotope labeling (13C and 15N) to track the fate of nitrogen and carbon residues and rhizodeposits into subsequent crops in a rotation and into soil organic matter fractions. A second line of research examines microbial inoculant strain selection and carrier development.
Publications
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Bazghaleh N, Hamel C, Gan Y, Tar'an B, Knight JD. Genotype-specific variation in the structure of root fungal communities is related to chickpea plant productivity. Applied and environmental microbiology. 2015 Apr 1;81(7):2368-77.
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Knight JD. Delayed inoculation of alfalfa with Sinorhizobium meliloti and Penicillium bilaiae. Canadian Journal of Plant Science. 2014 Dec 5;95(2):205-11.
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Knight JD, Cessna AJ, Ngombe D, Wolfe TM. Mineralisation and degradation of 2, 4â€dichlorophenoxyacetic acid dimethylamine salt in a biobed matrix and in topsoil. Pest management science. 2016 Oct 1;72(10):1965-76.
