Short presentation

Research Rationale
Shortage of freshwater resources will make it difficult to sustain crop production in the future. This situation is compounded by the predicted change of climate with increased temperatures and more frequent dry spells. To cope this, it is necessary to develop water-saving agriculture countermeasures thereby improving crop water productivity. At present, the most efficient and immediate approach to improve crop water productivity under water scarcity relies very much on field management practices that are formulated based on better understanding of a wide range of biochemical, physiological, agronomic and ecological processes.

Research Interests and Objectives
My research interest is concerned with the regulation of growth and functioning of plants subjected to environmental perturbations particularly drought stress. I have given much attention to the relative importance of hydraulic and chemical influences on the crop vegetative and reproductive physiology under water deficit conditions. This comprises the whole suite of research from crop-water production experiments under both controlled and field conditions to physiological and biochemical characterization of plants’ reaction to soil water deficits.
My overall research goal is, by exploitation of crop drought adaptation mechanisms, to optimize crop water use efficiency through development and application of biological water-saving irrigation strategies.

Focus Areas

• Research on physiological and biochemical mechanisms of crop plants response to adverse environmental conditions.
• Identify the key processes occurring at different organization levels (e.g. molecular, tissue, organ, whole plants) and time scales, and the controlling factors of the processes.
• Modify/manipulate those factors via management practices (irrigation, fertilization, tillage) and modelling tools to optimize water use efficiency in crop production.

CV

Education

1988 – 1992    B.Sc. Beijing Agricultural University, China

1998 – 2000    M.Sc. University of Hannover, Germany

2001 – 2004    Ph.D. Royal Veterinary & Agricultural University, Denmark

2007 – 2008    Diploma in educational studies for Assistant Professors, Danish Pedagogical University   

Employment

2007 –             Associate professor (tenured) and group leader of Crop Stress Physiology, Crop Sciences Section, Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Science, University of Copenhagen.

2004 – 2007    Assistant professor, Department of Agricultural Sciences, The Royal Veterinary and Agricultural University (KVL).

2001 – 2004    Ph.D. Student, Department of Agricultural Sciences, The Royal Veterinary and Agricultural University (KVL).

1998 – 2001    Graduate research assistant, Institute of Vegetable and Fruit Science, University of Hannover.

1992 – 1998    Research assistant/associate, Institute of Soils and Fertilizers, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences

Research Specialization

• Crop Ecophysiology
• Agricultural Water and Nutrient Management

Scientific Leadership

I am a principal investigator (PI) or Co-PI for several national and international projects. I am involved in all aspects of project management including proposal writing, experimental works, reporting and publication of research findings.

• Physiological basis for improving water use efficiency in crop plants under ‘Partial Root-zone Drying, PRD’ irrigation strategy (FTP, 2004-2009). 1.8 million DKK. PI
• Safe and high quality food production using low quality waters and improved irrigation systems and management (EU, SAFIR, 2005-2009). 4.7 million EURO. Co-PI
• New irrigation techniques for better taste, quality keeping and reducing pesticide and water use in strawberries (DEFF, 2006-2010). 2.0 million DKK. PI
• Sustainable water use securing food production in dry areas of the Mediterranean region (EU, SWUP-MED, 2008-2012). 6.0 million DKK. Co-PI
• Bæredygtig fremtid for dansk konsumfrugt (Ministeriet for Fødevarer, Landbrug og Fiskeri – FødevareErhverv, 2009-2012), 23 million DKK. Co-PI
• The potential of bambara groundnut genetic resources (DANIDA, 2009-2011), 2.8 million DKK. PI
• Sustainable food production through irrigated intensive farming systems in West Africa (SIFA) (DANIDA, 2010-2013). 5.2 million DKK. Co-PI
• Øget vandudnyttelseseffektivitet i kartofler ved præcisionsforædling og genmodifikation (Ministeriet for Fødevarer, Landbrug og Fiskeri – FødevareErhverv, 2010-2013), 2.4 million DKK. PI
• Effects of post-anthesis high temperature and drought stress on grain quality in wheat (Oversea Young Scholar Collaboration Grant, National Natural Science Foundation of China, 2011-2012), 0.2 million RMB. PI
• Exploitation of the ABA-based root-to-shoot signaling to enhance water and nutrients use efficiencies in cotton under subsurface drip irrigation (Ministry of Science and Technology, China, 2012-2015), 2.55 million RMB. PI
• Ph.D. Supervision:

