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Today is the day I have been waiting for a long time! 'My' project called ‘Learning from nature– towards sustainable crop production using soil fungi’ officially starts today and I cannot wait to start the experiments! I will post here at NIOO website (with hashtag #SoilFun) news about the progress of the project and today start by introducing myself and the project very briefly.
I am a 35-year-old scientist interested in soils, carbon, microbes, and especially fungi. Next to being a scientist, I am a mother of two children (aged 4 and 6) and quiz enthusiast. I originally come from Finland but have lived past 12 years in the Netherlands and feel at home in both. For those interested in scientific merits, look here: Google scholar or here NIOO personal website. My main expertises are (carbon) isotopes, fungi, molecular analysis, big data, and plant-soil interactions… And finding edible mushrooms in the forest.
The project is funded by Maj & Tor Nessling Foundation. Within this project I will address the relationships between beneficial soil fungi, soil carbon cycling (and crop yield) and agricultural management practises. The saprotrophic fungi are the ‘good guys’ of the soils and have great potential to bind carbon and help plants grow big and healthy. However, currently used intensive agricultural practices are generally not favorable for the growth of these fungi. Ultimate aim here is to use the potential of the soil microbes and find ways to improve the carbon sequestration and crop yield using these good guys. More information can be found here (Learning from nature).
If you are interested in the project, want to collaborate or for example do an internship, just email me or DM at twitter (@e_hannula).
More information on the project will follow soon, next week I will start the search for 'best soil of the Netherlands'! Stay tuned!
Greetings,
Emilia
