2016 AHDB Call for PhD proposals

The AHDB Cereals & Oilseeds Research & KT Advisory Committee is inviting applications for PhD projects starting autumn 2017 to spring 2018 as part of the AHDB call for applications for postgraduate studentships. Applications should address the research priorities outlined in the R&KE research strategy.

A budget of £70,500 per project has been allocated to this call. AHDB Cereals & Oilseeds funding is available for three new studentships, one of which is to be granted The AFCP Award.

The AFCP Award: One of the new PhD studentships to be awarded from the current call will be funded jointly by AHDB Cereals & Oilseeds and the AgriFood Charities Partnership. To be eligible for this special award in 2016, applications are required to meet the following additional criteria:

The subject area should be related to soil (for example soil fertility; soil health; soil amendments and their impact on soil nutrient and water retention properties etc).
Long-terms experimental sites supported by agricultural charities, or data from these sites, should be used (see further detail below).
The proposed project must build on existing data and add to current knowledge.

Long-term experimental sites supported by agricultural charities:

New Farming Systems (NFS) Project (Norfolk): this is a series of ongoing rotational experiments. It explores ways of improving the sustainability, stability and output of conventional arable farming systems. The main research themes compare a range of approaches, systems and interactions around cover crop, cultivation system and amendments use.
STAR (Sustainability Trial for Arable Rotations) Project (Suffolk): this study examines the interaction of four different rotations (based around winter cropping, spring cropping, continuous wheat and alternate wheat/fallow treatments) and four different cultivation methods (plough, deep or shallow non-inversion and seasonally managed approaches).
Saxmundham Experimental Site (Suffolk): this site was set up in the 1800’s, to compare artificial fertiliser and soil amendment applications. Field experiments have been in place since this time and examine the impacts of long term cumulative applications of farmyard manure, phosphate and/or potassium fertilisers, compared to long term untreated plots.

The above research / sites are all delivered through NIAB TAG; for further information on these long-term sites, please contact Ron Stobart ([email protected])

Application procedure for The AFCP Award

The standard AHDB application procedure applies for projects being considered for The AFCP Award. In addition, applicants MUST indicate on the form that the studentship meets the criteria for The AFCP Award by ticking the relevant box in Section 3 of the application form. Only applications marked as such will be jointly assessed by AHDB and AFCP representatives, and approval from both funders is required in order for the award to be granted.

The deadline for all applications to the AHDB PhD Studentship call is midday 19 September 2016.

For further information, including guidelines and application forms, please see the AHDB website