• Integrated Water, Energy-from-Biomass, Soil, Organics, and Crop (WEBSOC) management strategies tailored to Ghanaian farming communities (DANIDA, 2014-2018), 10 million DKK, WP4 leader.
• Sustainable grain yield and quality of wheat crops for a future warmer and drier climate (Villum Foundation Block Stipend to postdoc Xiangnan Li, 2015-2017), 1.73 million DKK. PI
• The Effect of Biochar on P bioavailability in acidic, alkaline and iron oxide rich soils (SDC PhD fellowship to Marie Louise Bornø, 2015.3.1 – 2018.2.28), 1.50 million DKK. PI

Supervision and Teaching

PhD supervision:

1. Ali Shahnazari (2004-2008), co-supervisor. Thesis: Water saving irrigation strategies in potatoes.
2. Majken Pagter (2005-2008), co-supervisor. Thesis: Stress tolerance and hardiness of woody ornamentals. Majken was awarded the Elite Young Researcher in 2009 by the Danish Research Council.
3. Nauja Lisa Jensen (2007-2010), principal supervisor. Thesis: Physiological adaptation and fruit quality of Fragaria´ananassa under different deficit irrigation strategies and salt treatments. Thesis defended on 22^nd Aug, 2011.
4. Yaosheng Wang (2008-2011), principal supervisor. Thesis: Alternate partial root-zone irrigation enhances soil nitrogen mineralization and nitrogen and water use efficiencies in tomato plants. Thesis defended on 10^th Oct, 2011. Yaosheng was awarded the CHINESE GOVERNMENT AWARD FOR OUTSTANDING SELF-FINANCED STUDENTS ABROAD in 2010.
5. Zhenchang Wang (2009-2011), Danish supervisor for joint CSC Ph.D. student from Northwest A&F University, China. Thesis: Water-saving mechanism and stomatal conductance model of maize for seed under alternate partial root-zone irrigation. Thesis was defended in June, 2012. Zhenchang was awarded the Excellent Ph.D. graduates in the Northwest A&F University in 2012.
6. Yanqi Sun (2011-2013), Danish supervisor for joint CSC Ph.D. student from Northwest A&F University, China. Thesis: Effects of irrigation and fertilization placement on water and nutrients use efficiency in tomatoes. Thesis was defended on 27^th May, 2013.
7. Yufei Wang (2010-2014), principal supervisor. Project: Irrigation strategies to optimize yield and quality of root-pruned pear trees. Thesis was defended on 3^rd April, 2014.
8. Henrik Bak Topbjerg (2010-2014), principal supervisor. Project: Eco-physiological modelling of water use efficiency in potato clones from a dihaploid mapping population. Thesis was defended on 5^th Nov. 2014.
9. Saqib Saleem Akhtar (2012-2015), principal supervisor. Project: Interactive effect of biochar application and deficit irrigation on water and nutrient use efficiencies in tomatoes.
10. Xiangnan Li (2012-2014), Danish supervisor for joint CSC Ph.D. student from Nanjing Agricultural University, China. Thesis: Effects of early stage drought priming on cold stress alleviation in winter wheat. Thesis defended in December 2014.
11. Meng Li (2015-2016), Danish supervisor. Project: Risk and forms of phosphorus leaching from phosphorus-enriched soils. Thesis defended in December 2015.
12. Marie Louise Bornø (2015-2018), principal supervisor. Project: The Effect of Biochar on P bioavailability in acidic, alkaline and iron oxide rich soils.

M.Sc. supervision:

1. Rolf Thostrup Poulsen (2007-2008), co-supervisor. Thesis: A coupled model of photosynthesis and stomatal conductance for a potato leaf (Solannum Tuberosum L.).
2. Dawit Fisseha Weldearegay (2010-2011), principal supervisor. Thesis: Physiological and yield traits of three Danish spring wheat cultivars exposed to soil warming and drought stress during anthesis.
3. Allan Højgaard Jensen (2011), principal supervisor. Thesis: Optimizing the use of water for rice production in Karaket sub-district, Nakhon Si Thammarat, Southern Thailand.
4. Renqing Du (2012), principal supervisor. Project: Future development of Chinese agriculture – food security, resource use, and the environmental impact.
5. M M Uzzal Ahmed Liton (2013-2014), principal supervisor. Project: Drought adaptation of Campanula species.
6. Pietro Timoteo Pazzagli (2014-2015), principal supervisor. Project: Effect of deficit irrigation and elevated CO₂ on two tomato cultivars with contrasting drought tolerance.

