A China-Australia Joint laboratory in Soil Ecological Health and Remediation has been established between the University of Adelaide and Shandong Academy of Sciences, China.
The laboratory is co-funded by Shandong Academy of Sciences, the South Australian government, and the University of Adelaide.
It will be led by its Australian Director, Dr Matthew Denton (pictured with with Shandong Academy of Sciences staff), who leads a team of researchers and students from the School of Agriculture, Food and Wine at Waite Campus of the University of Adelaide.
The new Joint Laboratory will host PhD students from China, and enable visits from postdoctoral scientists who will work together to create new discoveries and develop microbial technologies.
The Joint laboratory has four key areas of research that have been developed:
- developing bioinformatics tools and establishing a pipeline for big data genomic analysis
- remediation of petroleum-polluted soils using beneficial microbes in saline regions of the Yellow River delta
- evaluation of soil microbial communities in broad acre cropping and protected horticultural systems in Australia and Shandong province
- development of a new, rapid soil biological activity test both as a research tool and to monitor and manage agricultural and polluted soils
New knowledge generation will lead to high impact journal publications.
New discoveries and microbial technologies in these areas will improve agricultural productivity in both China and Australia.
