New seminar series from AgTAC

James Cook University (JCU) Agriculture Technology and Adoption Centre (AgTAC) takes a data-tech and humancentred approach to producing more food with a smaller environmental footprint in challenging climates, whilst minimising the threat of pests and disease outbreak.

AgTAC partners with local, national and global stakeholders to solve industry-relevant problems with innovative and evidence-based solutions. For further information, visit their website on https://www.jcu.edu.au/agtac

AgTac are plannng a series of seminars and Professor Paul Nelson will lead the first seminar on Thursday 27th March at 11.00am. Email diane.popham@jcu.edu.au to register. It will be delivered online via Teams.

Professor Paul Nelson is a soil scientist working at the agricultural-environmental interface. He has accumulated experience in the coldest to hottest and driest to wettest agricultural environments on earth and delved into the worst and best soils. One of his main research themes is carbon cycling; soil is the biggest terrestrial store of carbon and the biggest terrestrial source of atmospheric CO2. What interests him most is how to manage agricultural land well.

Abstract: To reach net zero greenhouse gas emission we must remove CO2 from the atmosphere, in addition to drastically reducing CO2 emissions. Enhanced rock weathering is a promising CO2 removal technology, but many questions need to be answered. How effective is it? How is removal rate related to climate, rock characteristics, soil type, vegetation and land management? What are the other effects? In this seminar the concepts will be discussed, and James Cook University’s enhanced rock weathering research program will be described.

Image: Adding crushed rock can also improve the soil. Credit: Paul Nelson