Guest researchers:

1. Song, Ri (2006-2007), Jilin Agricultural University.
2. Zhang, Xiaoyan (2006-2007), Northwest A&F University.
3. Wang, Huiqun (2008), Hunan Agricultural University.
4. Yan, Fei (2010-2011), Jilin University.
5. Mao, Hongyu (2011-2012), Shenyang Agricultural University.
6. Yan, Hong (2012-2013), Northeast Normal University.
7. Zhu, Xiancan (2013-2014), Northeast Institute of Geography and Agroecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences.
8. Liu, Shengqun (2014-2015), Northeast Institute of Geography and Agroecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences.
9. Xu, Hongwen (2015), Huaiyin Normal University.
10. Zuo, Zhiyu (2015-2016), Jiangsu University.
11. Hu, Xiaotao (2016), Northwest A&F University.

Teaching:

Course responsible for:      Agricultural Water and Nutrients Management (5 ETCs)

                                          Methods in Crop Water Relations (PhD course, 4 ETCs);

Participating in: Applied Methods in Crop Physiology; Climate Change Impact, Mitigation, and Adaptation; Climate, Weather and Plants, Experimental Plant Science, Crop Production in a Farming System Perspective, , Water and Land Management, Climate Management in Plant Production and Research, Sustainable Agricultural Development Pathways, Advanced Plant Ecophysiology

Fellowships

• 1998-2000: DAAD (Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst) Fellowship
• 2001-2004: KVL Ph.D. Stipend
• 2004-2007: Post doc. Stipend (Danish Research Council)

Committees and leaderships 

• 2008 – Member of Assessment Committee for Ph.D. thesis at Hunan Agricultural University
• 2010 – Adjunct Professor, Jilin University
• 2010 – Assessment member for NSFC proposals (National Scientific Foundation of China)
• 2011 – Chair of Assessment Committee for     Ph.D. thesis at University of Copenhagen
• 2011 – 2014 Adjunct Professor, Northeast Institute of Geography and Agro-ecology, Chinese Academy of Science2012 – Head of Education Program for ‘Water and Environment’ in the Sino-Danish Centre for Education and Research (SDC)
• 2012 – Member of Scientific Committee for the 12^th International Symposium on the Processing Tomato
• 2015 – External Examiner for Ph.D. thesis at University of Agriculture Faisalabad, Pakistan.
• 2013 – Member of Assessment Committee for Ph.D. thesis defence at Danish Technical University (DTU).
• 2014 – Member of Assessment Committee for a Ph.D. thesis defence at Aarhus University.
• 2014 – Guest Professor, Nanjing Agricultural University, China.
• 2015 – External Examiner for Ph.D. thesis at University of Western Australia.
• 2015 – External Examiner for Ph.D. thesis at University of Agriculture Faisalabad, Pakistan.
• 2016 - External Examiner for Ph.D. thesis at University of Agriculture Faisalabad, Pakistan. 

Committees and leaderships

EDITORIAL

• 2014 – Member of editorial board for Journal of Agronomy and Crop Science
• 2015 – Member of editorial board for Frontiers in Plant Science
• Reviewer for more than 20 SCI journals:

Functional Plant Biology; Global Change Biology, New Phytologist; Journal of Experimental Botany; Plant and Soil; Physiologia Plantarum; European Journal of Agronomy; Scientia Horticulturae; Agricultural Water Management, Environmental and Experimental Botany; Journal of Plant Nutrition and Soil Science; Journal of the American Society for Horticultural Science; Irrigation Science; Journal of Agronomy and Crop Science; Australian Journal of Agricultural Research; Chemosphere; Journal of Plant Physiology; Field Crops Research, Pedosphere, Biosystem Engineering, Wetland Research, PLOS ONE, Agronomy, Crop Science, Frontiers in Plant Science

Publications

• 108 published peer reviewed SCI papers
• 2100 citations (H-index = 26, from ISI Web of Science)
• 4 book chapters, > 70 scientific conferences proceeding papers